Latinx’s Everyday Fashion & Style
Written By Janette Beckner
Photographed By Elisa Peters
Modeled By Janette Beckner, Dayanna Sotelo, & Gigi Garcia
Latinx everyday fashion and style is a complex variety of traditions, cultural influences, and personal narratives. Each style tells a different story of identity, heritage, culture, and self-expression. This article dives into the three styles shown in our recent photoshoot: preppy/classy, streetwear, and grunge. These styles are commonly worn by people of the Latinx community and by discussing them we can highlight the richness and diversity of Latinx everyday fashion and style.
The preppy/classy style originated in elite preparatory schools from the Northeastern United States in the late 19th century. The outfit's clean-cut, polished aesthetic characterizes it. This style usually features patterns such as plaids and stripes, and accessories like loafers, purses, and more. In the Latinx community, we see that the preppy/classy styles are embraced as a way to display sophistication while undermining traditional norms of wealth and exclusivity. Latinx individuals incorporate elements like button-downs, collared shirts, and skorts or cargo pants into their wardrobe that reflect their cultural heritage with its accessories and patterns.
Streetwear style comes from the urban youth culture taking inspiration from Indigenous tribe's traditions like Aztec and Mayan and combining that with Chicano’s involvement in streetwear movements from Los Angeles. It’s characterized by its casual, edgy aesthetic influenced by thrifting, and garage and yard sales. Things like hip-hop, vibrant graphics, and bold slogans also characterize it. Latinx streetwear mixes elements like sneakers, baggy jackets or coats, graphic tees, and jeans into its everyday wardrobe. Latinx streetwear serves as a form of self-expression, blending cultural heritage with contemporary urban trends like athleisure and oversized silhouettes which create a space for people with similarities to bond and connect.
Grunge fashion is a subculture that comes from alternative music and art movements. A dark, romantic aesthetic with an emphasis on individuality characterizes it. Latinx individuals who dress in the grunge style incorporate elements like black clothing, leather pieces, and dramatic-looking makeup into their wardrobes. This specific style uses its cultural heritage and spirituality from alternative music and art movements in the 1980s and 1990s like the Chola style did to make way for everyday fashion in the Latinx community. Using the grunge style, Latinx can celebrate their identities, challenge mainstream beauty standards, and express themselves.
Latinx everyday fashion has a wide spectrum of styles, some we still need to discuss, each reflecting the diverse identities and expressions of people within the Latinx community. All of these styles are popular in Latinx fashion and are characterized by creativity, inclusivity, and cultural and heritage pride. Through everyday fashion, Latinx individuals can assert their identities, challenge stereotypes, and celebrate the richness of their culture and heritage. As Latinx fashion and style continue to evolve and change, it symbolizes the powerful ability to express identity and community within a global context.