The Big Question: RAAAAAGE edition
By PlumcakeFriends, I love the Francesca but I hate hate hate with a blinding, eye-twitching, forehead-vein-throbbing, ear-ringing fury the stupid convertible dress. In my mind there is only one acceptable type of convertible: the classic Cadillac variety. Since I already have one of those, I am set for life. Granted, it’s almost $100 to fill up, but life is too short to drive a Kia. That being said:
Francesca and Plumcake want to know:
What style trend, dress, look, whatever, fills you with inexplicable (or totally explicable) rage?
March 5th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Drawstrings on pants and skirts. If I want to call attention to my waist I will use a belt, and if I want to get tied up I will not be wearing that type of clothing.
I also object in principle to short skirts, but that is because I am a Big Leg Woman and need the long, flowing, leg-covering alternatives so that I can focus attention on my less objectionable upper half.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Shorts or cutoffs that ride up on the inner thigh. There are some parts of the body where inverted V’s are just NOT superfantastic.
Also, in the realm of low-rise jeans: revealed butt cleavage.
There are no words.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I cannot stand the skinny leg or tapered leg look!! It drives me up the freakin wall! I bought the March issue of a fashion mag that said it had, “all the great looks for spring”, I open it up and what do I see- assloads of skinny models in skinny jeans and tapered pants, ARGGHH! To give the mag some credit, the shoes were slammin, one might say they got, “lucky”.
Oh a question for Francesca and Plumcake, were y’all aware of the return of the sailor look?? I can stand it in moderation but some designers have lost the definition of moderation, YIKES, it’s getting scary.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Any fashion that makes me have to look at your underwear. I don’t want to see it. Keep it to yourself.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I despise seeing teenage girls wearing 2-sizes-too-small jeans and tight babytees. It causes saddlebag-esque pooches on the sides, making them look like misshapen mannequin torsos. This wouldn’t be so terrible if they actually bought clothes that *fit*.
Oh, and I hate Uggs and animal prints. Always have, always will.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I hate animal prints, too! Also, tapered legs & skinny jeans. And animal prints *with* skinny jeans? Just SO, so, so wrong.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Dirty, worn out Uggs that look like filthy car-wash rags strapped to the feet of shuffling city dwellers. Exposed thongs. Clothes with giant logos bedazzled on them. Ostentatious jeans.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Pants with words across the butt.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Bubble skirts. They flatter *no one*
March 5th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
The supertight look with bulges, even on reasonably skinny chicks. C’moonnnnnn. Go a size up. It won’t kill you. At least don’t make me look at your bra outlines!
And, cropped leggings with lace cuffs. Grarrararrrrrghghghhhhh. Sabrina smash!
March 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Everything you guys said. And I know some of you probably like this look, but I absolutely HATE the ginormous belt over the shirt/dress look that is becoming 80s fabulous hot again.
Oh, and I am a grad student and realized I MUST be pushing 30 when I started having the almost uncontrollable urge to yell at younger students walking around in the snow wearing shorts, flip flops, and hoodies to put some clothes on. I mean, COME ON! It’s effing 20 degrees out!
March 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Gauchos! Do you guys all remember those from the 80’s? My mom was constantly buying them for me and I hated the stupid things. They would crawl up in the most unattractive way. I see them now and just shudder.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
That reminds me: ubiquitous flip flops.
Kristin, I knew I was in trouble when I found myself wanting to catch the undergrads up by their lapels and yell, “Does your mother know you left the house like this???” I’m not even particularly fashionable, but I pride myself on being weather appropriate and keeping my underwear where it fracking belongs.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
the nasty nasty Croc. long, lank, straightened fashionista hair that makes the wearer look a droopy, sad afghan hound. stupid fuzzy-wuzzy beards and “ironic” facial hair on the hipster boys. thick bangs that obscure the eyes (HEIDI KLUM! GET YOUR HAIR OUT OF YOUR FACE, LIEBCHEN!) the Bad Leopard: specific leopard-print that comes off cheap and/or grandma-in-boca (not in a good way) as opposed to kicky/retro. (the Bad Leopard usually involves a non-solid background, with, like, shades of brown, and too much detail and variance in sizing on the leopard spots — gah, i’m obsessed, and explaining badly). also, i’m irrationally over the retro slouch boot.
however: tho these are hideous unto me, I EMBRACE YOUR RIGHT TO WEAR CRAP.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
The spaghetti-strap tank top, which cannot be worn without exposing the brassiere underneath. This assumes that the woman is wearing the brassiere. Very often she is not, which is even worse.
Sabrina: Cropped leggings with lace cuffs? Ayyyy! The Annalucia has never (thanks be to God) laid eyes upon any such monstrosity and she devoutly hopes that she will never do so.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Horizontal stripes!!! Why, gods of fashion, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?
March 5th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I’m with Eloise on the worded-butt pants.
The shirt… TENT that seems to be all the rage now. Seriously. I’m a simple girl; I admire the well-made v-neck tee. Except when it comes down to the middle of my thighs, in which case no size on earth fits because my torso is a size smaller than the hips and butt over which the shirt must go.
I don’t even know what the point of this is. The style looks good on no one and is really just a giant cotton/polyester/whatever bag in which you can hide your female form. It makes no sense.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
White socks with black pants, and ‘flood pants’ that show just the ankle, but are obviously not supposed to. Oh my God.
And animal prints remind me of senile people in nursing homes. Ughh.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Skinny pants make me violent.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Those hideous scrunchy leather purses with a bunch of crap hanging off all over the place. Are they called hobo bags because they look like they were MADE OUT OF ANCIENT HOBOS??
March 5th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Short-sleeved winter coats. I’ve seen ‘em, and all I can think is that they were designed by some asshat who’s obviously never lived through a real winter.
