Travis Barker Is in His Punk Fashion Pocket
Kourtney Kardashian's reinvention was more dramatic but Travis Barker's stylistic metamorphosis has been a fascinating series of events to behold. Over the past year or so, as Kardashian and Barker have really absorbed each other's taste through typical couple osmosis, their wardrobes have melded in often surprising ways.
It's not an unusual phenomena, obviously: folks as famous as the Kardashians live their lives under a microscope and their relationships are magnified, speeding up the dating process. They soak up their paramours' tastes at a rapid pace and vice versa.
For instance, within the year that she began dating Travis Barker, Kourtney Kardashian quickly began wearing edgier outfits that hybridized the luxe stuff she always wore with the rowdy fare usually worn by the Blink-182 drummer.
Conversely, Barker's looks started to incorporate more luxury labels, especially those currently preferred by the Kardashian family (cough, Balenciaga, cough)
Not that Barker entirely eschewed the stuff he usually wore, however: he's still spotted wearing the ripped band tees and skinny jeans that've perpetually fueled his closet.
It's an interesting mélange indicative of the ways that Kardashian and Barker, known to fans as "Kravis," have organically meshed their tastes.
On August 24, Kardashian and Barker were at an event celebrating the launch of Kylie Jenner's makeup line at a Ulta Beauty location in Los Angeles and it served as a proper example of this kind of synchronicity that's defined their respective styles since they began dating.
Kardashian was dressed in the dark, feminine style that she's comfortable with nowadays, her black leather corset and floor-length trousers a stark contrast to the rest of her family's pink inclinations (save for Balenciaga-shrouded Kim).
Barker, meanwhile, leaned a bit further into the event's flashy atmosphere, with a Raf Simons "punkette" shirt from Spring/Summer 2019, some slim slacks, and beefy leather derbies from Balenciaga, a brand he's quite fond of wearing.
Also worn by the likes of Jackson Wang, that Raf Simons shirt is a savvy match to Barker's inherent style, what with its raw hems, shiny viscose body, and the on-the-nose print.
While Kardashian has displayed a pretty fluid style over the years, Barker has pretty reliably cared fairly little about clothing.
Not unlike so many other aging rock stars — Metallica's Kirk Hammett comes to mind — Barker was occasionally spotted in a kinda cringy "luxury punk" kinda look — and still reps problematic labels like Enfants Riches Déprimés here and there but never really dug deep into current collections.
Perhaps Kardashian's simply encouraged Barker to experiment a little more or perhaps it's all stylist Chris B. Kim's doing but, whatever the reason, 2022 has been a much better year for Barker's closet.
This year, Barker has begun stepping out in comparably high-end brands like Rick Owens and Raf Simons (not usually what he's dressed in, mind you), mingling these avant-luxe labels with the same punkish stuff he's always worn (ripped jeans, Vans).
It's a compelling combo, one that better elevates Barker's innate predilection for youthful edginess to genuine stylishness.
In an interview with Highsnobiety, Travis Barker's son, Landon, said that his style icons include Machine Gun Kelly, the pop/rap star whose outfits often comprise layers of chain jewelry and fancy combat boots.
Perhaps Landon ought to observe the sartorial moves of his old man instead, whose canny combinations of high and low easily outstrip MGK's big stylistic swings.
