Skate Fashion Through Betty

PLUS the obligatory state of the world message

BY BRITTANY SWEARINGEN

It feels remiss to begin any piece without at least acknowledging the pandemic. Is an acknowledgment ever enough? I struggle to gauge what becomes relevant in a fashion article amidst the world groggily whirring back to life alongside Civil Rights era unrest. This can feel hopeless. I write to celebrate Black women, queer women, and women of color through the lens of fashion and culture.

During the quarantined weeks of spring, fashion starvation, and an exclusive relationship with casual wear, I was recommended to watch HBO’s new series Betty. I was immediately peaked. I found that skating is a sport centered around presentation, similarly to fashion. And albeit a new attention-getting trait isn’t far out of my realm. ‘Betty,’ itself is often a diminishing term for girl skaters that is reclaimed through this series by Crystal Moselle. The show dives into the lives of five young skaters as they navigate the world around them, exploring sexuality, the #MeToo movement, feminism, and friendship. Betty is made special not only by their diversity of actresses, but through the sincerity of their stories.

Janay, Honeybear, and Indigo.

Each girl on the series has a unique yet accessible style that reads to her personality fluently. Show stylist Camilla Garmendia represents the skate scene gloriously through the use of modern brands and authentic style. At my local skate park, I spoke to a girl wearing Converse, Champion, Nike, and Adidas, these brand influences run deep in skate culture. The core of Skate is of course Sportwear, and Garmendia amplifies this theme with unique prints, brands, and pieces to create the ensembles behind each character.

Kirt, portrayed by Nina Moran, is often seen in a snapback, oversized tee and high white socks. Kirt skates in Vans, a prominent brand among skaters known for flat soles ideal for boarding. Another brand more subtly represented is Urban Outfitters. For anyone looking to replicate the styles of Kirt and Camille, actress Rochelle Vinberg, look no further than the graphic tee and cargo pants section of UO. Camille also regularly wears printed button downs from UO, like this mustard woven. (and the only* good thing about fast fashion is that you can always find often last season in local thrift stores and online!)

Janay, the decided Cancer of the series, played by Ardelia Lovelace skates in a sports bra or brami and a heavy pant that brings to mind 90’s singer Aaliyah’s infamous Tommy Hilfiger look. This classic contrast between feminine and masculine pieces works visually and metaphorically as Janay struggles to balance her feminism and her relationships with men (No spoilers).

Honeybear is the Queer style influence on the show. Honeybear is queer fashion to the max. While sporting tech accessories like a speaker necklace and camera clutch, Honeybear wears skin-tight silhouettes made loud through bold color and ecstatic prints.

Last but not least, beautiful Indigo, (who may or may not have inspired my recent eyebrow bleaching) supplies the feminine flavor to the group dynamics. Like Honeybear, Ajani Russel as Indigo embraces print and bodycon. However, her prints are less dense and are made unique by fashion elements like asymmetrical hems, ruffles, or exposed closure. Her style mixes flounce with fit, creating an effortlessly cool and trendy ensemble that reads as feminine and unwavering. She also casually rocks a fiery faux fur coat for nearly an entire episode, which is series affirming enough.

From bottom up, results may vary. Flat shoes and high socks are musts from the get-go. Prints very encouraged, bonus points if you can stack them. Jackpot if they are all of different color palettes. As tops go the first consideration is necessarily sweating, skate is a sport and you will drip. I am partial to Janay’s approach of simplicity and practicality. If you are really cool, you can drape some tech jewelry together for functional and futuristic vibes. Snapback not officially recommended. Through this simplified recipe, you can implore your personal style into the iconic skate wear of Betty, seamlessly.

*WLW: women liking women, a popular internet term for gay women of unkown sexuality. Umbrella term.

Using inspiration from the heavily brand influenced culture of my local skate park, and the idealized perfection of Betty’s styling, I created a skater look of my own. Flat shoes, high socks (inspired by Kirt) were musts from the get go. Next I knew I wanted to incoprorate a print, I found a dark colored plaid at a local thrift store that I wanted to pair with a light colored brami, an homage to Janay and her array of bra tops. Next to chalk in some realism, bike shorts for skating coverage. Take a look and contribute your own renditions via social media!