Trying to follow and predict the latest fashion trends is like attempting to walk home with your eyes closed. You have a rough idea of where you need to go, but you never quite make it. It’s hard to predict fashion because the unpredictable often happens. Sure, some trends do come about as predicted, but others seem to manifest from out of nowhere. Also, there’s the fashion merry-go-round where older trends come back into fashion at a later point.
Funnily, that was the inspiration for today’s post. When thinking about the things that go in and out of fashion, it made me realise that a lot of uncool things suddenly became cool. Do you get what I mean? Have you ever seen celebs wearing things and thought to yourself, “I swear that was considered lame when I was a kid?” It happens all the time, and I find it really amusing to see how uncool things are now very on-trend. So, that’s what we’ll look at today; the lame things that everyone started to wear!
Glasses
We’ll start with an obvious one; glasses. When you were growing up, nobody wanted to wear glasses. Even a few years ago, people opted for contact lenses to avoid wearing them. They just weren’t seen as cool, probably due to the nerdy or geeky connotations they gave off. I knew people who hid the fact that they needed glasses as they were too embarrassed by them!
Nowadays, glasses are genuinely one of the most fashionable accessories around. It’s reached a point where people that don’t need glasses will wear them. When you look at sites like Eyeglasses.com, it’s clear why they’re now in fashion. The sheer variety of glasses has meant they come in many styles and designs. You can get some designer brand glasses that will enhance an outfit and make you look more intelligent. How ironic is that? Glasses used to be uncool because they made you look too clever. Now, people want to look a bit nerdy and bright!
Bumbags
Bumbags, fanny packs – call them what you want, they were a very uncool fashion item many years ago. These small bags rose to fame as mums all over the world wore them when they went out. It became synonymous with middle-aged women, making you a laughing stock if you ever wore them. No matter what you were doing, it looked like you were on your way to the park with your kids.
However, attitudes towards bumbags have shifted. Now, people see them as one of the most practical accessories around. It’s a small bag that you can wear around your waist, how great is that? Girls love wearing them to festivals or when they go on long walks, while guys wear them over their shoulders when going everywhere. They have become so fashionable that most people will own at least one.
Socks and sandals
You couldn’t get much worse than socks and sandals back in the day. Turn up to any social event with this pairing, and you’d be laughed at by everyone. You all grew up knowing that socks and sandals don’t mix. It defeats the purpose of them – this footwear is meant for the beach, so you’d get sand on your socks. Well, I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted that this would turn into a fashion trend.
Okay, it’s not quite socks with sandals, but socks with sliders have become so fashionable. Celebrities wear this combination all the time, so the general public has also adopted it. I think it stems from the idea that socks and sliders are pretty comfortable. You don’t have to bother putting trainers on, you can just slip into some sliders and be on your way. Plus, it means you don’t have to get your feet out, and a lot of people are quite self-conscious about their feet. There’s a lot of logic behind this trend, it’s just hilarious that something so uncool is suddenly trendy.
Flares
Of all the things on this list, flares are the most debatable. Some of you will argue that these were never uncool. Granted, they were big back in the hippy era of the 60s-80s. However, I’d argue that they became really uncool for a long period. If you wore them, people would pretty much call you a hippy. It looked like you were wearing something that was so out of fashion, meaning it couldn’t possibly be cool.
In true merry-go-round fashion, flares have come back into the cool category. Actually, they’ve gone one better than this and developed their own category of trousers. Before, you’d just have flared jeans as the main thing people wore. Now, you have flared trousers in so many different varieties. Loads of girls wear them as they’re known to be quite flattering on the bum. They come in quite tight on the waist and flare out by the ankles. So, they flatter your curves without being super-tight!
Specific brands
I’ll hold my hands up and say that this is a bit of a rule-bender. It isn’t a fashion trend, but it is something I wanted to talk about. To be honest, this was the main inspiration behind the piece. I saw people wearing a particular brand of clothing and instantly recalled how uncool it used to be. The brand in question was Champion, which is now considered a premium leisure brand. It’s up there with the likes of Nike and Adidas, with many products being more expensive.
A decade ago, you’d find Champion clothes going for a discount price in Sports Direct! Now, they’re highly fashionable and worn by all the biggest names in fashion. You’ll notice many other brands in the athleisure/sporty category that went from seriously uncool to very cool.
I find it funny to look back at how we used to perceive certain things. What was once uncool is now the trendiest thing around! On that note, can you think of anything right now that might end up being cool in the future? Consider the most absurd styles you’ve ever seen, then think whether they might be cool in 10 years.
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