The Hipsters of All Hipsters

The term “hipster” can be somewhat vague. It's a new counterculture that is gaining popularity. To better understand the concept, I approached three people who know a great deal about being hipster.

The Experts
I spoke to hipster “experts” about this evolving fad. These experts included Cynthia an employee at an uber-hipster clothing store, All Saints Co., Maddie Mitchell a free-spirited fashionista with an immense love for indie rock music, and Christopher Talley, lead singer with a great sense of fashion from the emo-pop band, The Bigger Lights

Experts' Definitions
Maddie says, “[A hipster]...is someone who’s comfortable in their own 

Christopher Talley

skin. They want to stand out. You can be a hipster whether you make tons of cash in movies or if nobody knows who you are,” She goes onto say that hipsters’ inspiration for their style is linked to their love of discovering new trends that they can call their own.

Maddie Mitchell

Although Christopher Talley felt that he couldn’t pin point specific people who best represented hipsters, he did feel that it is possible to be both hipster and famous. He says, “It [being both hipster and famous] goes against it...but there will always be those people that go against the trend and then that becomes the trend. It kind of teeter toters.” 


To further define hipster, the experts shared who they thought were top hipsters.Through this list, you can better understand what this new style is  about. 

The Top 5 Hipsters

Kate Moss

1. Kate Moss
She's a British supermodel who's known for making “heroin-chic” popular. She’s been a major fashion icon for decades now. Although she’s seemingly mainstream, throughout her career she’s kept this don’t care attitude that is definitely reflected in her style.  Cynthia says, “She [Kate Moss] mixed up a lot of tomboy made it femme.” That carefree attitude she gives off is what lands on her the list for being a true hipster.

Jenny Lewis

2. Jenny Lewis 
Jenny is mostly known as the lead singer of Rilo Kiley. In addition to Rilo Kiley, Jenny has also been involved in many musical projects such as Jenny and Johnny and The Postal Service. Her style is just as unconventional as her music. In addition to having a unique sense of style, hipsters like her tend to constantly evolve through their art. Maddie Mitchell says, “She’s changing the indie rock world by being that unstoppable female,” She goes onto mention how Jenny is always changing up her name and look. “People have to keep following her around.”

Alexa Chung

3.Alexa Chung
She's a British television host and model, is known for being very stylish and witty. She's worshipped in the fashion world, yet she's still incredibly understated. Maddie exclaims,“She’s totally up there[top list of hipsters]!”  Cynthia agrees that Alexa Chung definitely   gives off a hipster vibe with her sass and individuality.

 

Zooey Deschanel

4. Zooey Deschanel
She's an actress and lead vocalist from indie rock group She&Him. She's considered a hipster for her confidence and individuality. Maddie describes Zooey's attitude,“I’m[Zooey Deschanel] gonna be my own person. I will wear my baby doll dresses even if it’s not cool to wear to the Grammy’s!'”

5.Farmer Dave Scher
He's best known for--exactly. Hipster expert, Maddie Mitchell explains,"He[Farmer Dave Scher] is a part of Jenny Lewis’s crew...I’ve seen him on tour with her. He’s also a singer too. He’s like the heart and soul of all her songs. He kept to himself, but he still made major statements.” He has this different yet interesting feel about him that is seen in his wardrobe and music. Farmer Dave Scher is seen as a hipster, for he's incredibly understated. 

After examining the look at 5 people who do hipster best, you probably have a good idea what a hipster is and how to pursue that kind of style.


Image Credits: AP Images, Creative Commons, Maddie Mitchell, and myself. 

Ombre--Hottest New Hair Style

Hipster style is often referred to as effortless and understated. We all want it to seem like our appearance is incredibly different, yet not difficult to achieve. However, as women we all know that looking both good and natural is far from easy. The idea is you want it to seem easy.

Let's say you're a natural dark brunette and you'd like blonde. That's fairly reasonable right? Being a typical color-treated girl, you would dye(punny) if your roots started to come in. That's where being a hipster allows you to bend the rules a tad. Create the appearance of roots coming in. That faux roots-coming-in look is known as ombre.

It's where from the tips of your hair to your chin is a lighter color than from your chin to your roots. Get it? I know, I know it sounds somewhat tacky. When I first heard of it, I thought it was yet another moment in fashion history when hipsters take the idea of "homeless chic" way to far. The "homeless chic" trend---it's too tacky to be even considered a trend---really grinds my gears. I tend to refer to it as " the Ashley look" because people like Ashley Olson and Ashlee Simpson tend to sport it often. So believe me I would never blog about it if it was even remotely--um what's an adjective describing homeless fashion being cute? Oh right, there isn't one. Ombre is actually the complete opposite of what I initially thought. It's quite classy.

"Homeless Chic"

To better understand the ombre do, check out this video below that breaks it down.



Photo from YouTube

Still don't get this whole "homeless chic" thing? Check out my next blog post ;]