Smells like 90's nostalgia - What's old is new again, so sayeth the Wall Street Journal, in an article that highlights the return of grunge fashion to teenaged wardrobes. The revival of the sound has been remarked upon in this blog before, but the WSJ focuses on an entire teen aesthetic rising from the ashes. Anti-fashion slackerdom came into its own during the first Bush recession, and the possibility of a resurgence has retailers worried. After the materialism of the later Clinton years,

It's all a little worrisome for retailers, for whom grunge is a touchy subject. In 1992 -- the year grunge gained household status and thus was disowned by its originators -- teen spending on clothing entered a four-year slump. That was due partly to a struggling economy and also to the downmarket appeal of the grunge uniform of flannel shirts, Army surplus pants and thrift-store finds. The switch left retailers like County Seat, Contempo Casuals and Merry-Go-Round (once a $1 billion-dollar-a-year powerhouse) in bankruptcy court by 1996. Other trendy chains, like Limited Inc. and Wet Seal Inc., reeled.

Interestingly, while gay men practically led the way for the post-grunge upscaling of youth couture (a la Abercrombie), I never felt the homos ever "got" the grunge look itself. Ben, maybe you need to skip Armani Exchange next time you're at the mall and check out Buckle instead.