Fashion comes and goes. But, often, some things should just go–we might even say “die forever!” Today, we’ll discuss a few men’s style trends which we believe have overstayed their welcome, and that we’d be happy never to see again.
- 15 Men’s Style Trends That Should Never Come Back: 1. Oversized Clothing
- 2. Distressed Denim
- 3. Crossover Fanny Packs
- 4. Bucket Hats
- 5. Clunky Dress Shoes and Sneakers
- 6. Male Rompers (“Romp-Hims”)
- 7. Leather Everything
- 8. Bold Floral Garments
- 9. Bright & Bold “Fashion” Colors
- 10. Sheer Clothing
- 11. “Man Capris” (Trousers with Short Legs)
- 12. “Franken-Shoes” (Dress-Shoe/Sneaker Hybrids)
- 13. Tiny Sunglasses
- 14 . Too Much Athleisure
- 15. Wearing One Color Head-To-Toe
- Conclusion
- Outfit Rundown
While we advocate for developing a timeless style, which is resistant to the whims of fashion, some style trends do fall in line with our message. For example, we see a comeback of the high-waisted pant. However, there are just as many things that we’re far less enthusiastic about seeing come back. As Oscar Wilde put it, “fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable we have to alter it every six months.”
If you’re a fan of some of these trendy styles, remember: this is just our personal opinion. We’ll focus on things that don’t have a long-supported history behind them or things that have such an extreme silhouette we believe that they’ll date poorly. After all, no one wants to look back on photos of their prom and cringe at their outfits 20 years from now.
15 Men’s Style Trends That Should Never Come Back: 1. Oversized Clothing
The days of Thom Browne’s influence on the skinny fit are coming to an end, and we’re seeing a more relaxed fit start to pop back up. While we’re glad that the extra-skinny fit is losing steam, and we’ve explained some of its flaws in another guide, it is important to remember that balance is the key here.
While we’re all for giving looser silhouettes and pleats their time to shine again, there is a vast difference between what we saw in the 1940s and the 1980s. In some of the photos we’ve been seeing, it looks like the ’80s version is winning out.
In the ’20s and ’30s, looser styles still gave men’s figures a shape. The shapeless blob style is certainly beyond us! Having oversized shoulder pads, drop-crotch pants, and tent shirts is an exaggerated silhouette that will swallow up the wearer and makes them almost look like a child wearing their big brother’s clothing.
While brands like Armani might be happy to see that Miami Vice-cut return, we aren’t so enthusiastic. Finding clothing that fits your body type will always look better on you than looking for a trend that’s in vogue at the moment. If you’re unsure what that looks like, our guide on classic menswear fit has you covered.
2. Distressed Denim
Distress or not to distress? That is the question that continues to come up over and over when it comes to jeans. We saw this first come up in the ’70s through the ’90s, when wearing acid wash or worn-out jeans was the hot new thing. Eventually, most people realized that wearing unearned holes in their jeans limited their versatility. And then, salvage denim got its turn in the spotlight.
If it looked like a hurricane ripped through your jeans, it’s probably not going to be office-appropriate. The tapered dark denim was nice enough to wear for business casual outings, but you still have the ability to wear them casually as well.
However, the extremely faded rocker look is popping up again. But, unless you’re Mick Jagger in his prime, we would advise you to stay away from the style. A little distressing, and signs of wear are fine. But, nothing screams “I’m trying to look cool again” like a pair of ravaged jeans.
3. Crossover Fanny Packs
Has there been something so immediately hated and worn ironically that eventually, people started wearing it unironically? We get that there’s a utilitarian purpose to wearing this. But do you really need to stoop to this, just to avoid looking like you might be carrying a purse?
We get that men get the short end of the stick for having stylish ways of handling their everyday carry. While we don’t expect them to have to carry an attaché case with them to the grocery store, do we really need the fanny pack to do this? The velcro strap and novelty canvas prints don’t do anyone any favors in their silhouette.