The “designer” velour tracksuit. Idiotic-looking.
The high-heeled sneaker. My coworker owns a pair and thinks they’re “cute”. I grit my teeth.
Jeans that have stupid bleaching on them, like the faux-”whiskering” or even worse, a bleached-out butt and rear thigh area. On what freaking planet is that attractive? Are you trying to make them look “worn in”? Here’s a clue — buy a pair of normal jeans and wear them for a long time. Does your ass look like you sat in a puddle of Clorox? No? There’s your answer.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Tails hanging out under sweaters on the short-torsoed. Layered tee shirts on 90% of the population.
Pretty much any person wearing a completely unflattering trend that doesn’t suit their body just because it’s “in”.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I do have to say something in support of gaucho pants – if they are comfortable, they can be mighty convenient to lounge around the house in (I like them because if I cross my legs I can tuck my feet into the pants leg – this is exactly the reason they should -not- be worn out of the house, but still).
Otherwise, like the Annalucia, I have severe issues with strappy tank tops. They work fine if being worn under something, but the various fashion purveyors seem to assume that they are appropriate -all the time- and that, in fact, they are the -only- type of sleeveless top that should be made. For those of us who must wear a bra, this does not work. And don’t get me started on those super-flimsy “shelf bras” in the camisoles which do nothing to support a well-endowed girl (or basically any girl with breasts at all). Not only that, but they make it damned uncomfortable to wear an actual bra underneath the top.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I agree with everyone about everything, and especially about the pants with writing on the butt. That one absolutely bewilders me. I don’t know whether it’s worse on young girls or on grown-up women — both make me shudder, for different reasons.
And platform shoes! Not heels with platform soles, which can be cute, but those stupid blocky Frankenfoot things that were big in Elton John’s long-ago prime and periodically come back.
Even expensive platforms always look cheap, and they’re just plain dangerous to walk in. Big old clunky sasquatch feet — so sexy!
March 5th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Anything that means I can’t wear a decent bra under it. I’m sure there must be some fat chicks who look good in no bra and teeny spaghetti straps, but I ain’t one of them.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
cropped pants. Large flower prints. Horizontal stripes. low-rise jeans. skinny jeans. big bell bottom jeans. Leggings. baby doll tops.
I said recently in response to this dress:
The third one was obviously sewn by painstakingly removing the fabric from my great-grandmother Nonny’s Victorian settee and her polyester scarves from the 1960s. Sadly, there was not enough fabric to make more than tunic shirt. Again, sadly or not depending on POV, the model was deprived of leggings, all of them having been bought by Lindsey Lohan.
For some reason, the high-water-flood-zone look does seem to be in this season along with the “I’m three months pregnant and not showing yet but I’m so darn excited about the state of my uterus that I want everyone to know” look. Each is ridiculous on its own but put together it reaches heights of stupid-looking not seen by mankind since the invention of the bustle.
There’s more, but you asked for comments, not posts. (c;
March 5th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Empire waists. Forever and ever, HATE them. The only people who don’t look pregnant in them are anorexically thin. Not to mention any of the other huge, drapey dresses that try to add ten pounds to people who either look like they need more food (some are naturally tiny, I know) or really do need to stop and eat the cheesecake. Current worst offender I know of is the Lauren Conrad line, but she cannot be pushing the stuff in a designer vacuum.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I live in between two colleges so I’m confronted with rage-inducing fashion on an almost daily basis. Look, I don’t care what you wear in the privacy of your home but if you’re going to go outside in your sweatpants/short/athletic pants, why in heaven’s name have you got the waist rolled over so we can see all the seams and tags and you just look like a giant slob. If your pants come up too high, I hear there’s this thing called “low-rise” that may be just what you’re looking for.
Also, as a big girl, I’m very sensitive to the fact that there are lots of girls who would look so much better if they would just buy things one size bigger. It especially drives me crazy with coats where it’s all pulling across the buttons or the back slit is all pulled apart because the person’s hips/ass are too damn big for the coat.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
But I like animal prints. Sob.
Stuff I hate: Writing on asses, ugg boots, fur (but not for aesthetic reasons), high heels worn by women who can’t walk in them. Leggings. Those ridiculous high-end track suits. Louis Vuitton – seriously, why? SO ugly and boring. Neon colors.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Anything with writing on the butt should be banned. Forever. So should any shorts that are designed to reveal the bottom of a woman’s butt cheeks. Also, anything with the Playboy logo on it should never, EVER be worn by a teenage girl who is not old enough to buy Playboy magazine. It’s not “cute” and “ironic,” it’s just creepy.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Any cartoon characters on clothing made in adult sizes. If you’re fully grown, DRESS LIKE IT!
March 5th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Writing on the butt of pants…I saw a girl today in the campus library wearing too tight jeans with a word that I’m told translates roughly to “Big A**ed Chick” from Portuguese. In rhinestones. I nearly threw up right there.
Playboy logos on anyone anytime. Also Hooters shirts. Especially on young girls. And Happy Bunny or whoever that stupid snarky rabbit my sister likes is.
Not trying to look decent at all should also be banned. Even if you failed, at least you made an effort.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Baby tees. Infantalizing. Why not just wear a tee-shirt?
March 5th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Oh, and while I’ve already raged against visible underwear, the thing that actually causes me the most catwalk rage is any piece of clothing where the logo/name of the designer is a prominant part of the design. If you want me to be your billboard, you can hand ME some money. Or swag. I don’t say I can’t be bought. It’s just that I’m not going to give you money in order to do your advertising for you. I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Gauchos
March 5th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
[...] Manolo says, our Miss Plumcake asks the Big Question, what fashion trend fills you with inexplicable rage? [...]
