DIY Piercings? Bad Idea. DIY Pierced Clothing? Badass
Piercings are a classic signifier of all things punk, rebellious, and generally cool. Fashion from the outside in. But piercing pandemonium is beginning to puncture every level of fashion, from indie brands to luxury labels.
But as always, it all comes back to DIY.
The instant aggro allure of these punctured garments is in direct contrast to the lack of commitment required, unlike actual piercings, and it can actually be affected by the wearer themselves.
When you can just throw on a pre-pierced top and get a similarly edgy vibe, no saline solution needed, you save a lot of potential headache especially when it comes to potentially regrettable jewelry (not that there's anything wrong with body mods, BTW — you do you).
The history of pierced clothes punctuating fashion begins with, of course, Vivienne Westwood.
Dame Westwood, high priestess of DIY punk fashion, made safety pins a statement piece. When Westwood got going in the late '70s, pierced clothes were about doing a lot with a little, turning trash to treasure (by intentionally going a little trashy).
The legion of fashion provocateurs who've followed since merely picked up Westwood's pace. Mugler turned pierced accents into art by way or his legendary couture shows, a feat modernly manifested by its otherwise simplistic pierced baby tee. Versace similarly dabbled safety pins, a look recently resurrected by Anne Hathaway at Met Gala 2023, while Jean Paul Gaultier consistently took a trompe l'oeil approach.
And, of course, Daniel Roseberry, scion of the contemporary cutting-edge, keeps the pierced look alive at Schiaparelli ready-to-wear. Because, nowadays, you mostly leave piercing to the professionals.
On a smaller scale, labels as disparate as Prada, Balenciaga, Tory Burch, and Junya Watanabe are going through a similar phase, specialty makers like J Phoenix London have found minor success with pierced corsets, and adidas is slinging edgy Samba remakes and grunge-flavored ballet shoes.
The most accessible approach to the pierced look is by way of accessories, obviously as both buzzy upstarts like Mfpen and omnipresent makers like Acne Studios pierce their bags with eyelets and sharp studs. to encourage (slightly) adventurous styling.
Even some retro pierced numbers are getting a boost from a sort of punk halo effect. Specifically, the price of Dior's Galliano-era "Hardcore" Saddle Bag has recently spiked, selling on some resale sites for over $11,000. (That's almost half of one Sorayama Saddle)
But, really, you gotta give it to the DIY piercers on social media. The pierced clothes movement may have happened without them but they nevertheless embody the attitude of the original punks by modifying their garments to taste.
Our over-accessorized culture is definitely helping to push this sorta thing — everything's better with a bit of bling — but ain't it also a sign of the times?
With wages stagnating and an international trade war likely to blow up MSRPs, dollars must be stretched.
In looking to cheaply update ordinary garments, these inventive folks are affecting the DIY mentality of the Westwood scene.
Sure, the approach is often utilized in service of imitating designer flavor, with plenty of attempts to create the Mugler pierced top and on-trend shoes, but doesn't it all owe a debt to DIY ingenuity anyways?
