# Biggest Fashion Mistake **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696 "2004-05-29T19:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/41 "2004-05-30T17:26:54Z")
As a man I have to say I like shorts that go past the knee. Gives the boys room to breath, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/42 "2004-05-30T17:27:32Z")
Last weekend, I wore low-ankle socks **with** a tie dyed t shirt. I’m very comfortable with the idea of being a clueless fruity dweeb. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/43 "2004-05-30T17:41:33Z")
I once attended an international convention of combustion engineers with my SO. There were folks there who seemed to dress under the principle “Sure, this shirt, jacket, tie and pants match–they’re all plaid!” It was worse than I could have imagined. On the other hand, who really cares? Perhaps it is only a fashion mistake if you are aware of the existence of fashion. These guys were thoroughly indifferent. ---
**Author:** ![kittenlm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ce7236/32.png) [@kittenlm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenlm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/44 "2004-05-30T20:17:35Z")
I can’t stand half the trends out there today…but here’s my big, big OMG I hate these: Those low rise shorts that go barely past a girls ass and have something written on the butt (like guys need another reason to stare at your ass - and your only 15, for cryinoutloud). These girls then proceed to take the 12 inches of fabric and roll the top down…making it 6 inches of fabric. Leave something to the imagination, will you please??? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/45 "2004-05-30T21:23:54Z")
It is clear that we have conflicting visions of Fashion Sanity here. Since fashion is a source of division, it is an impediment to a healthy civilisation. I therefore declare an Involuntary And Mandatory End to the fashion wars. We shall all go naked. When everyone looks around and realises just how blobby, awkward, boring, ugly, bumpy, scarred, comical, and non-modelesque we all are, we shall rush back to our clothes and never complain about them again. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/46 "2004-05-30T21:27:44Z")
> [@wonder9](#): > > I’m going out on a limb here because most of the women on this board are probably harboring a pair in their closets as we speak but I defy anyone to tell me that capri/cropped pants look good on anyone. They looked good on Marilyn Monroe. And Audrey Hepburn. They don’t fit me at all, as my legs are short enough that they’re almost normal pants on me, but the right pair on the right woman can be very stylish, in a fifties sort of way. Especially with high-heeled sandals. There were some awful clothes in the eighties, but the absolute nadir has to be the early nineties. I’m talking acid-washed, ankle-zipped, pleated-front jeans. And neon. Lots and lots of neon. Puffy paint. Hammer pants. Those were my awkward adolescent years, and I got to spend them in the worst clothing known to mankind. The seventies were tasteful compared to the early nineties. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/47 "2004-05-30T21:30:35Z")
The pale lipstick with dark lip liner over it. I think someone called it “asshole lips”. Who the hell thinks this looks good? It looks hideous! And I’m with **look!ninjas** on the early 90s. The early “90210” years were brutal. I was watching a reunion show with the cast, and they showed some clips. At one point, one of the girls had on a pair of biker shorts (which should stay in the gym!), over a pair of polkdot tights with SOCKS over that, little ankle booties, a tee shirt and a blazer! I used to love the shorts over tights/leggings look when I was 12-13. Ugh ugh ugh! ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/48 "2004-05-31T01:03:11Z")
I h ate those [pre-faded jeans](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007BG92/ref=sr_1_15/002-2337628-1627237?v=glance&n=1036682&s=apparel). (click on the No image availble link)Especially the ones where the fading makes a big upsides U around your butt. In all my years of jeans wearing the only fadings I ever get(and even then only since I started working retail) are just below the knees(from bending down to reach stuff on the lower shelves). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/49 "2004-05-31T01:32:39Z")
Here’s one that Papa Tiger does that I _cannot_ persuade him looks _totally_ dorky: Tucking his t-shirt into his shorts, **tight** , and then pulling his shorts _all_ the way up to his waist (or even a bit above it). Which since he’s kinda pear-shaped, as well as thinning on top, makes him look like he’s trying to turn into an old man already. (He’s 53, not quite there yet!) Next thing you know he’s going to be pulling his pants up to his armpits. Which in my book is **ample** grounds for divorce! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/50 "2004-05-31T01:43:59Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > Next thing you know he’s going to be pulling his pants up to his armpits. Which in my book is **ample** grounds for divorce! Then you’ll get to sing [this song](http://www.mst3kinfo.com/ward_e/Song307.html) from MST3K. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/51 "2004-05-31T02:23:22Z")
I sometimes wear navy blue socks with black pants. It drives Marcie insane. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/52 "2004-05-31T08:05:49Z")
> [@Morelin](#): > > I h ate those [pre-faded jeans](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007BG92/ref=sr_1_15/002-2337628-1627237?v=glance&n=1036682&s=apparel). (click on the No image availble link)Especially the ones where the fading makes a big upsides U around your butt. In all my years of jeans wearing the only fadings I ever get(and even then only since I started working retail) are just below the knees(from bending down to reach stuff on the lower shelves). Dear God, how could I have forgotten those in my list? Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/53 "2004-05-31T11:08:23Z")