March 5th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I’m with Barbara on bubble skirts. God, why? You want a poofy skirt, wear a crinoline. Or a skirt with gores. Or something that is NOT UGLY.
Uggs. Crocs. Heels that cause your feet to look like Barbie feet.
Sack dresses/tops. Lysana, my bridesmaids dress for my mom’s wedding was technically an “empire” waist – that is, it started just below my breasts. But it had darts that made it fitted enough to show off my waist and curves. The empire waists that have MILES of fabric that just hangs like curtains for your belly? Ugh. Simply stupid.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Oh, dear. I’m afraid I’m guilty of quite a few of these — leopard print (it’s ironic, okay?), leggings with lace cuffs, big tunic tops (LOVE them!!!), empire waists (LOVE them more!!!), spaghetti tanks over bra straps (whatever, I think it’s cute in a kind of slutty way).
I agree with previous commenters on those ghastly hobo bags with crap hanging off them, purses that cost more than $200 (there are children STARVING), designer logos, designer snobbery in general, Black Hills Gold jewelry (land stolen from Native Americans), and whiskered jeans (shudder).
Also: Pointy-toed fancy high heels in the middle of winter when there’s snow on the ground, for god’s sake. And white stockings and tights. Ack.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Uggs.
Crocs.
Flip-flops EVERYWHERE. These are appropriate for the beach, the shower (if you live in a dorm or with roommates), the water park, and maybe a few other places I can’t think of right now. They are not appropriate for anywhere else. Would it kill you to get a nice sandal that would let you pick your feet up off the ground and wouldn’t make that FLAPFLAPFLAP noise? And if you wear them to dinner at a nice restaurant, I will hurl.
Aviator shades. I keep waiting for this fad to end. It hasn’t.
Trucker caps; see above.
Cargo pants. Again, there’s a small number of places in which they’re appropriate, and they’re appropriate NOWHERE ELSE.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Life is too short to get rageful about fashion. I do, however, come over all despairing when I see many of the crimes already reported.
Trackies with your school (or sport) name across the butt are awful, and I’m old enough to remember (and still believe) that it’s a crime against fashion to show your underwear – “that’s why it’s called UNDERwear”. Showing a bra strap would get you laughed at, panty lines too, and visible underpants could get you bullied. Times change, but I still wear tops that conceal the bra straps.
I must, however, take a stand in favour of animal print: done properly, it’s awesome.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Jodhpurs. Need I say more?
March 5th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I have a long list (I’ll edit, don’t worry) and I think all of my raging regarding trends is explicable. Justifiable, even.
The return of:
leggings
leg warmers
wedge heeled shoes
flared pants/jeans, low rise pants/jeans (god, especially HATE low rise dress pants–in which part of the world is the crack of your behind considered “business casual”? Now picture the scenario starring the same dress pants in size 20, because that’s just about all I can find when I go out looking for clothes in my size)
jeans that have been bleach streaked up, down, and sideways…and now, puzzlingly, across the crotch so you look even wider in them
skirts, dresses, and pants that are patch-worked, feature inside out looking seams (often running horizontally), or mix perfectly good fabrics with garbage-y prints (so you can only wear the outfit once before it looks gallingly dated. Actually it looks dated the first time you wear it, too)
dresses, tops, bathing suits, all made for larger women, all with spaghetti straps, extremely clingy/cheap stretchy materials, and in colours no grown woman would wear
heavy black hose worn with floaty, dainty frilly anything
every single item for sale at American Apparel, and all their ads (particularly for their tights)
(Like, even their socks: No. No way)
white shoes worn at any time during the year, never mind Victoria Day to Labour Day only. White boots make my head explode.
the puffy, hyper platform, brightly coloured “moon” style boots, or fluffy, puffy furry boots, now making a resurgence
flip flops, crocs (unless you’re in the garden, that’s all) and Uggs
clogs
and all the other horrors mentioned above: louis vuitton bags, designer sunglasses with obvious logos, gauchos (no one looks good in them), tiny and infantile tee shirts, animal prints (what was that Diablo person thinking?) and thong undies that show.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
The ‘little girl’ trend. I am not 8 years old. I do not want to dress like and 8 year old.
That and the whole shoulders-hunched-forward thing the models are all doing now..
March 5th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Apron tops. Crocs. Hobo bags. Overdesigned bags in general. Skinny jeans. Jeans that are too low of a rise for your figure. Jeans that come with holes already in them. Jumpsuits / rompers. Swimsuits that come in different sizes on the bottom but only A/B cup on top.
Bags that have a strap that’s long enough to slip off your shoulder every 3 steps, too long to hold in your hand, but not long enough to go across your body so you don’t have to be adjusting it all the time or worry about purse snatchers.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:02 am
skinny pants, mostly because they’re not flattering to my pear-shaped body. I hate them.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:19 am
FUR
March 6th, 2008 at 12:32 am
ugg boots
crocs, especially embellished crocs… though they fascinate me
voluptuous women that try to do the neo-mod thing
jackie o. jackets worn with mini-skirts
anything too big, tie-dyed and full of holes… aka my boyfriend’s wardrobe
March 6th, 2008 at 12:58 am
When I was an undergraduate (more than ten years ago now!) I was shocked, though somewhat fascinated, by what my classmates wore to class. I remember that some would wear their pajama pants with a sweatshirt – no kidding. I always wanted to say, “Hey, I bothered to get dressed this morning…”
The other thing that was popular at that time, though at parties, were too-tight black pants with a slight flare at the bottom, often worn too short. My best friend and I used to call them “sorority b****pants.” (I wonder if this will be posted.)
