Fashion Trends We'd Like to Forget

Have you ever gone through old photographs from your youth? Then you’ve probably had the moment where you ask yourself ‘what was I thinking?’. One of the most amazing things about fashion trends is that they seem to change so rapidly; as does our own styling perspective about what looks good and trendy.

Throughout the history of the fashion industry, there have some truly exotic trends, ranging from the absolute bizarre to the most downright painful. Here we’ve put together a few that we found particularly odd, or even cringe-inducing.

Shoulder Pads

All the rage for women in the 80s and 90s, shoulder pads were used mainly in jackets but some blouses were similarly designed to make the wearer appear broader, with wider shoulders. These are still used today in some men’s garments like suits and jacket, but are a little rarer in the case of women’s clothing.

Compare the scenario to 20 or 30 years ago, when the shoulder pads were found in nearly every jacket on sale. This made women appear boxy and overly broad, which wasn’t always a great look on every body type. Still, we can all agree that the 80s were a strange time in fashion. Better try our collection of trendy plus size jackets in Australia.

Foot Binding

This truly is a strange one. Also known as the iconic lotus feet, this is a Chinese tradition of foot binding which was the done thing for about a millennium, being as the perennial standard of traditional beauty when it came to the size of women’s feet.

Young Chinese girls would have their feet bound tightly from a young age, which caused the natural shape of the feet to change considerably and appear much smaller than usual.

Ultimately, the toes would be broken and be tucked under the sole of the foot. Shoes for women would thus take on a smaller shape and size, with then considered the ideal size for a women’s foot is no more than 3 inches long.

Eventually, some thought to have begun at some point in the 10th century, there are various interpretations as to why this became a fashion trend. However, one theory is that it originated from dancers in the upper classes before spreading to the rest of the country.

There was obviously a range of health issues that came from this practice including foot infection, lack of proper balance and additional bones in the feet breaking. Let’s hope this one can never come into vogue again!

Saggy Pants

In the case of both men and women’s fashion, tight-fitting and loose pants seem to alternate in and out of style, but there have been examples of baggy pants that have quite simply taken it too far. A clothing trend that seems to have emerged back in the 1970’s, saggy jeans have to be one of the most ridiculous trends of the last few decades. 

Men and women alike would wear their pants of any kind well below their bottom, to the point where it was a wonder how those pants were able to stay up. Bafflingly, this trend is still popular in various places around the world.

Actually, there are plenty more examples of cringe-worthy fashion trends through the history of clothing and style. If you can think of any particularly interesting ones that we’ve missed, feel free to share in the comment section below! And remember to check out our terrific online plus size dresses in Australia.

Image Source: Pinterest & Estilodf.tv