What fashion trend defines this era but will look stupid later?

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I was thinking about this a little while ago: when you look at old photos, it's easy to pick out certain fashion trends that look silly now but were ubiquitous at the time.

I'm sure some are exaggerated, IE: I dunno if bell bottoms or giant shoulder pads in women's blazers were ever that popular, and perhaps both came to represent the fashion of their respective eras because they're highly noticeable, and not because everyone was wearing them. And there are definitely a few things like that now, that I can imagine will represent the time period later even though they're not that popular now (like the Risky Business sunglasses revival).

What do you guys think? What're the actual meta fashion trends, and what less popular things will be used as shorthand for the fashion of the era, even if it's not that popular?



I do have one answer in mind. It's not one of the shorthand fashions, but rather, one of those things that's so ubiquitous that it barely even registers as a fashion choice, let alone a bold one:

Hoodies.

I find it really, really easy to imagine looking at photos in 30 years and being unable to answer questions from people about why we were all wearing hoodies.
"Did you only wear them when it looked like it might rain?"
Well, no.

"Only when it was cold out?"
Er...no, sometimes on warm, sunny days, too.

"Did you use the hood that often?"
Almost never, in fact.

"So why did you have it?"
I have no idea.
I'm wearing one right now, by the way. I have no plans to use the hood today at all and it's not particularly cold.



When i was like 13-14 i wore hoodies constantly and always had the hood up. I mean always, i never even thought about it i'd walk into friends houses with it up until i got a dirty look from their mum

A weird one for me was a fashion trend here that lasted for one summer then was never spoken of again. Girls around my age 12 up to 15 or something wearing dungarees. Think it was just a brief Glasgow thing...weird.



Glad you mentioned dungarees, because I'm kind of fascinated by jeans. Jeans have been cool (or at least not uncool) for, what, 70 years now? That's crazy.

I think it's because they're nothing like the original conception. I dunno how many people realize this (and it's possible I'm actually mangling the history here), but I think they were originally conceived as a cheap way to make tough, uncomfortable clothing for hard work. Basically closer to a burlap sack than the super soft, cotton-y ones we wear now. I guess, because of their anti-formality, they became kinda cool, and now they share the same outward appearance even as they increasingly feel indistinguishably from sweat pants, or khakis.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
Spine mangling shoes




Maybe isn't what you are looking for but I think the full body tattoo craze is going to be looked upon as pretty out there. I know it's not clothing but it may be even worse because it's permanent. Man, I feel like an old geezer saying that.

I don't think yoga pants will hold up very well. High boots, both leather and Ugz style. I may already be a couple years behind on this one, still seem popular though. I am biased on that one too, because I hate the looks of high boots now, and always have.

You are probably right about hoodies but it I will probably never stop wearing them.
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Letterboxd



I hear about men's rompers all the time and see pics everywhere, but I have never seen anyone in person actually wear one - hopefully they don't start - at least not around here .




You can't win an argument just by being right!
I hope yoga pants stay in and leotards never make a reappearance.

Jeggings have to go. So do jorts. And crocs (with or without socks)



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
I wear hoodies all the time. They're just so comfy. It's true that the hood itself does not come in handy that often (except for these rainy days when you forgot your umbrella), but them big pockets are really handy.
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



I wear hoodies all the time. They're just so comfy. It's true that the hood itself does not come in handy that often (except for these rainy days when you forgot your umbrella), but them big pockets are really handy.
I was thinking about this when I wrote that post, yeah: the pockets are far and away the more useful thing. But hey, isn't that what jackets are for? You can even get more cloth-like jackets, that are basically just hoodies without the hoods.

But I can't deny that having the hood there feels better. It's literally "got your back." I don't quite understand this.



There's a fashion style today? Ha, not where I live! Unless you count t shirts & jeans....OK, the hoodie thing is the only one I can think of.

As far I know, the last true fashion decade was the 1980s. After that, the world became such a melting pot thanks to the internet and world wide media, that there's a cornucopia of fashions, resulting in a lack of fashions to lead the way.

In fact the only fashion sense I get when I venture out into public is the well worn look.



I quite like hoodies tbh - much, much easier than finding a bin for your rubbish when in town ... I hope they stick around for at least the remainder of my lifetime. Not sure I'd wear one myself though



You can't win an argument just by being right!
There's a fashion style today? Ha, not where I live! Unless you count t shirts jeans....OK the hoodie thing is the only one I can think of. .
LOL



Has this one gone out yet?



Wait...is that Duck Man?

How about these





And couldnt people of walmrt be labelled a trend?



I remember thinking everything in the 70's was stupid AS it was happening - the hairstyles, the clothes: leisure suits, jogging outfits, Disco (everything except comic books - one of the best eras for comics IMO!).
Now, everything I thought was stupid at the time is now considered a joke and something to be laughed at.



i'm SUPER GOOD at Jewel karaoke
I'm sure some are exaggerated, IE: I dunno if bell bottoms or giant shoulder pads in women's blazers were ever that popular, and perhaps both came to represent the fashion of their respective eras because they're highly noticeable, and not because everyone was wearing them
ummmm Yoda


are you SHURE you wanna make that statement?

i'm just sayin, me and my crew wore the hell out of both of these. ok ok, i was born a little late to wear shoulder pads and also be cool, but i still did. i think it was more common when dressing up, though, and i used to wear a lot of dresses as a kid (jehovah's witness, lol)

oh! and as soon as bell bottoms became trendy again for like 3 months in 1996ish, i bought like 7 pairs at the mall for back to school shopping.
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letterboxd



You've got red on you!
I sincerely hope skinny jeans for men goes away one of these days. I see it a lot here in the US, but when I was in the UK and Ireland last month I saw it every single place I went. And not only were they skinny, but they were rolled up at the bottom, just like some girls wear them. I guess it's just me thinking it's not attractive, but what do I know?

I don't own any hoodies, and aside from having my boring 'business casual' clothes for work, I just like jeans and a t-shirt.

I cringe whenever I see myself in my 70's clothes, yikes! Terry cloth tube tops and Dr. Scholl's wooden sandals? Yuck!



You can't win an argument just by being right!
I wish this idiotic trend would go away




oh! and as soon as bell bottoms became trendy again for like 3 months in 1996ish, i bought like 7 pairs at the mall for back to school shopping.
I remember the bell bottom revival (BAND NAME). I actually loved it: I didn't actually venture to wear any, but I thought they were cool and was glad they were coming back in style. Didn't seem to last.

My friend Adam, growing up, would often just cut tiny slits at the bottom of his jeans on either side, around where the seams were, to achieve a similar (but less pronounced) effect. It actually worked well because we were still wearing jeans that were a little baggy and "pooled" on the shoes a bit, and that made them sit better on our sneakers. Always thought that was a cool little thing. The kind of cool little thing that would be ruined today by being referred to as a "lifehack."