Here at FIB we’ve been keeping an eye on Fashion a veeeeery long time. Our colourful team come from many different walks of life and identify with vastly different fashion sub-cultures – ghetto grunge to new age lumberjack, preppy, posh, vintage chic, Euro-trash, full on flower child, manga mad, you name it…
Soooo, when FIB’s finest minds were asked to name the most off-putting thing we’d ever seen in fashion, you can bet your bum there were a wide range of colourful answers, and just a few debates (with even more colourful language) around the common table.
Well, the results are up, and here they are: FIB’s self-curated most-hated looks, the ones we believe can never go into style. Tell us if you agree, or if – gasp- you proudly support the faux pas below!
Visible Underwear
Ok, so we started with a doozie. Unless you’re tooting the underwear as outerwear trend (which you absolutely should, by the way), keep your skivvies well concealed. Nothing spoils the line of a well-put-together-outfit like badly fitting underwear, and no one is interested in peering at your bobbly grey bra strap or undies either
– Charlie (Fashion Writer)
Crocs
I don’t care if you are Balenciaga – crocs are disgusting. They’re like the land equivalent of those dorky swimming/coral-hopping shoes that overprotective parents forced their kids to wear while their friends frolick through the sand barefoot and fancy-free. What are you supposed to pair them with? Surely all that rubber is a blister breeding ground? I can’t really put my finger on any particular reason for my aversion to this dastardly footwear brand, they’re just U-G-L-Y.
– Ashleigh (FIB Sub-Editor & Writer)
Active Wear (when you’re not actually active)
As comfy or “trendy” you think your gym clothes are, they are NOT appropriate for all occasions. These include visiting the shops, coffee with friends and even work meetings. Sure, it might be the easier option but don’t get lazy ladies. Unless there’s sweat on your brow, I just don’t believe you.
– Pip (FIB Project Manager & Website Guru)
Short Shorts, Long Pockets
Short shorts where the pockets are so long that they hang out the bottom…Hmmm. I have no problem with short shorts in general, or how short they are, but seeing the pockets? It looks like a mistake, like you’ve left the house without looking in the mirror first and now your pocket lining is falling apart. If you’re wearing short shorts, it’s not going to be for the deep pocket space, I reckon. Just stick to annoyingly shallow, unusable pockets like the rest of us, please.
– Caitlin (Writer)
Remember Jelly Shoes?
Blasting back to the ’90s, as a young girl of course I had a pair! Brightly coloured with sparkly heels, hippie flowers, and a velcro strap instead of buckles. Probably one of the most hideous things in my wardrobe then (along with scrunchies and dungarees, yeah that’s right!) These shoes are still around. They’ve been toned down from the rainbows and sparkles, but you can still find conservative black pairs with awful, clunky heels that do absolutely nothing for any leg type. The worst part, they never wear out… I still have a pair in my wardrobe today!
– Hannah (Writer)
The Crumpled look
We live in a time where everything has to be quick and easy. We see it in our fashion trends as well. The Crumpled look. Trust me, no one likes wrinkles and it definitely doesn’t work with clothes. It’s messy and sloppy. Just take your time with this one. Put some effort in it, use an iron (learn how, it’s easy!) and get rid of the chaos!
– Flur (FIB DOP & Film Editor)
Leather Bracelets
My biggest fashion faux pas would have to be leather bracelets, especially the thick ones. I feel it takes up valuable space that could be used for a stylish watch or even a thinner bracelet. Not only does it use up the entire real estate of the wrist space, it also makes you look like some kind of modern Conan the Barbarian. Not cool. In the words of Randy Jackson, “It’s a no from me dog”.
– Kevin (Writer)
Ugg Boots
I just don’t understand how people think it is okay to wear ugg boots for a day out. They’re shoes to wear ONLY when you’ve just gotten out of bed or are lounging around the house. I’ve seen people wear them out and you can see the boots already getting worn in from the back of the heel and dirty from the ground outside. It’s just… uggh!
