A short history of questionable fashion from McClatchy Tribune.
While the leisure suit was originally conceived as a casual walking suit, the style became synonymous with the ‘70s, oversized lapels, polyester and disco fever. Many brands still produce “casual suits” but have dropped the term leisure as well as the pastel hues, massive pockets, bell bottoms and other dated markers associated with it.
When collars became en vogue in the 19th century, they were made to be worn stiffly standing up. It wasn’t until the invention of casual cotton polos that men could let their caged necks breathe by laying the collar flat. Then, in 1980 the book “The Official Preppy Handbook” deemed proper upright collars to be the pinnacle of preppy style, according to MEL Magazine. Thus “preppy” communities — country clubs, fraternities, Ivy League schools — latched onto the look, which became synonymous with teen movie villains before falling out of favor in the ‘90s.
While popped collars were the calling card of ‘80s bros, wannabe surfer dudes and mall rats in the ‘90s latched onto puka shell necklaces. Originally making it to the mainland and mainstream from Hawaii in the ‘70s, the necklaces could be spotted around the necks of boy band members and teen TV heroines into the 2000s. They were perfect for anyone who wanted to be seen as chill and laid back but still rich enough to afford a beach vacation.
Another novelty item that just won’t fade into oblivion is toe socks. This footwear, often offered in blinding colors or patterns, rose to popularity in the 1970s, when they were worn with clogs or sandals. Despite never becoming ubiquitous or considered practical, toe socks do have the distinction of being worn by NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus on the International Space Station.
Speaking of socks with sandals, that fashion choice continues to be a faux pas whether it’s toe socks or regular socks and whether it’s with slide-ons or flip-flops. In fact, in 2013, British department store Debenhams dubbed socks with sandals the worst fashion faux pas of all time after polling more than 1,500 shoppers.
Coming in at No. 10 in Debenhams’ list of worst fashion faux pas was this iconic ‘80s and ‘90s accessory. Despite Carrie Bradshaw saying that no one would be caught dead wearing one on “Sex in the City,” fashion writers have predicted that scrunchies are making a comeback after appearing at mass-market retailers as well as in designer runway shows.
A look synonymous with powerful, working women in the 1980s. From Joan Collins in “Dynasty” and Delta Burke in “Designing Women” to Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl” and Tina Turner in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” screens big and small were plastered with the image of women “power dressing” with linebacker padding as they competed to be on equal footing with men. The look became dated after the decade ended, and while statement shoulders still crop up in fashion, padded shoulders aren’t ubiquitous like they were in the ‘80s.
Above: Dame Joan Collins attends The Pride of Britain Awards 2016 on October 31, 2016, at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London, England. (Doug Peters/PA Wire/Abaca Press/TNS)
If they weren’t rocking shoulder pads, ‘80s ladies could be found wearing flamboyant workout gear both in and out of the gym. Jane Fonda in her workout tapes and Olivia Newton-John in her music video for “Physical” embodied the style that accompanied the exercise craze of the decade: spandex leotards, high tops, sweatbands and, of course, leg warmers.
Fanny packs are known by many names — bum bags, banana bags, belly bags and even belted satchels — because their evolution can be traced back to bags worn by the likes of Native Americans and Scottish highlanders. Unfortunately, the reputation of these practical bags was besmirched in the ‘80s and ‘90s after they became the go-to accessory of tacky middle-aged tourists. Despite this, the fanny pack has unsurprisingly stuck around and will probably endure for a few centuries more.
“Futuristic” clothing trends seem to pop up at major turning points for mankind. Metallic, holographic and clear clothing saw a resurgence after Y2K, but fashion designers first began channeling “The Jetsons” in the 1960s thanks to inspiration from the Space Race between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Round “Rocket Man” sunglasses and flat white go-go boots complimented mod dresses made from plastic-like tech fabrics of the future.
While chokers might be having a fashion comeback, one turn-of-the-century trend continues to be disparaged despite selling well: Crocs. The foam clogs debuted in 2002 and have been panned by fashion pundits as well as everyday folks for being clunky and overly casual. Even though the brand has created flats and heels and even collaborated on designer pairs with the likes of Balenciaga and Christopher Kane, it can’t shake its reputation of being a fashion faux pas.
Like Crocs before them, Members Only jackets were a fad item that wasn’t particularly flamboyant but still took America by storm. The relatively plain jackets with collar straps and epaulets came in a variety of colors, and their popularity had everything to do with their promise of being part of some exclusive in-crowd. The problem was that the in-crowd is no longer cool when it gets too crowded.
