Girly Grunge

I am not of the generation that watched Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor feud over badboy Dylan McKay. I did not see the bookish Andrea Zuckerman moon nonstop over Brandon Walsh until she was already a high school graduate and married to someone else. And Steve Sanders? I didn’t meet this Corvette-driving rich kid until he had cleaned up his act and was running his own newspaper. No, I was too young to have experienced the first generation of Beverly Hills 90210 first-hand. Rather, I watched them in reruns throughout my adolescence, and grew to love them once the series had already come to an end. But the fashions never left my mind.

Donna Martin was quintessentially the best-dressed. She was quirky yet cute, and managed to fuse girly florals and ruffles together with the dark, utilitarian, androgynous styles that so perfectly fit the title of grunge. Yes, she would slip a pair of black 8-eyelet Doc Martens on her feet with thick socks and a short paisley colored dress, and manage to look trendy. She would pair that same bit of footwear with floral shirts and denim shorts and, once more, pull the look off perfectly.

Perhaps it was something to do with the fact that these 8-eyelet black Docs were not too short and not too tall, so they appeared unobtrusive to the girly look she had going on above the waist. Maybe it was simply that fashion was more in tune with grunge during the early 90s, so the style was accepted with open arms, more so than it would be today. Either way, it is a look that I have always loved, and attempted to recreate myself. Thus, when I spotted the new 8-eyelet Doc Marten release, I instantly thought of the perky blonde Ms. Martin.

The Dr. Martens Floral 1460 are the epitome of girly grunge. The old-school black and white Docs that have been around seemingly forever (and which I have loved since I was a fourth grader) have been remodeled, so to speak, to feature a floral print that is glamorous, yet still true to its grunge roots.

White Floral is dotted with bright blues, oranges, reds, and pinks. Black Floral is slightly different, embellished with more muted flower tones ranging from lavender to pale yellow. And while they are titled “boots,” you do not have to wait until the streets are slick with ice, or the rain is coming down in torrents to slip them on. The floral print makes them perfect for spring, summer, winter, or fall. The white would look decadent with a lacy, wedding-inspired dress. The black would look divine with minis or a motorcycle jacket. The versatility is undeniable; as are the trademark gems – bouncing soles, midsole contrasting stitching, and logo tag at the back.

In these, part of you can be chic, trendy, stylish, swank, smart, elegant…the other can be bedraggled, rough, tousled, scruffy, disheveled, mussed – all in a pretty way, to be sure. These are destined to appease the part of me searching for a pair of boots that works in all types of weather. A plat du jour that provides a flat sole and traction for those moments when I feel the need to make a sprint to the subway or the head of the sample sale line. A tour de force when I sense that my look of the moment requires a bit of edginess. This is girly grunge. Glam grunge. Feminine and sweet yet masculine and bitter.

I need a pair. Donna Martin would surely love a pair. Are your tootsies dying to slip into a pair, as well?


Fashionably yours!


Thanks to Urban Outfitters for the pictures.