If you truly need the extra space, we highly recommend looking into a leather messenger bag, which is small and light enough for you to be able to put on over your shoulder. This will serve the exact same purpose and look a million times better. You’ll thank us later. Trust me.
4. Bucket Hats
We get that fisherman need some love, too, but can we do that with sweaters instead? The bucket hat, at least, brings some attention back to brimmed hats, but there are far better options.
Many of the fast fashion brands that are making these will make them with inferior quality, which means they’re going to break down over time. They also don’t have the structure that will complement most face shapes in the best light.
The brim is actually too short to really accomplish anything. Wearing either a wide-brimmed fedora or a flat cap will produce the same results and actually work with a greater range of outfits. They also have different shapes, which will better suit your face.
5. Clunky Dress Shoes and Sneakers
Most of us already know about the pitfalls of wearing square-toed shoes and how they can cheapen an outfit with their shape. Sneakers are getting their own weird uncle that nobody ever wants to see at their reunions.
“Hypebeasts” have popularized styles like the Triple S sneaker. These look like a running shoe their grandfather had in the back of their closet and forgot about. The oversized bulk and loud design make it an eyesore, burning any outfit you were going for and having limited versatility.
We would highly recommend going for something like a leather sneaker instead. Its low profile and polished look can make it much more accessible and put together and can even work with some business casual outfits. They also have a much more timeless appeal, which will not look out of place a few years from now.
6. Male Rompers (“Romp-Hims”)
Did you forget about this trend? Well, I’m sorry to remind you! This look came up around 2017 and was picked on pretty heavily from the internet for good reason. The onesie look does not flatter most men for its tight fit and childish appearance.
It’s also more of a beach look, but you can’t even take it off to go swimming. This ironic trend also became a bit of a frat bro staple for time and fit right at home with wearing a blazer with short shorts and wearing a popped collar.
If you want to be taken seriously by others, we’d think twice about this one. Or better yet, don’t think about it all. Just don’t do it.
7. Leather Everything
Leather is one of the best materials around and is a mainstay in virtually any well-dressed man’s wardrobe. However, there is such a thing as too much leather in a man’s outfit.
Leather jackets are great. Leather accessories are great. Leather shoes are great. The problem occurs when you’re trying to wear all of these simultaneously with leather pants.
Wearing something like a leather jacket and leather pants together creates very little contrast in an outfit. And is more so something that you’d see in cyberpunk rather than a classic wardrobe. The Matrix is a cool movie. But, much like the leather duster, it doesn’t look as cool in real life. And, not to mention, you’d probably be sweating all day long.
8. Bold Floral Garments
Florals are already a difficult enough pattern to get right in a man’s wardrobe, as we’ve explained in our guide to wearing florals. Though it can work in small doses, this style trend will crank it all the way up to an 11.
The bold floral pattern may have had some exposure in Rococo times, but it’s important to remember that its bold features are extremely foreign in a modern context. And because of this, it’ll draw the eyes of any onlooker away from you and more so onto what you’re wearing instead.
Instead, these floral suits and pants will be reminiscent of something seen in the 70s and will be remembered that way. If you like this print, use it in your accessories and focus on things like ties, scarves, and pocket squares. There really can be too much of a good thing when it comes to patterns.
9. Bright & Bold “Fashion” Colors
Every year some colors are in. While we could support burgundy or olive getting their time in the spotlight over the last few years, we can’t say the same for some bolder hues.
We’ve seen some neon colors in bright red, magenta, and orange. These colors are extremely attention-grabbing and will wash out the majority of skin types with their overpowering hues. They’re also not colors that tend to blend well, and they’re less versatile than their more muted counterparts.
Believe me; it’s unnecessary to walk around looking like a bag of Skittles. Unless you plan on emulating The Joker, we’d suggest staying away from these trendy colors.
10. Sheer Clothing
Clothing is supposed to cover your body, but it appears the memo was missed this year.