I think any item of clothing with a nautical motif should be banned. I also cannot STAND navy blazers with gold/brass buttons - ugh. And deck shoes - keep them for the boat. Air hostess/ steward uniforms are in general pretty disgusting as well. It’s just cruel to make people wear them. Golf clothing is pretty rotten too - Far too much pale yellow and pale green. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/54 "2004-05-31T13:18:06Z")
1. I wear shorts of every conceivable length, and feel comfortable in all of them. What’s the problem? 2. I just started wearing sandals again, for the first time since the 60s, and I find that if I’m doing a lot of walking, socks keep me from getting blisters. But I only wear light-colord socks and always push (not roll) the tops down. 3. Anyone remember Sonny Bono-style fake-fur vests? 4. Short, plump people wearing bell-bottoms. 5. 300-lb. men wearing sleeveless t-shirts. 6. And one fashion trend that I wish would pass as soon as possible: men trimming their eyebrows. I don’t have the words to express how much I hate this. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/55 "2004-05-31T13:44:26Z")
I gained 30 pounds when the over-sized tunic sweater over stirrup pant trend started. Don’t blame super-sized meals; it is LYCRA that has led to the obesity crisis today. I agree that boys wearing over-sized t-shirts and shortsts just makes them all look like slobs. And then we had the “let the bra strap show” trend a few years back. Oh my. On the other hand, whoever invented the camisole t-shirts with built-in shelf bra is a genius. They look so cute on the young girls, even though they insist on pairing them with the “Eye Candy” on the butt shorts. ---
**Author:** ![fizzestothetop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@fizzestothetop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizzestothetop)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/56 "2004-05-31T15:12:53Z")
I remember wearing stirrup pants on more than one occasion but I wasn’t even 10 years old so I think I have a good excuse. Occasionally I’ll wear white socks with brown shoes but I make sure I wear long pants to compensate. I just don’t own any dark colored socks. I know I need to fix that. And I love my capri pants. Sure they make it look like I don’t have any knees but they are so comfortable and they look better than shorts do on my jiggly legs and are cooler than long pants. I also love low-rise jeans. Not the really low “I’ve gotta shave my pubic hair to wear” jeans but an inch or two below my belly button is how I like them. High waisted jeans just look down right horrible on me. Would someone please tell **iampunha** that hunter green pants and royal blue shirts just don’t look right. At all. On anybody? I swear sometimes I think he’s color blind. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/57 "2004-05-31T15:19:32Z")
Have noticed recently that men are once again wearing shit-brown suits. They were out of fashion for decades, because they made everyone look like a shady used-car salesmen. Who brought them back? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/58 "2004-05-31T15:55:50Z")
> [@START](#): > > In my opinion one of them for guys is wearing shorts that come above your knee…atleast shorts should cover up half of your knee. > Any other opinions? My counter opinion is that the baggy shorts below the knee trend is the one that will look idiotic in the cold light of hindsight. And I’ll submit the following arguments: a. Shorts are supposed to keep you cool. Eliminating six inches of inseam from a pair of pants isn’t going to do that. b. Calves, particularly when viewed in isolation, are the dorkiest part of the human anatomy. There might, somewhere on the planet, be one or two women who can get away with pants that just reveal the calf (although generally it looks pretty retarded). There are no guys who can do so. Guys have fat, hairy calves and you don’t really want to draw attention to them. c. Shorts over the knee don’t let the knee flex freely. They’re not designed for exercise like biking or hiking – they’re for designed for loitering around with skateboards looking surly. Now that the weather is finally warming, the fashion mistake that I’m noticing more and more is the fancy scrollwork tatoos in the small of the back. We’re not talking an unobtrusive rose or flower – they more like something you’d decal on the side of a Camaro. I know we’ve gone back and forth on the issues of tatoos on the board before and I have no objection to people doing what they want with their bodies. I’m just thinking that the elaborate tatoos in the small of the back is going to be one of those trends that really looks dated when viewed from a few year’s perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/59 "2004-05-31T18:06:20Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > I think it’s _a_ shame that people wear clothing that hides their shape, since clothes are supposed to accentuate the masculine or feminine body, but I doubt that shame is the reason they’re wearing it. Have you heard anyone say that? Maybe not shame in a concrete sense. But I think I can say without much fear of contradiction that over the last 15 years women’s styles have moved to sexier and skimpier, and men’s have done the opposite. The male part of this is so firmly entrenched that I think there must be something besides peer pressure that keeps it going. This is where I think shame comes in…not in the everyday sense of being ashamed, like when you’ve done something reprehensible, but in the sense that we’re conditioned to believe we dare not show our legs because it’s not masculine to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696/60 "2004-05-31T18:10:32Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I am guilty. I wear socks with sandals. I don’t care. > > . I think socks and sandals look OK with regular pants or jeans, but with shorts, or for women, with a dress or skirt, not so good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-fashion-mistake/247696.md?page=4)