I’m really peeved by anything that says, “I cannot dress myself like an adult,” meaning exposed underwear, writing on the butt, and any shoes that look like they should be worn by a four-year-old, like Uggs or Crocs.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Those tiny, shiny backpacks used as purses/handbags. The horror. Can you fit your entire brain in there?
Items with the logo writ large. Barf.
Juicy velour crap. Juicy? Methinks not.
Yes, I am indeed onboard with about ten of my aforementioned sisters: pants/shorts with something emblazoned across the ass. No, no, a thousand times NO.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Tapered-leg slacks, definitely. If I want to look like a walking ice cream cone, I’ll buy a Halloween costume.
The new trend of strapless wedding dresses for everyone – the look is NOT universally flattering.
Jogging clothes, sweatsuits, and overly-casual clothing worn by guests at weddings and funerals. Please.
On the men: baseball caps worn backwards. To me, this says, ‘I am not smart enough to put on a hat the right way.’
Leggings. Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh. Why are they still legal?
March 6th, 2008 at 2:09 am
while I wouldn’t say I’m enraged by any of the above, I would say I dislike most of the above.
and can I add, having just returned from 2.5 days at a Sewing Expo, sweatshirt jackets of any sort, but most especially ones with cutesy patchwork nonsense on them. You’re not fooling anyone – it’s a cut up sweatshirt. Why not buy some decent fabric and start from freakin’ scratch??? Oh, and shapeless clothes worn by quilters to highlight their quilting and “embellishment” skills. Ugh.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:26 am
navy nails, peasant blouses. skinny jeans. brown and pink color schemes. low-cut summer tops as a matter of course (not at all universally flattering!)Teen-style clothes offered to women. flip flops, jellies, uggs, crocs, gladiator sandals. shoes with extreme toe-exposure meant for the office. cleavage-baring tops meant for work wear.the idea that bare legs—even when blue-white and shivering–are preferable to tights/hose. pink as a univerally flattering color. bras with no coverage or thickness. thongs. pleated slacks and skirts on those over 15. trashy t-shirts on prepubescent girls. periodic resurgence of blue and green eyeshadow. breaking bad on fake baking—its safe and attractive after spring break. hair jewelry. not everyone can wear bangs/straight hair/parted on the side styles. some women look like washerwomen in ponytails. blonde is expensive and frequently futile. red lips don’t work for a lot of people. pink lips can yellow your teeth. thigh-highs are always a bad choice, despite the designer and price tag. no stripper/hooker/ porn star wear please.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:03 am
ah yes! the poor taste in wearing bare-shouldered, backless, plunging-necklined wedding dresses in religious ceremonies. vera wang what have you wrought. also brides with crowns or tiaras. brides rejecting the veil, but keeping everything else. its all symbolisim; borat will not put you in a sack iand carry you away if you wear a veil. its traditional. dyed to match shoes, however, are not. and no flip flops at weddings, even in the jungle!
March 6th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Not only are Crocs seriously fugly, now those dippy bastards are making HIGH-HEELED Crocs in multiple styles! I shit you not! They look like Disney cartoon shoes.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:11 am
Fuzzy, brightly-colored boots that look like they were made from the pelt of a Muppet.
Uggs, especially when worn with bare legs and a mini skirt. If it is cold enough for Uggs it is too cold for a mini, and if it is warm enough for a mini it is too warm for furry boots.
Mini skirts and tiny dresses worn by college girls who are riding bicycles around campus. Do they not realize they are showing the world virtually everything?
Low-rise super-skinny jeans. Bad on girls, even worse on boys.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Oh, I forgot. Deep, abiding, passionate hate for flip-flops with business attire. I keep wanting to take the women aside and ask them if they know what they’re doing to their feet by wearing those monstrosities. And the layered top in summer look just makes me confused and cross. Summer is for light attire, not bundling, I don’t care if the shirts are all paper-thin.
I have seen one set of pants with letters across the butt where it made sense. It said “Cranky.” A warning label for PMS-y days, in other words, but I wouldn’t wear them myself. A butt like mine does not need to be a billboard.
And I’m an offender on the “cartoon characters on adult-sized clothing” front. I’m also a comic book geek, so my cartoon characters tend to be created by Neil Gaiman or are otherwise on the darker side of the art form. I dare an eight-year-old to look appropriate while wearing a T-shirt that features Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in a cuddly position that would be appropriate on the cover of Playboy. No, I take that back. The young are getting too much sexually suggestive attire as it is.
Oh, now THERE is a stone cold hate that will not die… but this isn’t a blog about children’s wear.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:33 am
Writing on anything – if I want to convey a message, I can talk. Or write an e-mail. I don’t need to advertise anything on my person. Bubble skirts. Panties and butt cleavage showing. Jeans so tight that even an anorexic person gets muffin tops. Bare bellies in winter. But mostly inaproppriate tourist attire: that one makes me scream and foam at the mouth. For some reason, stuff you’d only wear in your back yard when all the neighbors are on vacation is alright in foreign cities and their churches and museums. hey, you can even go travelling in nothing but beer-gut, shorts, sunburn and no underwear! It’s only stupid furreners, guys, no need to look decent for those……
March 6th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Before I move into my rant I would like to state – for the record- that I hadn’t known until recently how much people seem to abhor flip flops. Growing up in Southern California, having a pool, being a competitive swimmer, a lifeguard, and a beach bum in general, flip flops have always been a comfortable, often ideal shoe. I must know… is it all flip flops that people find evil, or just cheep plastic ones ( I wear lovely leather ones that don’t make too much noise).
Anyway…
The thing I hate most, so much that it makes want to smack, punch and berate the people I see participating in this ‘trend’, is bare footedness. I’m sorry but it is disgusting, looks ridiculous, and idiotic. I’d rather see white sneakers, uggs, even Crocs. Cover your feet people! Whatever happened to the whole ‘No shirt, No shoes, No service’ thing?
