'Keep an eye out for camouflage in metallic fabrics and plaid mixed in with cashmere'
Let's have a quick game of word association. I say "grunge". You want to say "Courtney Love", don't you? And I'm willing to guess that if you were 16 or thereabouts when Nirvana were at their peak, then the thought of silky nighties, leopard print and army boots might make you smile with nostalgia, but it probably doesn't inspire you to go shopping. Well, whaddayaknow, grunge is back. The difference being that this time it has been given a polish, and so here I am wearing check, camo and tailored trousers in an attempt to give you "grown-up grunge".
To be honest, elements of the look have been bubbling under for a while. Those posh teenagers who knock around backstage areas at festivals with Prince Harry and Cara "big brows" Delevingne have been wearing plaid, beanies and big boots all summer. Meanwhile Hedi Slimane, the rebel currently in charge of the Saint Laurent brand, has taken the label down a grunge side road (albeit his army boots cost about 20 times as much as the ones you might remember from your local army and navy surplus store).
Don't be all faux shocked. That's catwalk fashion for you, and it does highlight the fact that right now grunge is more of a look than a lifestyle. Which is why the high street will be selling a version over the coming months. Take Whistles, past masters of packaging trends into real, well-made clothes. They have taken elements of grunge, such as camouflage, and re-imagined them in slick parkas and coats that grown-up women would wear on their commute rather than with matted hair at a gig.
What makes grunge grown-up this time is the mix of fabrics plus the way you wear it. So keep an eye out for camouflage in metallic fabrics and plaid mixed with cashmere, and wear such stuff with tailoring. A classic pair of navy ankle-length trousers or a sharp pencil skirt: that's the right amount of contrast to make the trend feel modern.
Memories of Famous Army Stores still too vivid to try this trend? Not much that I or the high street can do about that, I'm afraid. Nevermind.
• Imogen wears shirt, £86, by Ganni from my-wardrobe.com. Jumper, £325, by MSGM from brownsfashion.com. Trousers, £35.99, and heels, £29.99, both zara.com.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Sharon Ive at Carol Hayes Management.
Jess Cartner-Morley is away.