Amid the peacocking and unabashed "pick-me" energy at the Met Gala, a star was quietly reborn.
Sky Ferreira, the queen of tumblr's soft-grunge craze, made a low-key appearance at Monday's shindig, earning the singer the title of Most Unexpected Attendee. Her red carpet arrival was so under-the-radar that most didn't realize she attended until the festivities were over.
When photos of her arrival finally hit the internet, fans went wild — the Givenchy poster-girl was back, and looking just as stylish as a decade ago.
Ferreira, famously selective in her public appearances, confirmed she attended the Gala for one simple reason: to promote her long-awaited album Masochism, her first full-length project since 2013's Night Time, My Time. Still, her presence felt like definitive proof that the internet's "Indie Sleaze" revival is about to go high fashion.
What is Indie Sleaze, you ask? It's a phrase — born online, of course — used to describe the grunge-tinged aesthetic of fashion and culture in the aughts and 2010s. Think photography by Mark Hunter (AKA The Cobrasnake), Cory Kennedy, American Apparel advertisements, Jeffrey Campbell Litas, and of course, Sky Ferreira.
For months now, the resurgence of Indie Sleaze has held the attention of TikTok and Instagram, generating content aplenty. In fact, The Cobrasnake even released a photo book documenting the makings of the aesthetic.
With Ferreira's recent Met Gala attendance and her new album on the way, Indie Sleaze is only bound to get hotter. When fashion inevitably tires of low-rise jeans and butterfly tops, will designers turn their attention to ripped tights, plaid button downs, and skater skirts? Right now, all signs point to yes.