– Kelsey (Film Editor)
Patent Leather
Never really been a fan of patent leather but especially patent leather coats, which look like something you would only see in the matrix. Uncomfortable, too harsh, once you scratch it it looks like garbage and… well, all in all it’s a fashion trend I sincerely hope does not take on in the actual future!
– Amanda (Film Editor)
Leggings
Don’t understand the look or purpose of them. Yes, on some people it looks great but on others not so much. If you want to wear pants why not just wear pants? Every time I see someone in leggings it seems to be justified by ‘The Kardashians’ wear it and it looks good on them. But don’t you realise that the whole world can see your ‘panties’ or lack there of? I just don’t get it.
– Veronica (Film Editor)
Harem/Drop Crotch Pants
Take heed of your mother’s advice on this one – the oversized nappy look is never coming in. A crotch hanging somewhere at knee level does nothing but shorten your legs. Even Justin Beiber and Elle Macpherson can’t make them work. I will eat my hat if I ever see a pair stylishly pulled off, I’m that confident.
– Charlie (Writer)
The Cowboy look (when you are not a cowboy)
Take it from personal experience, wearing a crisp newly bought pair of cowboy boots with a fabulous Stetson hat may seem like a bold statement at the time, particularly if you happen to be in cowboy country when you’re doing it, but most people are silently thinking “gumby”. Want all out derision? Wear your boots on the outside and go with bold colours like red, white or anything else a cowboy would literally never wear.
– Paul (FIB Founder)
Vintage Rookies
I have a gripe with peeps who buy vintage pieces straight from the local thrift shop and actually think they look good in it. Don’t get me wrong, some pieces are fire and can hold a sense of history and culture… but walking around in grandpa’s XL trousers from the 80’s with his old belt to match is unbelievable. “Fashion is a form of self-expression though”… yes, but since when did people become walking stereotypes out of Zoolander, with those vintage shades sitting on the tip of their noses? The sun is in your eyes and you look silly, take them off! You guys are ruining Instagram. I’m just saying, people herald boutique vintage-wear as their own unique, trend-breaking style, but there’s irony in the fact that despite dressing to be ‘different’ they often look the same, and the look aint always good…
– Elias (Film Editor)
Denim on Denim
Ok, ok, before you gasp in horror let me explain. I am (ahem) a child who actually lived through the 80’s and can vouch for the fact that if you were there, the all-denim straight-jacket look was not as cool as the models make it out to be nowadays. For one thing, original denim was not stretchy or tailored, which led to a boxy effect that did not love curves, short waists or any other human failing. Then there’s the layering effect- basically it’s an art requiring some understanding of tone, colour theory and body shape. Consider JT’s 90’s Denim suit moment, or this photo in which the adorable duo from Flight of the Conchords send up acid wash, overly pale (white) denim and too matchy-matchy colours and tones. Blerk, 80’s flashback be gone! I’d rather we pretend that era never happened!
– Niyati (FIB Editor-In-Chief & Filmmaker)
Anything Velvet
The fabric equivalent of screeching nails down a chalkboard. Whether you’re someone that yearns to be “draped in velvet” a là George Costanza, or find it physically abrasive to the point of inducing dry-retching – it’s safe to say it is the most socially divisive material of them all. Among the worst culprits are juicy velour tracksuits and Black Milk leggings. Sorry George but it’s a no from me, dawg.
– Ashleigh (Sub-Editor & Writer)
And Finally, Fashion itself
Let us put this in context…
coming from our resident red-bearded, short-and-T-no-matter-what-the-season-wearing film editor, Thomas, you kinda get his point of view. Fashion is beautiful, luxurious, exciting, expressive, always changing, and – for an easy going guy from Western Sydney – a tad exhausting. Keeping up with the seasons can take some serious foot, brain and wallet power which is beyond the means of some amiable folk who’d rather just go camping.
So, for lack of a better photo, we present a photo that says, “hey Dude, just be yourself, however that tickles your fancy!”
