Girls:

If under the age of 20, a big, black, back-combed nest with a huge combover fringe is de rigeur. Couple this with super-tight black jeans, graphic-print t-shirt in red or pink, & Converse. There is also a lot of jewellery featuring skulls, roses, bows & “antique”-looking keys which actually aren’t & cost $20. Big, round sunglasses are a must.

If over the age of 20, girls either go for dude-I’m-too-indie-for-you or a super-girly kind of ensemble.

The dude-I’m-too-indie-for-you look entails a pair of 80’s-inspired sunglasses, big hair, a top tucked into anything high-waisted (skirt or trousers), & high heels which don’t match anything else. It’s kind of androgynous & definitely different, but I wouldn’t call it stylish & it’s almost like dressing by numbers. Once you’ve seen it a bit, you could put something like it together easily. (Please see here for examples & evidence. That blog makes it look as if Melbourne exists in a graffiti’d alleyway, & it pretty much does.)

The super-girly look requires what we in the business call a “party frock”, meaning something dull & nu-floral (I just invented that but it works & you know what I mean, right?) cinched in with a vintage (or vintage-looking) belt around the waist. You must have long hair, ballet flats, a big tub of bronzer & very sparkly teeth to pull this off.

Boys:

If under the age of 20, please see above. There is less jewellery on the boys but certainly a lot of lip piercings & eyeliner.

If over the age of 20, there is some sort of “ironic kool” movement going on. Tight pants with naff sunglasses are popular, as are floppy overgrown hairstyles. Boys here wear quite good shoes which they like to shine a lot. Over all, Melbourne people are quite experimental & so it is rather exciting to see boys wearing waistcoats & hats, though at the moment it is pretty much too hot to do that. Tight, tailored suit jackets are acceptable night-time wear as well as skinny ties.

Notes:
I always thought Wellington, New Zealand was the emo capital. At least, until I moved to Melbourne. The amount of emo kids in this city absolutely blows my mind.
People here are very keen on getting tattoos on the underside of the top of their arm, near the armpit. Maybe it’s a badge of triumph, since I must tell you that getting tattooed there is quite painful.
Pointy shoes & leggings are very big here.

What’s going on style-wise where you live?