Issue Date: December 19, 2004

The clothes make the fan

A look back at the year's hottest music-inspired styles.

By Rebecca Louie

Just as teams sport colors, tribes don paint and cultures clothe themselves in kimonos or clogs, young music aficionados use fashion to identify themselves.

Rock, country, rap and pop all have their own "uniform." Each look represents the attitude and values the particular genre embraces at that moment. You know what we're talking about: When you go to a concert, every other person in the beer line looks the same. It's all about fitting in. (After all, you don't want to be the only dude at the Snoop Dogg concert with a glow-stick necklace.)

So if you spent a little too much time hitting the books or playing video games this year -- or if you just can't tell a do-rag from a leg warmer -- you're in luck. Here are the CliffsNotes to the most generic music-fan looks of 2004:

Indie Rock Boy
The look: Alienation, rebellion and a dash of bad-boy insolence intertwine in retro '70s and '80s counterculture gear.
Heads up: Hairstyles run the gamut from shags to bobs to buzz cuts. The trick is achieving that I-don't-shower sliminess that comes from styling wax or, well, simply not showering. Dark eyeliner under the eye complements a pout or snarl, but piercings are played. They're so early '90s.
Threads: Ill-fitting kitschy stuff or anything that looks as if it came from a thrift store but really cost $45. A pair of low-slung, beat-up jeans with an ironic T-shirt is classic. (Think old "Knight Rider" iron-ons, cereal logos, fake high school logos.) Also popular is a pair of worn canvas Converse with a slim-fitting, Mick Jagger/David Bowie-style suit.
Accessories: In this era of simplicity, you see fewer studded bracelets and belts, fishnet stockings and ties. And in case you didn't get the memo, trucker caps are out.
Gadget: A 15GB iPod, the only thing they'll splurge on.

Country-Western Gal
The look: Classic cowboy clothes continue to clad the American pastoral set, but now styles are streamlined, and folks are showing skin for a slimmed-down, sexy result.
Heads up: Ladies keep their locks in long layers and supplement the look with big hoop earrings. Cowboy hats by Stetson and Resistol top all.
Threads: Mountain mamas are exposing their hills and valleys in tight tanks that bare the midriff. Sundresses or Lucky Brand jeans with a pair of Justin knee-high boots keep young'uns hoofing during long line dances; richer folk opt for pricey handmade Lucchese or alligator-skin boots.
Accessories: Girls usually wear crosses or those hemp beach necklaces.
Gadget: Keyless remote to the pickup.

Hip-Hop Man
The look: It's a style smackdown: super-sized vs. street chic. The kids still swim in XXXL sizes, while maturing hip-hop heads are dressing up to dress down. Jay-Z rapped that it was time to "Throw on a suit, get it tapered up" in his hit Change Clothes, and folks are following suit as commanded.
Heads up: Do-rags aren't quite a don't, but there's hotter headgear in da club. Kangol trilby hats and fedoras worn at a rakish tilt provide gentleman-meets-gangsta flair.
Threads: A Lacoste polo shirt à la Kanye West, or a striped button-up beneath a sport coat. New lines like the Damon Dash-affiliated RyanKenny, and staples such as Sean John, Phat Farm and Rocawear, are providing European-inspired tailored looks.
Gadget: A blue BlackBerry, the latest update of the two-way pager.

Pop Tart
The look: Pop is all about appropriation. Expect more watered-down, marked-down Wal-Mart versions of the above.
Heads up: "Like, omigod! That hat Ashlee Simpson wore is so cool!"
Threads: Out: the Britney Spears/private schoolgirl look. In: the Paris Hilton micro-miniskirt. Mall chains Forever 21 and Afaze keep girls clothed in pop kitsch; Urban Outfitters, H&M and Aeropostale are way cool, too.
Gadget: A camera phone to take pics at the show and message them to, like, everyone!

New York Daily News feature writer Rebecca Louie is very well dressed.