Top 10 Ridiculous Fashion Trends of the Decade

Starting in the earlier part of the decade and reemerging in the last part of it, clear accessories have been around for a while now. While at first, lucite jewelry and hair bits seemed pretty cool, it went too far when it started extending to shoes and bags. Isn’t the point of wearing shoes so that people don’t see your entire foot? And in terms of purses, while they may look fashionable on the runway, it’s just not practical (or safe!) for everyone to see your Chapstick, tampons or house keys when you’re walking around town.

As part of the ‘90s revival, bucket hats made an appearance in the later part of the 2010s. Perhaps you remember wearing them when you were a kid, you know, for sun protection, but then all of a sudden celebs were sporting them and it seemed like a legit fad that lasted more than a season. There’s no way around it though: wearing one of these makes you look like a fisherman, no matter how cool the rest of your outfit is. And we think it’s safe to say that that’s not a look we’re going for.

When Crocs first appeared on the scene, it was obvious that they were uncool, full stop. But as the years have passed, the younger generations began adopting them as something that was so hideous, they might just be cool. In 2019, pop star Ariana Grande posted a photo of herself on Instagram, not only wearing Crocs, but wearing them with SOCKS. Sure, you may want to follow in your favorite celebrity’s footsteps, but mark our words, you’ll definitely be regretting this

Most of the worst fashion trends seem to hit women the hardest, but we can think of at least one example from the 2010s that was inherently exclusive to men. The man bun emerged somewhere in the middle part of that decade, and went strong for a short period of time before a not so graceful fall. We’ll be honest: this trend did look good on some people, but it became so collectively reviled that it turned into somewhat of a joke. When it came to clip-on man buns however, we knew this trend had been taken to its natural conclusion.

The major factor driving the worst trends from the 2010s has to be the return to ‘90s fashion. One striking example that happens to be one of the later fads to arise is the bicycle short. When celebrities started sporting this look, we thought there was no way it would trickle down to the mainstream but we were oh so wrong. This trend is especially tricky because it certainly looks best on people who are model-thin and isn’t nearly as forgiving on anyone else.

Speaking of the ‘90s...here’s another relic of the decade that we can’t seem to leave behind. Wearing statement sneakers became more and more popular during the 2010s, but the iterations resembling over-the-top “dad” shoes seem almost intentionally clunky and unattractive. Perhaps that’s what they’re going for, but we still never thought we’d get to a point where looking in style would mean wearing oversized white running shoes, with or without an exaggerated platform. These may have been seen on high fashion runways, but we have a feeling that in retrospect, we’ll realize that’s where they should have stayed.

This may be controversial, but we’re going to come out and say that perhaps the biggest trend of the decade is also one of the worst. The entire landscape of modern fashion has been changed by the emergence of athleisure. Wearing exercise clothes for non-exercise activities became the norm between 2010-2019, and while it may have seemed acceptable during this time, we may look back and wonder why we wore workout pants out and about all the time, and moreover, why we spent so much darn money on them.

Some trends may not look good, but they don’t get in the way of you living your life. With this one however, it can be a real problem. Fake nails seem to have gotten longer and longer throughout the decade, to the point where even people in the mainstream were gluing on nails so long that they could barely use their smartphones. Not only are they inconvenient, but also they honestly don’t even look good. Considering how hazardous this trend is, we’re hoping that it will die down - and fast.

Have we railed on the ‘90s enough yet? It seems like the most ridiculous trends of that bygone era have crept into modern fashion. This fad actually originated even earlier, in the ‘80s, and now it’s back with a vengeance. They may have tried to rebrand it as a “belt bag,” but we weren’t buying it - we knew it was just the same old fanny pack, repackaged for a new generation to look ridiculous in. As dorky as they look though, we can’t deny that it’s actually kinda convenient to have a totally hands-free purse...

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Mullet Skirts

Bermuda Jorts

Mini Bags

Sock Sneakers

For what felt like a decade, it seemed like the rule was “the bigger the sunglasses the better”. This appeared to originate with celebrities like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen who wanted to hide their identities while out in public. That’s why we were so rattled when this trend seemed to be reversed, with increasingly smaller and smaller frames coming into style during the 2010s. How would we hide our true feelings behind glasses so small? Trendy as it may be, we’re sticking to the fact that this look is straight-up silly.