I went to Relevant Magazine’s five year anniversary party tonight. (For those who don’t know, Relevant is a Christian magazine that covers entertainment, music, and spiritual issues.) They’re very hip, and decorate their pages in that flowy, emo-ish art style that is quite popular right now. (On a brief aside, I have recently been scolded for using the terms “Indie” and “Emo” interchangeably. Do not do this. It gravely offends both Emo people and Indie people. That being said, I still have no idea what the difference is.)
The crowd at the Relevant party was predictable fashionable, and though I am not an especially fashionable person, I nevertheless found myself thoroughly intrigued and entertained by the scene. Judging from what I saw at the party, the following things are “IN!”
-Ugg boots. (Why can’t it always be winter?)
-Thick-rimmed glasses.
-Messy hair. Rock your curls!
-The “bag” dress. (If this is not the technical term for this type of dress, it really should be, because no other description is more fitting.)
-Tight vests.
-The female mullet.
-The “am I a vampire?” look.
-Girl jeans on guys. (True, this isn’t exactly breaking news, but hey, it’s still “IN!”)
-But the biggest fashion trend of the night had to be the “half-up hoodie.” Let me explain. Tradition would say that a hoodie is to be either worn up, or, if you prefer, down. But not so fast. What if you wore the hood in such a way that it covered only the back half of your head? Ah ha! Now we’re on to something. I was fascinated by this bold fashion choice displayed by several young gentlemen around the party. Hoodies are IN! Big time. And by sheer luck, I was wearing a hoodie tonight! How awesome is that?
A few more observations:
- Baseball hats are not “IN!” but they are still “allowed,” lucky for me. (And by “allowed” I mean that no one asked me to leave for wearing one.)
-Whatever outer coat (or hoodie) you came in the door wearing, you are NOT allowed to remove it, for any reason, no matter how hot it may get inside. It is part of your outfit, and thus, it is part of you. I felt especially bad for the guy I saw wearing a fur-lined jacket. (Yes, I’m serious.)
A quick story:
The party took place in Relevant’s office building. I can sum up the décor with one word: Ikea. We were joking that the Relevant office might actually be an Ikea store. And then, while we were laughing about this, the actual owner of Relevant magazine walked over to us and said, “Yeah, it’s true; we did get pretty much everything here from Ikea.”
MUSIC
Naturally they had some very cool live bands at the party. Baron Von Bear, Seabird, and finally Pigeon John. The first two bands, Baron Von Bear and Seabird were both Indie-rock groups (or Emo…). I noticed something weird during their sets; no one was moving. (Okay, there were a few people gently bobbing their heads.) My best guess is that there was some kind of a “no moving” rule in place? If so, people were very careful to obey that rule, at least until a certain rapper named “Pigeon John” took the stage and blasted the mannequins out of their trance. Holy crap, this guy could work a crowd. Emo and Indie folks alike put their hands in the air, and waved ‘em like they just didn’t care.
What a fun night. But now it’s time for bed. It’s Saturday, and I have church tomorrow.
1 comment:
indie = short for independant (or non-mainstream) can apply to anything (movies, music, art, etc). emo is a subset of the music category of indie (although, some emo bands make it big, thus shedding their indie status). so a term like "emo art" doesn't really make sense. that would be like saying "rap art" when you're really looking for the word urban. hopefully that is helpful, and you can begin using the terms in more meaningful ways that make you sound less like the father of a teenager. =) cya buddy!
ps - like the "IN!"
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