Indie Aesthetic: How Celebrities Nail the Look
From Alexa Chung and Zooey Deschanel to Harry Styles and Phoebe Bridgers, see how celebrities wear the indie aesthetic, plus easy indie outfits.
If your wardrobe is mostly thrifted cardigans, old band tees, a pair of beat-up Converse and at least one thing you found at a flea market and can't stop wearing, congrats. You might already be dressing indie.
The tricky part is that "indie" means slightly different things depending on who you ask.
What Is the Indie Aesthetic?
The word comes from indie music, the bands that weren't on major labels, and the people who went to their gigs. Over the years it's turned into two pretty different looks.
The first is indie sleaze, the late 2000s version. Think skinny jeans, leather jackets, smudged eyeliner, ballet flats and a slightly hungover-at-a-gig vibe. Messy, cool, very London and very New York.
The second is the indie kid look that blew up on TikTok around 2020. It's brighter and a bit more playful: patchwork knits, mismatched prints, colorful thrifted pieces, chunky rings and sneakers that have clearly been through a lot.
What ties them together is the attitude. Indie style looks personal, a little offbeat and never too try-hard. You'd never guess the outfit came from one store, and that's kind of the idea.
The Indie Sleaze Icons
Alexa Chung
If indie had an official uniform in the late 2000s, Alexa Chung was wearing it. Peter Pan collars, skinny jeans, ballet flats, a messy fringe. She was a TV presenter who somehow became the most copied dresser in Britain, and Mulberry even named a bag after her. Honestly, half of Pinterest is still built on her old outfits.
Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller's 2004 boho phase is where a lot of this started. Coin belts, floaty skirts, cowboy boots and a big slouchy bag, all worn like she'd just wandered out of a festival. It's one of the defining looks of the early 2000s fashion trends that keep coming back.
Agyness Deyn
With her platinum crop and androgynous style, Agyness Deyn was the model of the indie sleaze era. Oversized blazers, band tees, brogues and a lot of attitude. She was named Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2007.
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel brought the softer, quirkier side of indie to the mainstream. Thick bangs, vintage-style dresses, cardigans and Mary Janes. Between (500) Days of Summer and New Girl, she basically made "cute and a bit kooky" a whole look.
Today's Indie Style Stars
Harry Styles
You can't talk about the indie kid look without the cardigan. In 2020, Harry Styles wore a colorful patchwork JW Anderson cardigan during a TV rehearsal, and TikTok lost its mind. People started knitting their own copies, and JW Anderson ended up sharing the knitting pattern. Pearls, sweater vests, wide trousers and painted nails did the rest.
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers has a signature that's hard to forget: the skeleton suit. She's worn skeleton-print outfits on stage and on red carpets for years, usually with platinum hair and a slightly spooky, slightly sad energy that her fans adore.
Maya Hawke
Maya Hawke, Robin from Stranger Things, dresses like someone who actually loves thrift shopping. Odd vintage finds, clashing prints, oversized blazers and knits that look like they came from a grandparent's closet. It's quirky, and it always looks like her.
Clairo
Clairo's style is indie in the most low-key way. Baggy jeans, old tees, simple sweaters and sneakers. Nothing about it is flashy, and that's exactly why so many fans copy it.
How to Get the Indie Look
The best indie outfits don't come from one shopping trip. They're built slowly, from thrift stores, vintage markets, hand-me-downs and the odd lucky find. A few pieces will get you most of the way there:
- A chunky or patchwork cardigan, the brighter and weirder the better.
- Straight-leg or baggy jeans. Skinny jeans if you're going full indie sleaze.
- Band tees, ideally from bands you actually listen to.
- Converse, Vans or a pair of scuffed ballet flats.
- Sweater vests and collared shirts layered underneath.
- A leather or corduroy jacket.
- Mismatched prints: stripes with florals, checks with polka dots. Go for it.
- Chunky silver rings, beaded necklaces and maybe a beanie.
For hair and makeup, keep it relaxed. Curtain bangs, a messy fringe or a shaggy cut all work, with smudgy eyeliner or barely any makeup at all.
Easy Indie Outfit Ideas
- Patchwork cardigan, white tee, baggy jeans and Converse. Very Harry in 2020.
- Skinny jeans, a band tee, leather jacket and ballet flats, the indie sleaze classic.
- A vintage floral dress with a cardigan, tights and Mary Janes, Zooey style.
- Sweater vest over a striped shirt, corduroy trousers and chunky sneakers.
- Oversized blazer, band tee, jeans and brogues, the Agyness Deyn way.
Don't worry about getting it "right." With indie style, an outfit that looks a little off is usually the one that works.
Final Thoughts
From Alexa Chung's ballet flats to Harry Styles's viral cardigan, indie style has never really been about following trends. It's about wearing things because you like them, and not caring much whether they match. Which might be why it keeps coming back, one thrift haul at a time.
If you love the messier, moodier side of indie, you'll probably like our guide to the grunge aesthetic too, from Kate Moss and Courtney Love to Olivia Rodrigo.