Whether it’s sheer jackets or shirts, the biggest issue with the style is, unless you’ve been blessed or you’re working extremely hard for that kind of Statue-of-David-body, you’re probably not going to be looking too great with an exposed midsection. And even if you do, you’d still look better and be taken more seriously if you didn’t wear this.
We get that sci-fi movies are fun, but not everything in Blade Runner needs to be emulated. If you’re worried about beating the heat, you can wear lightweight and loosely-woven linen clothing, which will give you the same airy properties without losing your dignity in the process.
11. “Man Capris” (Trousers with Short Legs)
Another style trend that should stay gone is “man capris.” You might be thinking: “Men don’t wear capris, do they?” Well, in fact, they do. But, outside of overly long shorts and athleisure, it’s usually couched as a high-water pant with no break. But, guess what? That’s a capri.
It is anything that falls between shorts and pants, which we would argue would only qualify if it falls between an inch or two of your shoes. Anything beyond this and the whole ankle and part of the leg is exposed.
For suits, in particular, this kind of trend will ruin an entire suit as there will be no extra fabric to let down when the trim goes out of style. It also makes it far less versatile. Will your trendy exposed ankles and loafers be appropriate for a funeral or at the office?
Lately, we can see a lot of suits being cut with the whole ankle bared. This might be necessary for suits that are quite slim, for example, at little to no break to avoid any extra wrinkles at the bottom of the pant. But, a relatively high-cut pant will throw off the proportions of the suit, shortening the leg. Paired with a very slim cut, this tends to bunch up around the knees and at the crotch, creating an overall very wrinkled effect.
12. “Franken-Shoes” (Dress-Shoe/Sneaker Hybrids)
“Franken-shoe” is just our personal way of describing an athletic bottom shoe with a more dress style upper; something maybe more commonly seen on a derby brogue. Now, we feel this combination just does not work.
For the record, this kind of style will not fool anyone. It’s literally just a sneaker in disguise. Now, it’s still very much a casual shoe that has the ability to confuse buyers. “Is this a real dress shoe? Can I wear this instead of leather-soled dress shoes?”
Another example has the obvious white trainer sole, but it has the oxford lacing system, the most formal of lacing and dress shoes. And, yet, it’s perforated all over like a tennis shoe, and the upper is cognac leather? This is like the pickles and ice cream combination of the shoe world.
Just because it’s new doesn’t mean you should make it. Shoe companies are under pressure all the time to come up with new things, but there is a world of options already available that you don’t need to turn to these kinds of franken-shoes.
13. Tiny Sunglasses
These sunglasses serve more of achieving a type of trendy look than actually serving a real purpose, like keeping the sun out of your eyes.
When it comes to eyewear, it’s very important that you, first and foremost, are wearing something that fits your face. Then, you can start looking at things like colors and polarization levels.
14 . Too Much Athleisure
To be completely honest, I’m sometimes guilty of this particular misstep myself. But, the reality is there is an appropriate time to and not to wear this style of clothing. All-day and every day are not ideal.
Sometimes, I have to remind myself that I might run into someone or go somewhere where I’d like to make a good first impression. And wearing shorts, a workout shirt, and a cap are usually not going to be the best outfit.
15. Wearing One Color Head-To-Toe
While there are ways where you can wear one color, and it looks tasteful, sometimes in a suit, if you wear one color all the way through, it looks a bit like the mafia or like you’re an extra in the Men in Black franchise.
When it comes to casual clothing, it can start to look a bit monotonous and, sometimes, even a bit bland. Try adding a pop of color, even if it’s subtle, to your outfit, as I’m sure the onlookers will enjoy a little bit of something different in your outfit.
Conclusion
These fashion trends may have had their time, but we think they are gone for good reason and hopefully will stay so. We hope these outdated and too-bold styles underline why we’re all for classic and timeless menswear, which you’ll proudly look back on in the years to come.