March 6th, 2008 at 8:34 am
CROCS!!! Will they ever go away?
Also, flip flops, leggings (especially when worn as pants), and tent-dresses. If I wanted to look pregnant, I’d shove a basketball up my shirt – not put on a voluminous dress that oddly resembles a potato sack.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Slutty attire on young girls (not even teenagers) bothers me a lot. When my aunt was buying clothes for my 8yr old cousin, she had to go to a ridiculous number of stores to find a wardrobe actually suitable to an 8yr old and not a prostitute in training.
My really big rage though is heels worn with leggings/capris/shorts/gauchos. I think it looks super tacky. If it’s casual enough that you do not need pants, it is casual enough that you do not need heels, especially stilettos. If it’s too warm for pants, why not just wear a skirt?
March 6th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Sam: Speaking for myself, I would hate flip-flops less if people wore them to the appropriate place and nowhere else. They are appropriate for the beach, the pool, the shower (if you live in a dorm or another communal living space). The second you cross the threshold of your house to go anywhere apart from the beach, they magically become inappropriate. If you’re going somewhere that water won’t destroy your shoes, get a pair of sandals that attach to the entire foot and have a supportive sole instead of a giant piece of rubber.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:07 am
So glad chachaheels mentioned white shoes. They’re hideous at any time of the year and should never be worn unless you’re a nurse or playing tennis.
Leggings. Gag. Skinny, tapered jeans. There are maybe 5 people in the world over the age of 14 who look good in these. “Ironic” hipster facial hair. I want to hurt someone when I see that on some Williamsburg doofus who is most likely wearing a trucker hat too.
I understand the Uggs hate. They’re ridiculous when worn with miniskirts and they do tend to make your feet look like potatoes. But I’ll always have a pair because they’re perfect for throwing on quickly for late night dog walking and nothing’s better for schlepping around the neighborhood doing errands when it’s 30 degrees with 10 mph winds.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Sam,
Chelsea is right. The key to your confusion is that you have worn flip flops in the situations for which they were invented: a quick way of keeping the feet from being burnt, torn up, or exposed to fungus in the sand, by the pool, or in the gym shower. Nothing wrong there. But totally unsupportive shoes are not good for walking. They are not good for cold weather. They do not constitute formal or professional wear. Most flip-flop wearers seem to have missed these key bits of information.
The pants with writing on the butt are the ultimate horror. But pleated pants are pretty bad.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Really? I have to confess to being surprised at this. I guess for me, a “rejection” of the veil was more practical than symbolic. We went away to get married, and a veil would have been one extra thing to buy on a limited budget and pack in a limited suitcase. (Besides, my hair is my only beauty, so why hide it?)
March 6th, 2008 at 10:43 am
High-waisted sailor pants. They never looked good on anyone, no matter how tall, how thin, how nautical.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Uggs with short skirts or shorts. Actually, all chunky boots for that matter. If it’s warm enough for bare legs, it’s too warm for the boots.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Fur.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I hate those super skinny jeans that teenage boys wear around their butts and they have to waddle to walk. The horrid, faded, baggy boxers they wear sticking out doesn’t help their cause any either.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I’m SOOO on board with the big hobo bags with fugly danglies. Especially when carried by tiny little fashionistas that look like the could *fit* in the bag.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the clothes for big ladies that are made to “hide” oneself. Ankle-length box-cut coats with ankle-length skirts and a straight-cut top, all in a dark solid. Anything that screams “please don’t pay attention to my body!!” There is so much wonderful talk on this blog about buying the right cut for you, and that’s what I love about it.
Also, the “lazy” office-casual woman. Navy stretch-pants, a fleece “sweater”, and those brown shoes do fall within dress code, but where’s your superfantasticness?!? I want to point them (big or not) to this blog and show them that everyone can be lovely and superfantastic!
I find it hard to rage at young people following stupid trends. If I didn’t follow trends when I was young it’s because I was too poor or my mother wouldn’t let me, not because I didn’t want to. Yes, their dumb. Young people, by definition, are dumb. They need to make the mistakes before they can learn. Even if it means getting frostbite on their tootsies ’cause they were dumb enough to wear flip-flops while there’s still snow on the ground.
Oh, but high-heeled sneakers will never fly. Hear me, Posh?? NEVER.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Overpriced, overlogo’d designer bags.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:56 am
La Petite Acadienne, I bet your hair is pretty, but I also bet it’s not your only beauty.
The University where I teach…its bookstore has a whole big display of flipflops. It’s a solid wall of flip flops, hanging there, waiting to get upon the feets of the people in my class. You should hear them; I have better things to do than police people, so I tend not to get snarky with students who come into class late. But then when they do and they are wearing flipflops you hear thlusp-thlusp-thlusp-thlusp the whole time they are trying to get to a seat. I suppose my high-heeled mules are just as bad going down the hall, though.
This brings up a question. My mother always said backless shoes are not ok at work. But I work at a university in southern California, and we’re pretty casual. I wear dresses on days I don’t teach and suits on days I do teach. On dress days, I think mules are ok…but I am not sure.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I second the words on the butt of the pants thing…or am I thirding that? I’ve seen young girls — and I’m talking 11, 12, 13ish here — walking about with “Sassy” and “Sexy” and so forth written on their derrières. What sort of parents buys something like that for their children, anyway?
HONEY, YOU ARE BARELY ENTERING PUBERTY — YOUR ASS IS NOT “SASSY.”
