The sneaker pimps

SMU has long been a haven for designer handbags, high heels and polo-shirts. But there’s another style on campus and it has nothing to do with designer tags: indy-cool.

An indy-cool kid is at the forefront of a relaxed fashion trend drawing from days gone by. Vanity Fair’s November issue called it “New York’s relentlessly retro rock scene.”

Mr. Indy-cool’s old-school sneakers brand him a baby of the retro-cool boom. His well-worn T-shirt either touts an obscure band name or is emblazoned with a quirky phrase such as “I get cranky without my Blue Bell.”

In fact, an off-beat shirt can make an outfit. Think red and white picnic-basket plaid button-ups topped with a mismatched sweater or a ’70s-style athletic jacket.

Indy rock’s love for the look runs so deep, quintessential geek rockers Weezer wrote an ode to the slack pullover, “The Sweater Song.” A pair of plastic-rimmed glasses give the look that intellectual edge.

Byron Melton, a sophomore theater major, says this style allows for more individuality.

“You don’t have to walk around with a group or act a certain way,” Melton says.

Although there seems to be a distinguishable scene connected to the indy-cool kids, Melton says people do not have to be a certain kind of person to fit in. They can be in greek life, a drama major or a “mad-scientist,” he says

Straying from the cookie-cutter fashions found at local malls, shopping for indy clothes requires scouring thrift stores or vintage shops where items are more one-of-a-kind.

As the style becomes more popular, essential pieces have become easier to find, although more expensive, thanks to a recent influx of stores into the Dallas area vending the indy-cool style.

New York City-based chain Urban Outfitters carries an eclectic variety of merchandise. Kelly Shiner, junior advertising major, believes the store maintains one of the best selections of sneakers in the city: from pink-and-gold Pumas to Crayola-green Adidas. Shirts with appropriately random phrases hang from peg-board walls next to the quirky books, rugs and picture frames for which the store is known.

Theatre major Andy Bothwell is excited about the opening of Buffalo Exchange on lower Greenville. The vintage clothing chain is one of his favorite places to shop back home in Houston, and he says the outlet has one of the best inventories he has encountered.

Bothwell also suggests the vintage shop Ahab Bowen as a place to find pieces of clothing no one else is going to have.

For those who enjoy a more designer label-filled closet, but still appreciate the aloof look bought at thrift stores, high-end Neiman Marcus carries a wide variety of Marc Jacobs designer duds. In the October Harper’s Bazaar article, “What Your Clothes Reveal About You,” the writer concludes that Jacobs’ designs convey a “no-worries attitude,” a signature characteristic of the indy-cool style.

Speaking to a higher-ticket crowd, the article says, “[This style of] fashion is a cross-cultural, intergenerational game of mixing and matching collectible vintage, random flea-market finds, big ticket items and quirky pieces by up-and-coming talents.”

The style special suggests also trying designers Marni, Clements Ribeiro and Luella. But check out the “modern” section of Neiman’s, too.

For the typical connoisseur of the indy-cool look, a $2 corduroy jacket is a bigger find than a new designer piece.

John Vera, sophomore music major, explains a major draw of the indy-cool look is the inexpensive budget needed to build a wardrobe.

In the end, the indy-cool look relies on individuality to make an outfit stylish.

“Kids want to be individuals and many express their personality through what they wear,” Vera said.

An outwardly demonstrated sense of self may come in the form of Chanel sweaters and Louis Vuitton handbags at SMU, or it could come from a collection from Thrift World.

Students are looking to express their individuality, and many are doing so by means of a certain off-beat style made up of red vintage sweaters, blue and day-glow-orange sneakers and pink sport-coats with sleeves a bit too short.

Where to shop

Ahab Bowen
2614 Boll St.
Dallas, TX 75204
214-720-1874

Urban Outfitters
5331 Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, TX
(214) 821-4371

Buffalo Exchange
3424 Greenville
Dallas, TX
(214) 826-7544

Neiman Marcus – Northpark
400 NorthPark Center
Dallas , TX
(214) 363-8311