Garage Sale Grandma Grunge from Funktional
Jennifer Park founded Funktional based on her continued assertions that she couldn't function, which of course, turned out to be fairly inaccurate given that in less than 12 months she founded a major fashion label that has been worn by starlets like Rihanna. (Of course, Rihanna will wear pretty much anything she comes across, as far as I can tell.) My guess is that Jennifer was one of those kids in school who always said that they'd failed a test directly after taking it, and then got A's.
Funktional was born in 2009, and within the year gained significant traction in the New York fashion scene. Yes, it's the sort of success stories that makes less fortunate designers gnash their teeth, pull out their hair and wail until someone slips a little Prozac into their latte.
What is the secret to Funktional's success? According to Jennifer Park, it's about creating a look where grunge fashions rise to the level of acceptability to the elderly, or as she puts it 'Grandma Grunge', grungy clothing that your grandma won't mind. Of course, it very much depends on your grandmother, I'm pretty sure if I turned up to grandma's house in a shapeless shift top and combat boots, she'd be worriedly pressing $20 in my hand and telling me to go and buy myself some proper clothes. But that's because my grandma isn't a fashion stylist, maybe yours is.
If we were to analyze the Funktional trend more deeply, which we will, because that's the whole reason why we're here (on this page, not on Earth, I wouldn't presume to impart the meaning of life in such a cavalier fashion), we note that like most designers, Jennifer Park favors skinny models who make legging pants look good.
She also likes hats - tea cosy hats, vagabond hats, hats that echo touches of the outfit to bring otherwise eclectic looks some kind of consistency.
There's something a little Lindsay Lohan about the styles, perhaps its the way Park favors the aforementioned skinny leggings but matches them often with loose fitting, some might say, shapeless tops. The legs have it in Jennifer's collection, which is actually good news for slightly larger ladies, as women tend to carry their weight in their hips and tummies, where it will be obscured by the hipsterish flowing fabrics.
Do I like Funktional's look? I do. I like a hat that makes my head look like a well boiled egg. I like the way this style makes buying random clothing from opportunity shops more attractive than ever before. I don't like some of the shoes Park has chosen (socks with sandals are inappropriate at any age and gender in my book.)