March 6th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Good God. I hate low rise pants with enough fury to burn 10,000 suns. I’ve had a child. I have the body of someone who has had a child. Low rise pants are the work of El Diablo.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Kate- the “sorority…” pants you are talking about? We called them “f&%k me pants” when I was an undergrad.
About uggs- I hate them, too. But more than hating them in the winter when worn with the miniskirt, I hate it when I see women in them in July in shorts and minis.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I hate and have boycotted purses with short straps/handles, and cannot wait for this trend to pass, already. If you wear one on your forearm, you look like either Queen Elizabeth II or Tyrannosaurus Rex. (Hold up both your arms in handbag-over-forearm position, and you’ll see what I mean.) If you put one over your shoulder you are, essentially, shoving your handbag into your armpit. Eww.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I hate, hate: Pajamas and slippers in public.
PUT ON SOME CLOTHES, PEOPLE! Just wear clothes. Your slippers look like rats on your feet, and your pajamas are NOT CUTE.
Gah.
I guess I’ve gotten used to the flipflops everywhere, because I’ve downgraded from Rage to simply Disgust. Like, flipflops on the streets of New York City? That’s effin disgusting, people. Have you SEEN the sidewalk? Augh.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
In addition to things described above, i.e., gauchos, cropped pants, armpit grabbing purse straps, uggs, crocs, ass-writing, low-rise pants, and leggings – let me add PUFFY SLEEVES as my current HATE HATE HATE item.
I have fat arms. I do not like sleeves with elastic right at the fattest part, kthxbai. Plus, that shit should be over when you’re out of elementary school.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Sam–I think a lot of the vitriol re. flip flops is directed at the cheap, plastic variety. A nice pair of leather flip flops is totally fine in a casual setting (but only when it’s warm, of course!)
I had a pair of black cropped leggings with lace around the bottom that I absolutely loved. I wore them with a leopard print tunic. Then again, I was 8 and it was the 80s.
I hate cute shoes with huge clunky soles that make it look like you strapped snow shoes to the bottom.
I hate those “fake worn” jeans as well, especially the ones where they take it a step further from bleaching and add fake dirt. I can dirty up my own jeans, thanks.
I hate fake fur. I understand if you don’t want to wear the real stuff, but fur accents are not mandatory, and the fake stuff always looks like a skinned teddy bear. And after it goes through the wash a couple of times and gets all matted, it’s just gross.
But my #1 fashion hate right now: FRIGGING COLORFUL RUBBER BOOTS. These are not dressy enough to wear with dresses (as I see being done every day), they’re not winter boots (they’re both cold and slippery on ice and snow), and they look horribly childish. I have had several pairs of rubber boots; their use was limited to walking through muddy horse pastures and mucking out stalls. They’re NOT a “darling fashion statement.”
March 6th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Low slung waistbands. I pity so much all the poor little middle and high school girls who have grown up thinking that this is the only kind of waistband, with their squishy little muffin tops and poochy bellies blorping about all over the place. In the 80s, we battened those things down under our pants with proper humility. And aesthetic common sense.
I want pants that go to my actual waist, damnit!
March 6th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
The new heel-less platforms designers are showing. WTF??? Half a shoe for all the cost? Low, low jeans, Crocs and any tall, tall shoe (7 inch platfoems, really folks) that looks painful and maiming to wear.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
3/4 length sleeves and cropped pants. No, they do not look casual and chic, they look like your clothes shrunk in the wash.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I have uggs HOWEVER they are not the ones everyone else has. Does that qualify me for the hate? If it helps I do only wear them in winter and I live in Michigan where there is currently about a foot and half of snow on the ground.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Hate puffy sleeves on anyone over 8 years old. As for footwear…..can’t stomach seeing/hearing women shuffling in flip flops, or “gallumpfing”( to use a made up word), along like a clydsdale in heels they never learned to walk in. YUK!
March 6th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Trouser jeans. Loathesome and unattractive trend. Like something my mom tried to make me wear in the 1970s. I had too much taste for it then, and I do now.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
* adults wearing those brightly printed hoodies meant for 7th-10th graders
* “ironic” moustaches on men (don’t really like the unironic ones either)
* children dressed as apprentice prostitutes
* “sport”sandals and socks
* just because you got it at a thrift store doesn’t make it vintage
* I’ll add my voice to the ugly comfortable shoe, just because it’s comfy doesn’t make it right!
March 6th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Yikes — almost 100 comments. We are one angry bunch, aren’t we?
March 6th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Marie said:
Tyrannosaurus Rex. (Hold up both your arms in handbag-over-forearm position, and you’ll see what I mean.)
This comment made my day. It is ridiculous, mainly because it’s so true!
Also, I have to add one more thing to my previous comment: Those shirts that have a seem right across the bustline. You knowt he ones I’m talking about – they usually have a bit of puckering around the seam, which runs from armpit to armpit. Perhaps (perhaps) this works with women with smaller chests, but for anyone B-cup or above it looks utterly ridiculous. And belted? Even worse!
March 6th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Flip flops. And? Shorts on adults. Go ahead, flame me.
I hate shorts. What? You are doing chores around the house on a hot day? Running to the mail box? Watching the game on the couch? Hiking in the jungle? Working out? Ok, fine, I GET IT. As a fashion choice? Oh, grow up!
March 6th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I hate tights or nylons with opened toe shoes. I’ve always thought that looks tacky, especially when the toe seam is showing.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Down in my hard little heart, I keep a very special fire of hatred burning for the following things (besides what y’all said):
-Juicy Coture (all of it)
-Anything cutesy for adults. If there are cartoon characters on it, I want to kick your teeth in. I won’t because I was Raised Right, but bless your heart you look like a total idiot with your Tigger jacket.