Outfit Rundown
I’m wearing a green lightweight vest along with a kind of an oatmeal natural-colored long sleeve polo with dark denim. And then, I also have on my Fort Belvedere shadow-stripe socks in brown and light blue. I also have on a pair of Red Wing boots as well. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop for socks like these.
We New Englanders abide by tradition, and the bucket hat is an essential part of our summer garb.The hat keeps our head protected and cool; we count on sunglasses, not the brim, to protect our eyes.
I agree. The bucket does have its place in Summer. I pair a khaki “trucker bucket” with a favorite classic Indian Madras shirt and the combo is magic.
Agreed on all counts (though floral pocket squares can be just what you need). And I’d be extremely happy to never see some of those photos ever again.
Pants hanging off a guys backside definitely needs to permanently take a hike, too. Off a short pier into laser equipped shark-infested waters. During a hurricane.
How could one possibly object to this:
https://www.villagehatshop.com/photos/product/giant/4511390S380221/alt/380221.jpg
Woody wouldn’t. He’d be All En.
Ur absolutely correct…….u can also add bellbottoms
I laughed at your prompting my memory of male Capri pants. Back in the day, we called them “clam diggers”. Capri is a lovely place, but not on the lower male torso.
That’s because like those cropped or seven-eighth pants (or whatever other name they’re using nowadays) they look too feminine. Unfortunately with the movement for unisex clothes (partly to drive down production costs but also to make the sexes more ‘equal’ by making the same garments available to men, women and otherwise) there’s a strong move toward making modern casual men’s wear more feminine with more cropped pants, significant taper of legs, etc. These trends simply don’t translate well to most male bodies as it doesn’t account for different body shapes between male and female bodies.
I was hoping to see the loathsome “slim fit” suit among the dreadful style trends.
Rebranding due to there being too many Hals here (I knew this was a classy site)…
I second the motion to kill off the skinny fit EVERYTHING. I think it’s as bad or worse than the baggy fit. Don’t know why I didn’t immediately think to recommend adding it to the list (though I do still stand by my conviction on negative pants rise that shows the hem of your undies).
Hal9k LOL That’s why I use my pen name.
Skinny fit is hideous, I agree. Mostly because I think it makes everything else look badly proportioned. Eg. Shoes end up looking like oversized clown shoes by comparison.
I’d argue, though, that for men who are really slim (think along the lines of Preston) the slim fit can be a better choice than than regular/loose fitting simply because on skinny/slim guys, regular fits can look quite baggy and emphasise how skinny they are (contrary to the notion that more fabric adds bulk) even making them appear somewhat stick like.
Yes, BUT…
When a really skinny guy does the skin-tight thing that seems to be what is “in” these days, it just accentuates the skinniness to the max, and it’s not good. Rather than the overstuffed sausage look, you get a cartoony stick figure look.
It’s just another example of getting good tailoring done. As with most other things, the middle way is best. Not too tight, not too loose.
As for more fabric adding bulk, it’s not so much MORE fabric to add the bulk, but the thickness of the fabric that does it. A super-thin and lightweight but slightly too big suit would just look like the suit was too big. A thicker tweed suit would add bulk. It’s all in the drape. I suppose the pattern helps a bit, too (something like windowpane). I think a checked seersucker jacket would possibly have the same effect for warmer weather.
That’s why I wrote ‘slim fit’ not ‘skinny fit.’ Apart from creating the cartoony stick figure, skinny fit also looks way too feminine. Whereas on skinny men, slim fit often can be the middle ground especially with trousers – sometimes even regular fit can be too baggy on a skinny man.
As for fabric, no arguments there. I was taught that, too; apart from tweed, fabrics like corduroy, denim and flannel are also good for adding bulk. To a point, though, structured jackets with padding help especially for building up the shoulders.
I fully agree with all 15 items. I am older, but even when I was younger, I thought most of the items on the list were ridiculous. Thought I couldn’t pull off a bucket hat, I don’t think its a bad fashion trend for those who can,
Another swing and a hit. So right on all counts, although Hunter S. Thompson could pull off a bucket hat, aviators, and Hawaiian shirt and make a bold statement. But he was a professional and that should never be tried at home.
