Still, fear fashion remains serious business for many, including anarchists, who march in antiwar rallies with their faces shrouded, and graffiti artists, who often pose for pictures in front of their work with black bandanas hiding their identities.
On the streets, people are creating fear fashion looks on their own terms, in the true DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit. I've seen scarves wrapped over and around faces and, more than ever, baggy sweatshirts with hoods drawn at all hours and in all forms of weather. I've seen military gear and camouflage prints; large, clunky boots; goggles, gas masks and face paint; cascading chains and oppressively heavy jewelry; outrageously layered outfits that feel as though they might be appropriate for trekking through a broken civilization in a dull red, post-doom haze.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday April 15, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Barbara's at the Brewery: The caption for the photograph that accompanied Sunday's West magazine article on "fear fashion" misidentified the location of Barbara's at the Brewery. It is in Lincoln Heights, not downtown.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday April 23, 2006 Home Edition West Magazine Part I Page 7 Lat Magazine Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
The caption for the photograph with the article "'Terrorist Chic' and Beyond" (Men's Fashion Issue, April 9) misidentified the location of Barbara's at the Brewery. It is in Lincoln Heights, not downtown.
Last fall, the blog thecoolhunter.net sparked a minor Internet dust-up when it brought attention to a design company in Paris called Anticon, which sells a masked hoodie--a sweatshirt with a hood that falls to the chin and is made with holes for eyes.
"Obviously, I've received e-mails from some who say I'm trafficking in terror, that I'm pushing people to commit crimes," said Anticon designer Lucas Mongiello, a 38-year-old native of Argentina. "I guess it reflects their fears and concerns at that moment.
"People who want to commit crimes didn't wait for me to create this hoodie to do their acts," he added. "The hoodie can be seen as a consequence--and not a factor--of violence."
Among Muslims in the West, the kaffiyeh trend is a subject of debate. In discussions on the Internet, some see it as a welcome indicator that their concerns are being acknowledged by non-Muslims and non-Palestinians. For others, though, it simply cheapens the cause.
"I doubt these kids know much about the Palestinian struggle but, rather, just think the kaffiyeh is a cool-looking scarf," said Hajera Ghori, 24, a Muslim and UC Berkeley graduate who is currently working in London. "As an added benefit, for the price of a mere scarf, they can look enlightened and stylish at the same time."
Gino Perez is a 28-year-old artist and fashion designer who lives in Highland Park. By his own admission, he's a scary sight.
With brown skin, deep-set eyes and a brazenly bushy mustache and beard, he looks like the type of character who appears in nightmares set in dark alleys. He favors wide-brimmed hats, torn jeans, heeled boots, military prints, oversized coats--and layers, layers, layers. Strangers all over L.A., usually in language unsuitable for print, tell him how frightening he looks.