Professional wrestlers and NFL players popularized these elastic pants with wild prints in the 1990s. The pants were originally designed with a loose fit for athletes, weight-lifters and others who couldn’t find pants that fit their beefy gams. Once they began to permeate pop culture, the backlash against the ostentatious pants was swift. In 1993, the pants were voted one of the “worst thing to happen in sports” through a survey in Inside Sports magazine.
The early ‘00s were all about blazing new fashion trails through trial-and-error, and boy were there some errors. Trucker hats were a plebeian trend that hit the mainstream after being glommed onto by celebrities. Brands like Von Dutch made bank by selling name-brand versions of a blue collar accessory that had previously been viewed as a cheap, foam-and-mesh freebie from companies.
Above: Ashton Kutcher attends Maserati Kicks Off Golden Globe Weekend at Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, California, on January, 16, 2003.
The athleisure inspired streetwear trend that was all the rage in the late 2010s can be traced all the way back to the 2000s, when celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were spotted wearing velour tracksuits in pastel hues.
Despite looking like pajamas, these tracksuits weren’t mean for sport, not were they cheap. The name-brands blazoned across the backside guaranteed that observers knew how much money they cost. The trend caught on across price points, so derrieres across the country were branded everything from “Juicy” to “Pink” and more.
In the age of awareness of the hurt caused by cultural appropriation, it’s painful to look back at “exotic” ‘90s fashion trends like bindis. In particular, female musicians Madonna and Gwen Stefani popularized this accessory, making it cool and profitable for white women to wear something that’s been culturally meaningful to Hindu South Asian women for generations.
Above: Madonna performs at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California.
The sagging pants fad got so extreme that men and boys were walking around with their pants belted halfway down their legs. The trend emerged in hip-hop culture after originating in American prisons in the ‘90s because inmates weren’t allowed belts. Soon, people around the country were overdoing the style in an attempt to earn street cred.
Actress Catherine Bach has earned a place in fashion history. The extra-short cutoff denim shorts she sported while playing Daisy Duke on the ‘70s TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard” were permanently renamed Daisy Dukes in the pop culture lexicon. What most don’t realize, though, it that Bach often wore nude pantyhose under the minuscule shorts in order to not reveal too much. Hence Daisy Dukes really should remain in the realm of fantasy rather than appear in real life.
MC Hammer catapulted to national fame with his hit song “U Can’t Touch This” — which might’ve been the advice he should’ve taken when picking his pants for the video. Hammer cemented his place in pop culture history as he shimmied side to side wearing extra-oversized, drop-crotch billowy bottoms, also called parachute pants, inspired by women’s Harem pants. The pants accentuated his movement, catching on with fellow artists before becoming a fad with fans.
Above: MC Hammer and Psy pose in the press room at the 40th American Music Awards on November 18, 2012, at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, Calif. (Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/TNS)
It’s not only the 20th century that’s been guilty of major fashion fails. Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth also had it rough — thanks to ruffs. Ruffs were all the rage in the 16th century, as the collars became a status symbol. Fancy folks would get flamboyant ruffs made of the most expensive linen and festoon them with gold, silver and lace. The uncomfortable fad finally died down at the end of the century.
Above: Portrait of a Woman, Michiel van Mierevelt. (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Before they were confined to the realms of burlesque shows and the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, corsets were a constricting daily wardrobe item for most European and North American women. Thankfully, the corset fell out of fashion in the 1920s and was replaced as an undergarment with brasseries. Since then, corsets have seen resurgences as outerwear, such as after the release of the film “Moulin Rouge!”
While women were able to escape from the confines of corsets, both women and men were able to go au naturale with their hair after powdered wigs and poufs fell out of fashion. Powdered wigs, or “perukes,” emerged as a trend for men in the 17th century thanks to King Louis XIII prematurely going bald. He began wearing wigs that couldn’t be washed, so they had to be powdered. The wigs, which were expensive and high-maintenance, were a status symbol and inspired the slang term “bigwig.”
Above: John Pickle, who plays Riccardo in Verdi’s “A Masked Ball,” gets fitted for one of the wigs he will wear during the performance on Feb. 1, 2013, at the Straz Center in Tampa, Fla. (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times/Zuma Press/TNS)
Hoop skirts were worn for centuries as a way for women to augment their silhouettes. Though they started as a practical invention, they soon became a fashion item that evolved in shape and size. They reached their preposterous peak in the 17th and 18th century with panniers, or side hoops.
The trend, which appeared in courts in Spain, France, England and Germany, involved extending a woman’s hips by several feet, making them extremely inconvenient for both the wearer and the people around her.