I’d really love to see a modern retrospective – say from 1950 to the present – on exceptionally bad fashion choices. Leisure suits, those really weird one-piece belted jumpsuits, sansabelt slacks, the “Edwardian” look, ruffled anything, quiana disco shirts – there’s just so much material . . .
We’ll keep that in mind. :)
In the end it comes down to what you can pull off in the circumstances. To that end I would suggest or remind that the clothing and accessories are adornment, they enhance, accent, and underline but they are never the main event.
The “pickles and ice cream combo” is a great line! Bravo!
I have to say that I like bucket hats… all other 14 “style” trends must go
Really good article. Although I live in cattle country (rural New Mexico) and a western hat, boots, and wranglers are the uniform-of-the-day for me, I do enjoy seeing what the big city gents are wearing. Many styles of clothing were pretty silly years ago and remain silly today…as you point out so effectively. I do have occasion to wear a suit (I have several nice ones) and your articles help me stay current and look professional.
I survived that great fashion dark age known as the 1970s. Remember those gigantic sport coat lapels? So wide you could be swept away in high winds. Double knit polyester shirts? Felt like you were wearing a scouring pad, hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Love my cottons and woolens. They are the original performance fabrics.
In retrospect I’ve grown kinder to the 70’s. It can be helpful to recall just how important music was in that era. Ordinary musicians became rockstars and rockstars became gods! ( And they also had tons of women to go along w/ all that super stardom )
Powers like that, real or imagined, tend to get emulated. Now any time I’m picking up a gallon of milk, seeing first hand so many guys “sporting” what appears to be whatever they were booked into County the night before, or the absolute bare *minimum* to not get arrested, I’ll take the 70’s.
A lot of our downward spiral came when shop and restaurant owners became overwhelmed and could enforce No Shirt, No Shoes No SERVICE! ( or go out of business… ) The Slobocracy won.
Don’t get me started on today and the Slobocracy movement. In Australia I don’t know of a single place that enforces the no shirt, no shoes no service thing much less actual dress codes. Unsure if it’s fear of discrimination (ie. lawsuits if they refuse customers service on the basis of their attire) or simply wanting the extra sales (especially in the wake of COVID and lockdowns) but it seems like as long as they’re not guilty of indecent exposure then anything goes. Shorts that barely cover the genitals, barely there muscle shirts, old sweatpants, beer guts poking out from tops, you name it!
Rik, I’ve found myself on the opposite end of that quandary. Worked in banking before anyone knew what “casual Friday” meant. But our adult children and grandkids are all into horses. This IS Oregon after all?
Pendleton wool jackets and coats help a good deal but boot selection has always been a little tough for me. Any pointers? TIA!
I’m so glad you included ‘athleisure wear’ and ‘dad shoes’ in this list.
Other than whilst exercising, grown men shouldn’t wear clunky trainers. Grown men who want to dress casually should wear a pair of minimalist white leather trainers instead.
Wearing athleisure clothing everywhere makes a grown man look like an ‘old teenager’ experiencing a mid-life crisis who’s trying to reclaim his youth.
Agree to all but last one. Monochrome might look interesting I think, especially in black.
The all black monochrome is horrendous. Not only is monochrome usually horrible, the bigger problem with doing it in black is that all the blacks are never going to be the “same black”, and it stands out a lot more than it would with other colors.
“all the blacks are never going to be the “same black” ” – This is on point!
Know just what you mean. I worked in supermarket retail when I was younger and everyone wore black trousers and shoes on the bottom. Some of the departments wore black polo shirts (others wore white shirts) and when one item became more faded than the other, it didn’t look great.
Sure, if you want to look like a hospitality worker or security guard or John Wick.
This is one of the posts that can open the eyes of people who do injustice with fashion with such bizarre fashion trends. I agree that distressed jeans and oversized clothes are the trends that I might not make a comeback in the near future.