-Matched sets for the middle-aged woman (bonus points if they have anything appliqued on them). You’re 50! Why the hell are you wearing matchy-matchy capri pants embroidered with little tropical drinks that coordinate with your bedazzled shirt?
-Those really cheap patchwork leather bags. I loathe fugly purses, but these are my least favorite.
-OH MY GOD FAKE ACRYLIC TOENAILS. WTF?
March 6th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I agree with the girls who stated “pants with words across the butt” as a most-hated. A woman I work with refuses to let her daughters wear them, citing that nobody needs to look at her childrens’ butts. Yay for sensibility!
As for me, it’s Uggs with short skirts. It’s a paradox – Uggs are meant to keep you warm, short skirts are meant to keep you cool. Pick one!
Also, someone mentioned children dressing like prostitutes – I work in an elementary school, and unfortunately see this all the time. Fifth graders wearing blue eyeshadow and red lipstick – I just want to pull them aside and tell them that they don’t need to be wearing makeup at their age, but if they really want to, pick more neutral, appropriate colors. I say, death to Libby Lu stores and her slutty friends!
March 6th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
First time commenter…couldn’t resist!
Nautical anything, particularly if it features navy and white horizontal stripes or gold buttons. Bleargh!
Trapeze/empire waist tops and dresses. Not pregnant and not planning to shoplift a watermelon, thankyouverymuch.
Old lady clothes – why? There are whole departments of the matched-applique crap described above. Is there some age at which a switch goes on and people say, “Yeah! I totally want to wear stretch pants and a tunic with fruits and vegetables on them?” I guess they’re comfortable and don’t have as many buttons and stuff…but can’t they make stuff that’s easier for older women to put on but not crappy?
March 6th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Amen, Twistie!! I am with you all the way with logo things. I am bewildered that people want us to pay hundreds of dollars for a tapestry handbag riddled with a logo. I happily pay more money for a leather handbag that will last forever and not make me feel like a chump for paying for the chance to advertise.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Nothing really enrages me re: clothing. They are just clothes – and if they are on someone else that you can’t take as a tax deduction or never took you as a tax deduction – MYOB.
The following are particularly unflattering on me, but if you like, you can wear:
Puffy sleeves – long or short – I don’t need more puff there.
High waisted pants or mom jeans. If you are not going to support my bust, you don’t need to be up there.
WIDE leg pants – gauchos, palazzos, the really wide ones.
Damn, it is comfortable, but only bathing suits should be made of the really clingy stretchy spandex (and maybe some athletic training clothing).
March 7th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Sara (6:05 p.m.), you are not alone — I also think that shorts on adults look stupid. I wouldn’t say they enrage me — the only fashion choice that really makes me angry is fur — but I think shorts are unflattering and silly-looking on adults.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:34 am
First of all, y’all live among much more “exciting” fashions than I do. I live in conservative-ville, don’t live near the university–don’t see anything memorable.
Except.
Herds of slack-jawed, shuffling nincompoops in gigantic flannel pajama bottoms. And apparently they are so very tired, in their Cheeto-induced haze, that they cannot pick up their filthy-slippered feet when they walk. I reserve my white-hot Death Glare for the occasional 40 or 50 year old housewife I see in this get-up.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Fur makes me ill. Tapered pants including tapered crops–scary!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I second Sara.
There is a special section of my tiny heart devoted to a cold, passionless hatred of Juicy Couture.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
While I am not ‘enraged’, I am sick to death and disgusted by what has been mentioned and must add the following to the list: the little bit of facial hair on men between their lower lip and chin–the ’soul patch’. Blech. If you want a beard–grow a complete one (there are many variations on beards that can look quite stylish and handsome on a man’s face) or else SHAVE your face! I also despise tongue studs–I have yet to encounter ANYONE who can enunciate properly with one–and I do not want to hear it clacking against your teeth (and don’t get me started on how too many young people slur their words when speaking)! But the one ‘trend’ I can not, not, NOT stand is the combination low-rise jeans with brightly colored thong rising far above it to showcase the quite visible tattoo on the very lower part of the back just above the butt crack. I so do NOT want to see your underwear or butt crack or parts thereof. My young adult sons (ages 20 and 22) also hate this look, and men their age have a name for this look: “tramp stamp”. Yup, because that is what they think of women of ANY age who appear this way in public.
As previously mentioned by others, I abhor the ultra-baggy pants/jeans/shorts on men that they wear belted waaaayy below their waist (as low as their knees at times) with the also baggy boxer shorts puffed out above. WHY? Or the same thing with swimming trunks. Double why? I have actually seen them so low (at the knees) that these wannabe hipster doofuses can barely walk.
Oh, and baseball style caps as a ‘fashion’ statement or accessory. Especially when left on while INDOORS. If you are at an outdoor sporting event, camping, fishing, hiking, on safari, playing or participating in an outdoor sport (or even lounging at the pool or on the beach)–hooray! That is their purpose. But comb, brush, wash, style your hair–don’t throw that thing on and go out in public! Why do people wear any such OUTDOOR hats INDOORS? Take it off in: a restaurant, CHURCH (for goodness sake!), the movie theatre, etc. I totally agree with what was said about wearing it backwards (or sideways or tilted askew). If you cannot master wearing such a simple item of clothing as it was designed, then I worry about the other simple tasks that you may not be able to master (we have all seen toddlers struggle to dress themselves, but they eventually learn and get it right–so why are we regressing here, boys?) Are you lacking in such basic decision-making skills, or are you such a sheep that because some celebrity does this, you blindly follow and emulate their foolish lack of fashion and common sense choices? Hmmm, that may be a rhetorical question.
OK, I better stop now.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I have to go with the muffin top – really, wear whatever atrocity you want – but for God’s sake, buy it in a size that does not cause an explosion of excess skin above the hem.
