Tattoo Fashion

Amanda of Dishevelled Stars sent me this guest post, and I absolutely loved it! She’s a fellow Austin transplant and you should definitely check out her blog, where she writes about music & fashion, among other things (her posts about shows make me think I should get out more!). Thanks again, Amanda!

Inspired by Michelle’s post on tattoo etiquette that first led me to discover her blog, (which was double exciting by realizing she’s a fellow Austinite), I wanted to continue the tattoo theme in writing about the growth of tattoo visibility in all spheres of the world, including the highly fickle world of fashion.

tattooladies

above: Kat Von D, Megan Fox, Gala Darling

Tattooing has a long history of either being a social pariah, (if you ask Leviticus and a few others, including my grandmother), or a social standard, (look at certain tribal groups, pre-Christian Europeans, punks, etc). Tattoos have rarely solicited neutral reactions, and in the past they were delegated solely for men, and usually burly ones at that. With shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink gaining massive followings, tattoos have slowly and shyly been stepping out from the whale’s tales and coat sleeves they’ve been hiding behind. While people with tattoos seem to often attract other people with tattoos, creating cloisters of tattoo sub-cultures where the non-inked are not permitted, the growing idea of tattoos-as-fashion is breaking down the barriers built by the tattoo needle.

tattootribal

It wasn’t that long ago, (or was it? Maybe I’m growing old), that boys in my high school walked around sporting their tribal tattoo inspired bowling shirts. This was one of the first major leaps that ink made from skin to fabric, and for better or worse, it’s started a domino effect in the fashion industry.

tattoolabels

Tattoos are no longer for the burly and pierced, even Italian shoe and “it bag” affectionados have started to merge fashion with ink. The branding of personal parts with highly recognizable labels was another domino in the path to tattoo fashion that now permeates departments stores, shoe racks, handbags, and even shower curtains.

tattooedhardy

Ed Hardy, student of classic tattoo artist Sailor Jerry Collins, has brought the vintage tattoo aesthetic off the wall flash of a tattoo shop and made it available to anyone who has ever been a fan of tattoo design but not wanted the permanence of ink work… or anyone who’s a fan of trends, as the Ed Hardy brand has exploded in popularity. I was thisclose to purchasing an Ed Hardy baby-doll shirt from Nordstrom Rack this week, but some sense of indignation wouldn’t let me.

As much as I love tattoos, (especially the four I have so far), I can’t bring myself to support an industry that takes the personal story and unique art out of the design work by mass printing it. On the flip side, I appreciate how the popularity of tattoo fashion has helped further propel the public acceptance of visible ink work, especially since I made no attempt to secure future job opportunities when I tattooed my neck and both forearms, (not propelled enough, though, since it didn’t stop an elderly Spanish man where I work from telling me it was so sad that I’m going to hell because of my tattoos, since I seem so nice).

What do you think of tattoo inspired fashion? Is it a trend to keep, toss, or let evolve beyond just the tribal and Sailor Jerry styles?

http://www.freakrevolution.com Kyeli

I kind of like the trend, because – as you mentioned – it does at least help those of us with tattoos be a little more accepted.

On the other hand, it makes me want to shout “I had tattoos before they were cool!”

So, yeah, kind of a mixed bag there.
.-= Kyeli´s last blog ..Where the Juicy Goodness Lies =-.
http://www.glassofwin.com Rachael

I think it takes the personalization out of tattoos. Personally, I’m not a fan of the Ed Hardy fashion, because it’s kind of generic.
.-= Rachael´s last blog ..Tasty Tuesday: Baked 3-cheese & mushroom Macaroni & Cheese =-.
http://www.styleamor.com Glendy

I love tattoos but not the Ed Hardy splattered everywhere with no aesthetic type, although Kat Von D does look good with scattered tattoos, I prefer them more simple esp on clothing and accessories, I love black and white prints I think they look great. Awesome post, loved reading your take on tattoos and fashion
http://www.wicked-whimsy.com Michelle

For my part, I can see both sides – I’d have a more positive opinion if the people sporting Sailor Jerry/Ed Hardy stuff knew the history, but I think a lot of them are just like “HEY COOL!”. Kind of like with the tattoos themselves. I do love a lot of the classic style, although I don’t think any of my tattoos will end up like that.

I do think it’s awesome that tattoos are becoming more mainstream, but at the same time it tends to be the “typical” tattoos that are accepted – something cute on a wrist or a lower back tattoo. People with lots of tattoos are still treated like freaks by way too many people!
http://www.dishevelledstars.com Amanda

When I was a teacher I wore long sleeves every day to cover my tattoos, but that didn’t stop me from rolling them up when I got hot. An assistant principal once caught me with rolled up sleeves – but he just asked me what they meant. My principal would *not* have had the same response.

I had the most trouble with them when I got hired to work as a waitress at Bennigans this summer! I wore a cardigan to the interview and got hired, but the “uniform” was a short sleeve polo shirt, and when my manager saw them he got huffy and told me I had to wear sweat bands over them!

Now I work for a non-profit with high risk kids, and tattoos seem to give me street cred… or something. None of my supervisors have batted an eyelash. Doubt it’d be the same response if I worked at a bank.
http://www.fringehandbags.com/ fringe handbags

oh tattoo is also a kind of fashion that can make us cool and nice for many, because it form by a artistic design
.-= fringe handbags´s last blog ..Fringe for Cowgirls? Not anymore! =-.
http://meslunettesfolles.blogspot.com alliXT

The Christian Audigier Ed Hardy gear makes me want to hurl – I hate the way it takes images that are old and art forms in their own right and strips them of meaning entirely. I love the really old school Sailor Jerry flash and the stories behind the illustrations or the people who used to sport them. It bugs me so much that those pieces have gotten so watered down from overexposure on tshirts, shoes, bags, that now just about anybody will walk into a tattoo shop and pick a sparrow or a star off a flash sheet without any clue as to the meaning behind the piece. ::deep breaths…::I don’t know, even though I have some silly tattoos, for me they’re all still pretty personal and each has a meaning or a story behind it. I don’t enjoy the fact that someone sees something on a tshirt and then presumes to know why a certain piece might be on my body…argh.
As for tattoos at work, I don’t work in a traditional industry so I don’t have to worry. When I did work in corporate America though, my direct boss didn’t give a rat’s bum about my ink. I did excellent work and that’s all she wanted. Sure, some people were asses because of it, but I saw it as a nice built in phony detector.