Thursday, November 29, 2012

Style Icon: Kelly & Lindsay from Freaks and Geeks

If you've spoken to me in the past few days (and possibly even if you haven't) you'll know that my latest TV obsession is Freaks and Geeks. While loafing around my apartment in my standard post-drunken stupor on Sunday, I stumbled upon it on Netflix and decided to check it out. While I consider myself to be a decently avid Judd Apatow fan, I had never seen the show before and all I can say is wow! I am so in love...and not just with how sexy young James Franco is. I can be something of a TV (okay, culture) snob, but I would easily place this show in my top ten. And I haven't even finished it yet. Why is it that all the best shows get cancelled after like two seasons? 

Anyway, I love Kim Kelly and Lindsay Weir's casual, borrowed-from-the-boys style aesthetic. Even though I sometimes feel I get along easier with guys, I have certainly never been able to mimic the cool, casual ease of tomboy style. I'm much more of a full makeup/pretty dress kinda girl, but that doesn't stop me from totally digging the way Kim and Lindsay pull off their oversized flannel shirts and relaxed-fit jeans. 

The other thing I've noticed is that fashion-wise they are both totally defined by their outerwear, which, like most girls, they rock everyday. A friend and I were recently having a conversation about the importance of coats. During the colder months, you will likely be wearing the same one or two coats everyday, to everything, all of the time. There's simply no escaping it. Coats are expensive and bulky, so unless they're like, your "thing" it's unlikely you own a ton of them. So it's important to have a coat (or two) that you like and that fit easily with your personality, lifestyle and wardrobe. 

Lindsay's oversized military jacket, a trend which has been going strong over the past few years, is a defining feature of her newfound rebelliousness - in one of the first episodes her little brother Sam asks her why she has suddenly started wearing her father's old jacket and hanging out with the "freaks", indicating that these two things happened simultaneously. Military jackets are like the equally badass cousin of the leather jacket, but unlike the leather jacket, which kicks everything up a notch, a military jacket adds a casual touch to an ensemble. They are versatile - they can be tomboyish like Lindsay's, badass when worn with black combat boots and leather skinnies, or even preppy when paired with a button down, ballet flats and white jeans. 



Casual chillin' in plaid shirt and military coat.

Kim's jacket, on the other hand, is a little more sporty. The slightly puffy bomber-style jacket screams late 70's in the best way possible. It's one of the nicer looking things she owns (she confesses to having switched the price tag on it with one for a much cheaper item) and provides a nice contrast to her baggy band tee's. Confession time: Kim Kelly is by far and away my favorite character. Maybe it's a blonde thing or maybe it's the fact that she reminds me a little bit of me in high school in that she's a bitch on the outside with a gushy candy center waiting not far below her chilly exterior. I think I'm also just a sucker for any female character that manages to be bold, brash and badass while still remaining hot. Fuck yeah Kim Kelly.

If Kim and My So Called Life's Rayanne Graff are to be trusted, apparently it was imperative to have funky hair braids in order to be a cool, tough girl in the 80's and 90's.

Amen, sistah!



A modern take on Lindsay's style. Combine all these elements and you'll have a look thats casually sexy, in a bit of a Free People catalogue kind of way.



Inspired by Kim's clothing. This look is edgy and carefree - perfect for hanging out in a basement watching your boyfriend's band butcher  Zeppelin.









No comments:

Post a Comment