A flattering fit will let you pull off all kinds of ironic fashion vagaries.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The ass hanging out of the back of the jean clad in boxers with the crotch between the knees and the lads clutching their package pretending to be cool but really holding their pants up. What is it that boys clothes are way too loose and girls clothes are way too tight? Oh girls, whale tail is uber slutty…
March 7th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Thanks for the opportunity to vent!
I hatehatehate those damn Louis Vuitton handbags, with a totally irrational passion. I know they cost a furtune, but they look so cheap! They look like they’d shatter if you hit them with a hammer.
And that pattern, and that color scheme! The color scheme looks like macrame, the pattern looks like something from the Joan Rivers Collection. Horrors.
Whew, I feel much better now.
I also hate the anti-hosiery trend. I really don’t mind at all when women go bare-legged, even in a business environment, as long as their legs don’t draw attention to themselves. But when they’re ostentatiously sexy, or, like mine, pale and freckly and pink at the knees, some coverage is in order. Also when it’s cold out, you know? And when it’s hot, I don’t want my thighs to stick together. I’m not saying everyone has to start wearing control-tops, just stop the hating on those of us who like a little cover.
Relatedly, I hate “suntan” hose and sheer hose with open toes. Even if Prada’s doing it.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Cap sleeves. Do they look good on anybody???
March 7th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Today I saw two fashion atrocities:
A 50-something woman wearing a heavy black winter coat, beige pantyhose and some kind of hideous rubber sandal. She wasn’t a bag lady, either. She is actually a former colleague of mine.
Also, an otherwise attractive 20-something riding a bicycle downtown with about two inches of crack showing.
I have to say that while I find people’s loathe lists fascinating and fun to read, I think that a lot of what works and what doesn’t depends on the time and the place. I think flip-flops are fine for casual wear in moderate climates. Uggs are perfectly appropriate in the snow. I’m not into designer stuff myself, but it makes sense for status-seeking women in big cities. Empire waists work great on me because I have a small chest and big tummy. And I may not look good in shorts but I am damn well wearing them when it’s 100 degrees.
And so on ….
March 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
A few people mentioned “office-casual” and black pants with colorful tops. A woman I work with wears nothing but this. Black leggings with a “big shirt” and black ankle boots. Every day. Every single day. Stop the madness!
March 9th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Chelsea, I thought I was the only one who hated aviators!! I feel so much better knowing that I am not alone on this.
Too-tight clothes. CROCS. Uggs. Shirts that say “HOTTIE” and stuff on them. They should just say “pretentious”.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:37 am
My first time commenting, but I couldn’t resist.
Empire waists and wrap tops. I’m a plus sized woman with plus sized breasts. My boobs will never look good (or fit) in either, but it seems like every feminine top or casual dress made for size 16 and up is either empire waist or a wrap.
Cropped jackets/ sweaters. Not shrugs, which can be alright sometimes. i’m talking about the jacket that hits mid waist. Why?
High waists.
Trapeze anything.
Fringe.
T-shirts with cutesy sayings. One I find particularly annoying is from Torrid and says Save the ta-tas. My roommate owns and wears this on a regular basis.
Shorts made out of t-shirt material with elastic waists.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Every Eighties trend. Ever.
The Eighties are over, it wasn’t pretty 27 years ago and leggings certainly are still fugly.
Transparent blouses on fashion shows. Come on, nobody ever is going to wear transparent blouses with the breasts peeking though – seriously, what occasion (out of a bedroom, perhaps?) is appropriate for something that daft?
Skin tight pants stuffed in knee-high boots. Everybody wears that in Germany, in the best case it makes you look ass if you’ve just lost you’re horse. In the worst case you look tike you have just cleaned out the stable.
Fur. Makes everyone look like a smelly yeti.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
A few commenters have mentioned items I love to wear, but I’ll save those arguments for another time. My fashion hate: shorts with nylons or tights. If the weather’s not warm enough (or occasion not casual enough) for your legs to go uncovered, you can be pretty sure that shorts aren’t the appropriate look either.
I knew someone who often wore shorts with opaque, flesh-toned pantyhose. It was summertime and her legs were shapely enough, so I couldn’t help but wonder if the tights were disguising some unsightly skin condition. Even if it’s true, that’s not a conclusion you want others to jump to based on your fashion choices.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Is it bad that I have several? Ok, you asked: The shift dress because they don’t even flatter women/girls with no shape but God forbid you have boobs and wear one because you look pregnant. Skinny jeans are just ugly and again, flatter no one! And if you have thighs or hips that are bigger than your wrist, they make your butt look big. As far as footwear goes, Crocs are number 1 but a close second is Uggs – they are both just plain ugly people! There are so many other footwear styles that are just as comfortable that don’t look so sloppy & hideous!
March 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Damn, I am guilty of so many things that annoy people. Trouser jeans- love them, they are one of the few pants types where I can tuck a shirt in because the big legs at the bottom balance out my big hips. Skinny jeans- I wear them tucked into knee high boots with a vintage cardi. Leggings- awesome under a sweater dress or with a gray mini wrap skirt.
Things that I hate- wrap shirts or dresses and faux wrap shirts or dresses. They never cinch at the right place on me and make me either look like a giant box or way more hippy than I already am. And puffy sleeves. And capri pants (though I like cropped ankle pants).
But what I really really hate is that there are not enough choices for big girls. It seems like a majority of the big girl clothes out there are either some polyester monstrosity made for grannies or designed to make you look like a fat 16 year old hooker.
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November 5th, 2008 at 1:21 am
chachaheels list is right on the money! everything on her list is on mine. What is better than those super fluffy, comfy foot/leg/arm warmers when it is cold out?