mary-kate and ashley

The 2000s-mid 2010s indie sleaze scene is one of my favorite music and fashion eras. There was a blend of NYC rock bands with electronic and electroclash, blending references to both grunge and high fashion. It’s glittery, and messy, and it’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with huge purses and sunglasses, skinny jeans, and high heels. The indie sleaze era pretty much transitioned into what I grew up calling “Tumblr”: black and white, tights under shorts, the 1975 and Arctic Monkeys and Lana. I think Sky Ferreira is a good bridge here, since Night Time, My Time came out in 2013, so she is featured in this playlist quite a bit. There’s The Strokes, Interpol, Metric (one of my absolute favorite bands that were quite instrumental to this era), all the way to Crystal Castles, Lady Gaga (I know she said in an old interview she was inspired by this electroclash era which she helped make the sound of mainstream pop), Charli XCX, and Air. Now, Air may be a bit of a stretch in terms of being considered indie sleaze… but I don’t care. I needed “Surfing on a Rocket” here somewhere.

And now for my favorite picture of the beloved Olsen twins.

Photo by Peggy Sirota for Vanity Fair, 2002