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
– Ashleigh (FIB Sub-Editor & Writer)
Active Wear (when you’re not actually active)
– Pip (FIB Project Manager & Website Guru)
Short Shorts, Long Pockets
– Caitlin (Writer)
Remember Jelly Shoes?
– 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
– Kevin (Writer)
Ugg Boots
– 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
– 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
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!”
Haha, I love this list! So many clangers, and others that are seriously contentious. I personally wear tights every wear!