Designers for the urban hipster

It's true, hipsters like to go against trends of the masses and follow their own drum. This group of people, while always seeming "off" from the general style consensus, are in fact foreshadowing popular trends of future seasons. As a result, there are a growing number of designers and companies who have caught on, and cater to this slightly askew perspective on style. Band of Outsiders/Boy combines preppy-chic with a hint of nerdiness in their Fall 2009 collection. The Mens collection boasts color-blocked boat shoes and sweaters under head-to-toe suiting. In a similar manner, the Womens’ collection Boy by Band of Outsiders is reminiscent of an Ivy League girl gone bad. Striped sweaters and pleated skirts manage to look fresh when paired with sneaker pumps and newsboy hats.  This is a style statement I've already started to notice around my hipster-heavy neighborhood of Williamsburg. I predict this will be an essential look for the young & hip this Fall.

As the edgy looks of last year catch on to the masses, the uber hip crowd must constantly search for the next new thing.  We can rely on Topshop Unique to show us a glimpse into the future, or should I say futuristic?  Their Fall ’09 looks are something pulled straight from a science fiction movie.  Metallic fabrics and otherworldly geo prints are worn over vinyl/ leather skin tight pants.  We also see several versions of sequined baggy pants with a silhouette similar to sweat pants. Rag & Bone can also be relied on for edgy items, but in a much more wearable sense. For Fall ’09 they have taken understandable pieces like collared shirts, cowl neck tops and shrunken blazers in muted colors and thrown them together with the more daring dropped crotch knit pants.  Also among the "hipster-approved" is 3.1 Phillip Lim. The collection over all is very driven by 1960s Mod influence, from the metallic vertical striped pants to the double-breasted pea coats. My personal favorite is the black flowy long sleeved dress with a vintage print. Most of these pieces would work equally well at a nice dinner as they would at a rock’n’roll show.

Most importantly, Chloe Sevigny is helping to bridge the gap between the mainstream and avant garde with her collection for Opening Ceremony. Chloe herself has built a reputation as a muse for many designers because of her sophisticated and unusual style. Now instead of buying quirky vintage clothes for her own wardrobe, she is sharing it with the rest of us.  In the collection we see opaque tights worn as pants, with oversize menswear shirts and sweaters. Most unusual of the collection is the printed peg leg pants with a high waist.  Of all the eccentric pieces in the Fall ’09 collections, those pants are the ones I’m most curious to see whether or not they will appear on the streets of New York.

Fashion Illustrations by Nancy Wells