Release the Ratchet

Ratchet

A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos, that has reason to believe she is every mans eye candy. Unfortunately, she's wrong.

I don't know about you but I've noticed that there is one street style trend in particular that only seems to be growing and growing, one that I have had an element of in my look for many a year now. You might not have heard the term "ratchet" before if you didn't embrace hip hop or don't have many friends from a black or mixed race heritage, or if you are just a wee bit too old or it simply passed you by.. Basically this terminology encapsulates the way young girls are dressing nowadays, kids as young as twelve are rocking the ratchet look and they are owning it in a way that only girls that age can... You remember before insecurities and boy impressing took over! That time when you wore whatever without knowing if it was cool, or sexy... In my day it was tracksuits, Reebok classics and AirMax 1s or 90s... Now it is all batty riders, American Apparel disco pants and Air Jordans with crop tops and a weave so bouncy it'd make Beyoncé's quiver in the corner for dear life. 

Basically the term was coined heavily in the 90s to describe a certain kind of girl, in this day and age it could sum up an entire generation, because it seems that thanks to the likes of Rihanna, Iggy Azalea and Nikki Minaj (and wannabe ratchet Miley Cyrus) embracing and releasing your inner ratchet is the way to be. It is a bit grimy, a bit ghetto, a tad slutty and a whole heap of pretty cool. Its all ghetto gold, big weaves, bitchy stares and grills if you can afford them. I love throwing a bit of ratchet into my look, I tend to wear it with heels to give it a bit of a grown ratchet edge. 

The 2013 ratchet has evolved, and this look is no longer the babymomma of urban youth and only seen in darkest pits of South London, Manchester and wherever else you might spot some street cool kids, it has been wholly embraced by the middle classes, especially young white girls who are consumers and lovers of some of the celebrities who have made this a look, and a modern and pretty cool one at that. 

As well as younger girls there is no shortage of bloggers and stylists who wholeheartedly rock this look, mostly in an ironic and extremely chic/edgy/random way giving it an altogether fabulous edge... Think baseball jackets, form fitting dresses, ghetto gold trainers mixed into a wardrobe of sharp tailoring, leather, COS, Zara, chic pencil skirts and designer shoes and handbags. Like a way of mixing hi and lo-fi but with a bit of a cooler edge. Especially with designers such as Givenchy, Kenzo, Céline, Rodarte and Chanel embracing tee shirts and sweaters and making them the most covetable items ever. Think Jourdan Dunn rocking Brian Lichtenberg sweaters and Chicago Bulls vests with heels and pencil skirts and you get the idea. 

For me it is just a random way of updating a look, or making it look a bit silly or edgy, I draw the line at grills but each to their own... Now pass the ghetto gold I'm off dutty winding and twerking just cos I can. 

image... Grillz by Christian Ferretti for Interview, April 2013