Fashion trends come and go every year. While some styles are timeless, other trends continue to stick even after they’re over. Just because these styles were popular for a while doesn’t mean that they still look good.
You may be surprised which trends some people are still sporting, from Crocs to baggy hoodies to unnecessarily bringing in flannel. Are you still wearing these outdated styles? Learn the harsh truth about which fashion trends are officially “out.”
Overly-Thin Eyebrows
In the 1990s, thin eyebrows became the rage. Fashionistas in the punk scene would shave off their eyebrows and draw them back on. But these eyebrows don’t look real, and worse, they make you look older.
As we age, our hair thins–including our eyebrows. Thick, bushy eyebrows are back in style, probably because they represent youth. So don’t go overboard with the tweezers, and trust that your natural eyebrow shape is best suited to frame your face.
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Tie-Dye Anything
In 2019, tie-dye returned to the runway to a mixed response. No matter how hard people try to push tie-dye, they can’t separate it from an association with hippies. Tie-dye shirts are also a cheap option for broke high schoolers and college students.
In the ’60s and ’70s, tie-dye was viewed as counter-cultural. Today, it’s basic. It’s everywhere, and it rarely looks good. It seems more like a quick DIY project than a though-out style choice.
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Mismatching Patterns Too Much
On occasion, mismatching patterns can look good. Light grey on dark grey? Classic. But loud patterns–such as leopard print, plaid, polka-dots, or neon colors–shouldn’t be mismatched. At worst, it’s hard to look at, and at best, it’s boring.
It’s no secret that combining patterns doesn’t usually work (unless you’re in a music video). But combining bright shades of the same color can also make you look older. When in doubt, always pair loud colors or patterns with a neutral.
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Capris
Despite their popularity, Capri pants don’t look flattering on anyone. Their design is inherently flawed; they’re not pants, but they’re not shorts, which makes them always look like a mistake. Since they cut off above the ankle, they make peoples’ legs look shorter.
Because they’re a fashion Frankenstein, it’s no secret that Capris are notoriously hard to style. To pull them off, people often resort to a baggy shirt, which makes them look older. Just don’t buy Capris. Capeesh?
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Hot Pink Lipstick
Hot pink lipstick doesn’t look great on everyone. It may have looked classy in the twentieth century, but nowadays, we have so many colors of natural lipsticks. Why go for the most obnoxious color?
There are plenty of beautiful pink lipsticks that pop on different skin colors. Hot pink just blinds people, and it looks more like a costume than a fashion statement. As with most timeless makeup, subtle is better (unless it’s classy red lipstick!).
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Tying A Flannel Around Your Waist
The 2010s seemed filled with revived ’90s trends, one of which is tying flannel shirts around the waist. These usually provided an accent for neutral skin-tight outfits of black workout pants and a white shirt. But they don’t flatter the hips at all.
Flannel can look nice, but tying it around the waist just for fashion isn’t necessary. It widens the hips and changes a figure from natural to clunky. Either wear the flannel or don’t.
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Applying Too Much Contour
There’s a fine line between highlighting your facial features and covering them with too much contour. When contouring is over-done, people can notice it instantly. Although Kim Kardashian and YouTubers may have popularized contouring, it does not look appropriate (or even fashionable) on everyday people.
In short, the “too much makeup” appearance is outdated. It may make you look older or as if you’re struggling to find makeup that matches your skin tone. If you want to contour, do so lightly.
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Crocs
Despite being invented in 2002, Crocs’ best year in sales ended up being in 2018. Our question is: why? Crocs are marketed as functional, comfortable shoes, but they’ve also become a meme because of how ugly they are.
Plus, the largest Croc trend happened in the early 2000s, and many people still think about this era when they see the shoe. During their popularity, kids would get their feet stuck in an elevator, meaning that they’re dangerous, too!
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Foundation That’s Too Thick
Although thick foundation can cover any blemish and spot, it’s also noticeably overdone. The caky, full-covered foundation dates back to the ’90s when pale skin paired with mauve lipstick. It looks overdone–literally.
Nowadays, natural is always better. Thin foundations match your natural skin tone better and draw less attention. If you can see freckles or moles through your foundation, you’re in the clear. But unless you’re going on the red carpet or TV, skip the thick foundation.
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Poofy Teased hair
Did people tease their hair in the ’70s and ’80s? You bet they did! Back then, big hair became a symbol of alternative punk culture. But nowadays, the hairstyle only reminds people of the ’80s. At best, teasing your hair may result in a ’90s do–which is still old!
