# What historical fashions are too archaic to ever return? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262 "2009-05-13T06:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/41 "2009-05-14T01:15:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I think the [maternity corset](http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/reflections/winter2008/maternity_corset.html) probably won’t be back for a while. Actually, while it didn’t look like that one, I had several people ask me when I was pregnant with my first (1989) where my pregnancy girdle was. Ok, these were Filipino nurses, but they did ask. Apparently it was some type of support undergarment that was supposed to help… what exactly, I dunno. So, I’m thinking it’s out there, somewhere. Tonsures. Mutton chop sideburns for men (but they might for women! just kidding) ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/42 "2009-05-14T01:19:08Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Weapons as jewelry. The small sword was the most evolved form. Or, maybe not: [http://wearestyle.co.uk/swiss-minigun-bangs-in-style/](http://wearestyle.co.uk/swiss-minigun-bangs-in-style/) [http://lundestudio.com/2008SHOTShow/Day3/beretta-92fs-diamond-3.jpg](http://lundestudio.com/2008SHOTShow/Day3/beretta-92fs-diamond-3.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/43 "2009-05-14T01:20:29Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Mutton chop sideburns for men (but they might for women! just kidding) Considering that these were revived at least once since the late 19th Century (the 1970s), I can see them coming back someday. Same with women’s shoulder pads, as someone upthread mentioned. They were around in the 40s, then they were around in the 80s. They’ll be back. ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/44 "2009-05-14T01:22:31Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Actually, while it didn’t look like that one, I had several people ask me when I was pregnant with my first (1989) where my pregnancy girdle was. Ok, these were Filipino nurses, but they did ask. Apparently it was some type of support undergarment that was supposed to help… what exactly, I dunno. > > So, I’m thinking it’s out there, somewhere. > > Tonsures. > Mutton chop sideburns for men (but they might for women! just kidding) I’m starting to feel like the ambassador of greasy hipsters, but mutton chops are very very popular. I would also really, really like them to go away. I hate them on hipster jackasses, but love them in old historical pictures. ETA: Ah, **jayjay** is with me. Really, check out indie bands right now, espeically ones that come from Williamsburg or Austin, and you will find tons of muttonchops. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/45 "2009-05-14T01:28:27Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > How many of today’s women would go out of their way to make their butts look bigger? A lot of women I know. A _lot._ ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/46 "2009-05-14T01:38:22Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > A lot of women I know. A _lot._ Yep. As much as I can’t stand her, Jennifer Lopez changed things. No longer do my friends and I tie cardigans around our waists to hide our fat butts, our posture has changed so that we are sticking those fools out. Who knew? Ok, I’ll try to step away from this thread, I just love the hell out of talking about fashion. It’s a hobby:) ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/47 "2009-05-14T01:46:24Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Gauchos. Please god may they never come back. And keep that lil vestigial vest women wore with them, too. Like Guin said, too late. A few years ago Urban Outfitters was wall-to-wall gouchos. Tons of girls wore them my senior year of college. I have to say that I like the mutton chops on hipsters, but then I’m a sucker for guys with facial hair. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/48 "2009-05-14T02:07:55Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I agree with this. I have been waiting for the tight white jeans that were popular in my formative years (late 50’s to early 60’s) to return, but to no avail. I remember my older sister’s boyfriend’s jeans were so tight I could tell he wasn’t Jewish. > > Them was the days, all right. I’m afraid they shall never return. And this is one case where I would be glad to be wrong. > Roddy Oh, men are definitely wearing tight pants, and I am all for it. It seems to be a European hipster thing. A quick poke around street fashion blogs like Face Hunter, [hel-looks.com](http://hel-looks.com), and Style Scout supports this theory. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/49 "2009-05-14T02:54:36Z")
Pretty much anything that requires a valet or ladies’ maid to get into. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/50 "2009-05-14T03:01:27Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Oh, men are definitely wearing tight pants, and I am all for it. It seems to be a European hipster thing. A quick poke around street fashion blogs like Face Hunter, [hel-looks.com](http://hel-looks.com), and Style Scout supports this theory. Ultra tight pants have been in among American hipsters for a while now. Walk around some trendy neighborhoods in Brooklyn and see if you can find guys whose jeans don’t look like painted skin. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/51 "2009-05-14T03:12:48Z")
What’s wrong with breeches? Hikers wear breeches, and some people in Europe still wear breeches. There’s no reason they’re too impractical to ever come back in style. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/52 "2009-05-14T03:19:01Z")
Tricorne ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/53 "2009-05-14T03:26:21Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Loincloths Just recently, in Japan: [http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=101134](http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=101134) > [@](#): > > The latest in “women’s liberation” is a product making a comeback in Japan that makers claim allows women to ditch tight-fit underwear – loincloths. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/54 "2009-05-14T06:34:06Z")
A colleague, who is Australia, regularly wears a Nehru jacket. And I have sported mutton-chop sideboards since the late 1980s (although admittedly these are a deliberate affectation) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/55 "2009-05-14T07:44:48Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Just recently, in Japan: > [http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=101134](http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=101134) OK, that absolutely seals it. I’m visiting Japan. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/56 "2009-05-14T08:21:00Z")
I’ll repost my recent post in the [What Fashion Do You Wish Would Come Back](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=517057) thread: > [@What Fashion Do You Wish Would Come Back](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fashion-do-you-wish-would-come-back/495909/47): > > Lacy, feminine fashion from the Victorian and Edwardian era… > > Lacy Edwardian dresses like this: > [All sizes | Edwardian Dress Front | Flickr - Photo Sharing!](http://www.flickr.com/photos/28658702@N02/2677858679/sizes/l/in/photostream/) > [http://fash224.tripod.com/test-4.img/1900-37.jpg](http://fash224.tripod.com/test-4.img/1900-37.jpg) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item6155.htm) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item9977.htm) > [All sizes | Friends | Flickr - Photo Sharing!](http://www.flickr.com/photos/josefnovak33/3490217969/sizes/l/in/pool-446714@N24/) > [beautiful lace dress | Turn of the Century II | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/25237851@N03/2580955852/) > > Nightgowns and petticoats like this: > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item4526.htm) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item4608.htm) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item6213.htm) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item4595.htm) > [Antique Dress - Item for Sale](http://antiquedress.com/item6569.htm) > > Other pretty dresses like these: > [Jeffreys Lewis | Recolored by me Original i34.tinypic.com/fb… | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/25237851@N03/3183241858/) > [http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyeb/3342051725/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyeb/3342051725/) > [Wedding Gown | Sue Townsend Lake, La Grange, Illinois, 1929.… | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_prichard/222339739/) ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262/57 "2009-05-14T13:05:33Z")
I vow to stay in my fashion wasteland. Gauchos AND muttonchops are back? AAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!! Both are hideous. Muttonchops look like a creeping fungus of the face. Either grow the damned beard or don’t (same with that stupid little square of facial hair that was so popular a few years ago on men’s chins. Blessedly, that fad has passed). A fashion I wish would die is the “show your boxers and walk with your jeans around your upper thighs because you are such a tough boyz n da hood kind of guy” look. It’s still around–it’s fading, but not fast enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-fashions-are-too-archaic-to-ever-return/496262.md?page=2)