Month: February 2016

The Evolution of Rave Fashion

Posted on by Olivia Hansen

Hello again, I’m back 🙂

Since many of you readers are probably clueless on what EDM culture even is, I want to begin this journey by starting with the basics – rave fashion.  I can imagine these styles seem pretty crazy to those not clued in on how they came about.  Rave fashion has evolved tremendously over the past 25 years, with trends constantly changing to this day.  It began in the early 90s, when phat pants and midriff became staple icons of the underground scene.  Back then, it was more about being functional than looking hot.  But that doesn’t mean there was any lack of creativity.  Other highlights of this era included visors, smiley faces, and boiler suits.

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Image courtesy of hubpages.com

Moving into the 2000s, the fashion sense of the rave community took turns towards neon colors and cyber style.  A lot of these trends reflected elements of steampunk, such as goggles and gas masks.  Although some aspects of the 90s were still prevalent in these ravers’ wardrobes, fresh new trends like bell bottoms and crop tops took the stage and the iconic vests and phat pants quickly faded out.  Another new style that both emerged and stayed within this generation were the funky tubular headgear worn by the girl in the picture below.  I’m not exactly sure what those are called, but that’s just one example of some of the weird and unexplainable fashion trends that ravers have adapted over the years.  It was during this time that one could start to see where the EDM fashion trends of today got their roots.

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Image courtesy of Tumblr

It’s 2016 now and most ravers wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the things they did a decade or two ago.  The most prominent and noticeable change is obviously the lack of clothes we see at today’s festivals.  Instead of the baggy jeans we saw in the 90s, most girl ravers now have decided to ditch pants completely and go for a more scandalous look, like small skirts and booty shorts.  Guys have made their own style changes as well, transitioning from the 90s trends to modernized clothes, but still with the same unique flair they’ve always had.  My boyfriend Chris (in the picture below) likes to go for the newly popular all-over prints, while I usually opt for a comfy bodysuit with my favorite leg wraps and lime green fluffies.  Fluffies are those fur boots I’m wearing that almost every girl raver owns, they are one of the most widely seen rave trends today and let me tell ya, they are so fun to wear!

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Chris and I all funkified up at EDC Vegas last year. Fun fact, we had only known each other for about 24 hours when this was taken.

Many non-ravers today often take jabs at the way we EDM lovers dress (or don’t dress, really).  But we have to remember that rave fashion is somewhat influenced by street fashion as well.  Lots of the everyday fashion choices we see on girls today would be unacceptable back then, and vice versa.  Our world has evolved considerably since then and so has the closets of our beloved rave babes.  It is often forgotten that we aim to be different, controversial, and rebellious.  That is the foundation that raving was created upon and we will stay true to our values of youthfulness and self-expression no matter how much hate we get.

If you’d like to add some sweet rave clothes to your wardrobe, or even just look at what other crazy styles are out there, check out this awesome website called iHeartRaves!

See you next time!:)

 

Let Me Take You Underground

Posted on by Olivia Hansen

What’s up y’all?  I’m Olivia.  I am currently living the college life as a sophomore at Texas State University and loving it.  I just recently changed my major from Nutrition to Electronic Media and Mass Communications, and kept my minor in Business.  This blog is one of my first big assignments towards this new endeavor of mine, so I am eager to explore the possibilities it offers.  Let’s get started 😀

Here is a little background information on my topic for those unfamiliar with the rave scene.  Electronic Dance Music emerged in the late 1980s, where it was mostly heard in nightclubs and discotheques.  By the mid-1990s, the early rave scene was in full swing and its unique cultural aspects started to take root.  Since then, EDM has brought its listeners together to create amazing things, from funky outfits to flow art.  I will write about the many different pieces of this culture and explain how they bring us ravers together to create one happy family.   I will also share some of my own experiences at festivals and shows!  EDM has become a pretty big part of my life over the past two years, so I am excited to explore and blog about this favorite hobby of mine and show others just how cool this lifestyle can be.  For more information on EDM history, check out this cool site!

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Here I am, cheesing hard at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas this past year.

Now, I haven’t always been an EDM junkie.  Growing up, I listened to mostly Country and Pop because that was all I knew.  But nonetheless, music has always been very important to me.  In 2nd grade, I remember begging my parents to get me an iPod for Christmas and by age 10 I had already attended my first concert.  I enjoy listening to all genres, but when I discovered the electronic side of the music industry, I swore there was nothing better.  I found my love for EDM about two years ago and since then it has slowly but surely taken over my life.  I chose a very specific topic to write about because I believe it is one that many people know nothing about.  Instead of just writing about my crazy experiences at concerts and festivals, I wanted to take a different stand and explore the many aspects of this culture that make it so unique and fun.  Stay tuned for awesomeness!