“They’re Dangerous Too”: 50 Old-School Fashion Trends That Are Sadly Making A Comeback
When I was in elementary school, I absolutely rocked a pair of blue sparkly gauchos. I also had a chic pair of pink camo detachable sleeves that I could add to any outfit, and I was a huge fan of wearing dresses over jeans. Now, I look back on those outfits and laugh. But fashion trends are constantly changing! And as many people have learned, the shame of wearing something embarrassing can haunt you forever.
Redditors have recently been discussing the popular fashion trends from their youth that they’d be happy to never see again, so we’ve gathered their most amusing replies below. Some of these hairstyles and clothing pieces are actually considered stylish again today, while others might never have another day in the sun. Enjoy channeling your inner Anna Wintour as you scroll through this list, and be sure to upvote the trends that bring back lots of memories! And keep reading to find a conversation with fashion expert Lorna Burford of Ford la Femme.
Shoulder pads.
tiffy68 replied:
They’re dangerous too. My aunt had a suit jacket with huge shoulder pads. She picked it up from the dry cleaners and wore it over a sleeveless top to church the next day. About halfway through the service, she started to feel an intense burning sensation on her shoulders. The shoulder pads absorbed the dry cleaning fluid and caused severe blistering on her skin!
To gain some insight into this topic, we got in touch with Lorna Burford of Ford la Femme. The fashion expert was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss trends that were popular when she was younger that she’d be happy to never see again.
“Honestly is the low rise, baggy jeans! Those were so popular in the ’90s, and I can’t tolerate seeing them, as they look so sloppy! I wore these all the time when I was younger, and I dread to think how bad it looked,” Lorna said with a laugh. “Pairing them with a thick chunky belt is even worse!”
Overly tweezed eyebrows. I loved the 90s but so many of my sisters never got their full brows back.
Striking_Meringue328 replied:
I used to have a housemate who’d completely obliterated her eyebrows. It was always so weird seeing her in the morning before she’d drawn them back on.
I don’t remember what they called them, gauchos? Wide leg ‘pants’ that come to mid calf. That and what we called capris, which were mid calf too. I see things called capri pants now and they seem like just above the ankle. Those are fine. It’s the ‘clam-digger’ length I hate.
Shoulder pads. I have strong square shoulders. I look like a line backer with shoulder pads. Easy to cut off in fast fashion, but a complete PITA to remove from a high quality jacket. HATE them 😡.
Next, we wanted to know if there were any fashion trends from Lorna’s youth that she’d actually love to see a resurgence of.
“Pretty much everything has already come back in my opinion! I remember everyone wearing colored GAP hoodies when I was at school, which doesn’t seem to have returned,” she noted. “Or really long, thick cardigans with thumb holes (think Avril Lavigne). Everything was pretty colorful back then, so I’d love to see really bold pieces come back. Brightly colored jeans, etc! I’d love to wear really cool printed and bright skinny jeans!”
Perms or ‘permanent’ waves. They were so awful.
Salt-N-Vinegar-Lover replied:
The smell of fresh perms, too, absolutely noxious.
Oversized suits with huge shoulders. Oversized shirts where the shoulder seam was on your bicep.
airckarc replied:
I recently found an old shirt I’d used to protect something in a box. It was a Guess shirt I used to wear to clubs. I put it on and it was ridiculously large. And still smelled like cigarettes.
Socks with lace-trimmed ankle cuffs worn with high heeled pumps. Madonna could barely pull off the look but the 20-something girls at the mall looked like 6 year olds wearing Mommy’s shoes.
And if you’re waiting for a trend to return, have no fear. Lorna says it will come back eventually. “All that’s trending now is the ’90s clothing! Baggy jeans are everywhere and oversized jackets etc.”
“Every single decade comes back around, and I’m sat here waiting for the mid 2000s,” she added with a laugh.
In the early ’90s, it was popular for women to wear a ‘wind suit.’ This was a baggy nylon warm-up style jacket and pants made up of different bright colors.
Guys wearing pants that dripped below their droopy boxer shorts, giving me a gigantic view of the top of their a*s crack. I mean, wear what you want, but that look is not my favorite.
Around 2003-04 everyone was wearing bootcut jeans – and they would be too long. They would get all worn and frayed on the ends particularly around the heel. I couldn’t stand it then and I can’t now.
Bright sport jackets with wide lapels. I cringe whenever I see a show about the ‘70’s.
The preppy style, especially the polo shirts with the collars flipped up.
Super low jeans that only Britney Spears could pull off with the abs and not show butt crack.
I see bodysuits being sold again. I told my 15 year old niece to learn from our mistakes and don’t put a pin in the c****h.
H*roin chic.
gatinjesok replied:
How on earth was that ever okay?
(M70). For a very short time, some Men, including myself, wore full-length sweaters. I have a polaroid of me wearing one. Don’t recall the fashion name, but to describe, they were like a cross between a men’s suit coat and a bathrobe. Imagine a guy wearing a suit coat design but it’s a sweater with a quilt blanket texture to it, and came with a robe tie around, like a smoking jacket! Does anyone remember those? It started growing in popularity then soon died off, perhaps the trend lasting for about a year or so. I guess the social message of it was that these guys were laidback cool guys that women could feel comfortable being around—-but not gay?
Short shorts – particularly cut off jeans – on a man.
I have seen stuff that I have had absolutely no business seeing.
Whale tail. Geebus.
If someone already said this, I missed it and will gladly bow out. Still though-UGH.
1980s shiny track suits. Tulle or flouncy mini skirts with capri leggings (a la Madonna). Leg warmers and stilettos. Anything worn by Cher.
It’s already cycled around again but I could have lived my whole life without seeing long jean skirts become a thing again.
Permed hair, McHammer pants, neon colored shorts, Farrah Fawcett feathered hair (looks great on her though), shoulder pads, and the Miami Vice Don Johnson look.
Big 80’s hair. Gawd, it was awful!
Also: tenor sax in all the pop music of that decade.