Teasing and backcombing can also damage your hair because it can rip up your cuticle cells. It’s a recipe for ripping out your hair. Stick to soft, naturally-styled hair.
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“Old Lady” Handbags
The style of a purse can age a person. Although vintage handbags can complement a look, “old lady” bags often appear stiff and boring. If your handbag is relatively small, rectangular, and a single color like beige or black, it’s probably an “old lady” purse.
Modern handbags look more loose and fun. They may have some creative patchwork or fun accent colors to make them look more youthful. Meanwhile, a boxy, dull purse may make you seem 20 years older.
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Smokey Eye That’s Only Black
Back in the days of Avril Lavigne, punk rockers wore a smoky eye that was only black with all-around black eyeliner. Even Avril has moved on from the all-black smoky eye! The look has “early 2000s edgy teenager” plastered all over it.
Nowadays, people pair their smokey eyes with another color. It could be a bright color on top of the smokey eye or a lighter, sparkly shade in the middle. Either way, it looks much more elegant than all black.
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Overly Baggy Jeans
Another trend that started and ended in the ’90s: baggy jeans, usually JNCO jeans. Wide, rectangular jeans don’t compliment anyone’s body type. They transform people into a tent. Even back then, they just looked silly.
Today, most jeans–even the wider styles–still show off some natural leg shape. If you look more like a robot than a human wearing pants, that’s a hard “no.” There’s a style of jeans for everyone, but none of them are JNCO.
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Turtlenecks
Turtlenecks have fluctuated in and out of fashion, from the ’50s to the ’80s to even the 2010s. But do they ever stop looking stuffy and uptight? Nope, they’re always too much. Scarves and collared shirts can protect your skin against the cold and look better.
Low turtlenecks, which stand up to the middle of the neck, can look nice in certain contexts. But turtlenecks that touch the chin are too much. They look suffocating.
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Patterned Tights
A relic of the 1960s, patterned tights, are slowly coming back into the public eye with celebrities like Kate Middleton wearing them. Multi-colored tights are a clothing item that looks good in theory, but it doesn’t work for everyday life.
Patterned tights are notoriously hard to style. You’d need a neutral dress, and even then, multi-colored tights may look gaudy. Elaborate black lace tights can look good; yellow, red, and blue tights will probably blind anyone who walks by.
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Metallic Clothing
The “futuristic” fashion of the 1960s resulted in skin-tight silver clothes. Believe it or not, metallic clothes reappeared on the 2013 runway, and it didn’t look much better. Even if it’s not skin-tight, it still looks “bleh.”
The material of metallic clothing just seems so…synthetic. It never curves or wrinkles in the right way, and the reflective surface only distracts from peoples’ natural body shape. You can’t subtly style this clothing, either; it has to dominate the entire look.
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Shutter Shades
Decades ago, Kanye West popularized shutter shades for seemingly no reason. But the glasses were also in style during the ’80s, and before that, in the 1950s. Originally, they were called Venetian blinders, because you can’t see anything while wearing these glasses.
To start: are they glasses? Hardly. Shutter shades are bars over your eyes, which don’t help your eyesight in any way. They don’t look cool, either. They’re awkward all around and should never be sold again.
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Skin-Toned Pantyhose
Skin colored tights can look great as long as they match your skin tone. If you wear tan hose that are a shade or two darker than your skin tone, you may look like a lot older than you actually are. It’s one of those fashion trends that’s reserved for grandmas.
Black, multi-colored, and sheer tights are always in style. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with bare legs.
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Incredibly Bulky Necklaces
When heading to a fancy restaurant, a statement necklace can round out the look. But bulky, clunky jewelry doesn’t look great outside of royalty or a nice dinner party. It just looks unsophisticated and old.
You can’t go wrong with a smaller, subtler necklace. The jewelry compliments the look, but it doesn’t overtake it. In the same vein, don’t layer too many necklaces, either. That’s a ’70s style that shouldn’t come back in any era.
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Glitter, Glitter Everywhere
Glitter on your clothes, your eyes, your face–sounds fun, right? It may have been fun when you were younger, but on adults, the glitter tends to be overkill. Going glitter may seem like you’re trying too hard.
Here’s how you know if you’re overdoing the glitter: if an entire article of clothing, from your shirt to your pants, is glittery, you’ve crossed the line. If glitter sprinkles most of your eyes or face, that’s out of fashion.
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