Hipsters and Bohemians

Lens flare, pipe, beard, glasses, deep-v, weird hair...  Catnip for hipsters.

I just read a pretty good article about the "Fall of the Hipster."  What do you think?

For ages and ages, there have been bohemians.  As the article says, we may have called them punks, hippies, beatniks, flappers, or any iteration of the word "bohemian."  But, they are the cutting edge of the new guard (avant garde), and where they lean, the rest of society, including the squares and basics, follow (even if it's a few years later).

This explains why, after the "squares" of the 60's admonished the damn stinky hippies, ten years later they were wearing bell bottoms and sandals (with no nylons!) gotten from JC Penney.  The article shows a similar thing happening now, as ten years ago hipsters were ridiculed for their tight jeans and ironic shirts, but now, every suburbanite teen has the same uniform, gotten at Target.  And every Brentwood mom is wearing bohemian boots and a scarf, because it's what everyone else is doing ("I'm trendy").

The other interesting part of this article is how the fashion industry is constantly struggling to remain relevant.  So, they try to see what's on the cutting edge, and they lucked out with hipsterdom.  Hipsters have been dressing more or less the same for the past ten years.  It helps, as the article says, that the look is based on what's in the thrift store, because bohemians usually are running on a lower amount of funds than the average bear, and generally shop at thrift stores.

But what about the new hipster?  The article says this is more of a "Portlandia" hipster than a "Vice" hipster.  It's kinder, gentler, softer, and more conscientious.  It is a hipster who worries about where their food comes from, worries about what we are doing to the environment, worries about America's actions and their effects on the rest of the world, and most importantly to clothing retailers, worries about where their clothing comes from.

The new hipster doesn't mind dressing in full-on normcore.  As long as the clothing is AUTHENTIC, it doesn't matter.  Give us some Levi's, a plain sweater, and a pale blue button-down oxford.  Some well-made, maybe ARTISAN-made, shoes as well.  Sure, we may look like our grandparents, but it is COOL now that mainstream and basic has co-opted the hipster aesthetic.  The substance behind this is intriguing, and I hope that the new trend is responsibility all-around.  I'm excited to see what us 30-somethings will accomplish.