All Hail, the Rat Tail

I think that my work has always had a bit of a slight 90s Cartoon flair. I often get comments that some of my illustrations look like Rugrats, or some other Nickelodeon characters. Growing up watching these TV shows has definitely influenced not only my illustration style, but my personal style as well, I think. I tend to cling to all things nostalgic anyway, which is pretty obvious when you look at my tumblr, or know how I dress. Gaining an interest in Japanese street fashion at a later age, I felt the relevance of it in my own life. I love mixing various elements that make up "me"  as a way of personal self expression, into some "hyper-mixed" outfit seems to make sense somehow in my own mind. I love to do the same with my art. For example, often mixing Japanese underground fashion culture with a more "western" illustration style, or having a slightly grotesque looking character wearing "kawaii" pastels.

Right now I'm really inspired even more with the whole 90s Nickelodeon thing, and 90s trends in general. I feel like fashion people on the internet has been for past few years at least. For the past decade, you can see resurgences of 80s and 90s inspiration being regurgitated in ways over and over by Fashion houses and designers, ranging from the recent New Wave inspired silhouettes at Balenciaga, to the late 90s emoticon, internet culture at Jeremy Scott. 

One thing I've noticed though, is there is some ever-so-tacky 90s trend that I have yet to see at fashion week, or on any street snap site.

And that is the rat tail.

Maybe its that uncomfortable feeling of what the rat tail is associated with? Maybe a bit trashy? ...Or was it just that every kid in elementary school that had a rat tail was always the really mean kid?

Either way, the rat tail holds some nostalgic power, doesn't it? 

All Hail,  the Rat Tail!