Five Trends That Belle Is Totally Sick Of

May 30, 2012

Earlier this month, Corporette wrote an awesome post on trends that she is “totally sick of.”  Once I read it, I could.not.stop thinking about all of the trends that have sent me reeling.  Corporette hit the high points with peep toe booties and business suits made with shorts for bottoms (a professional short-suit is an oxy moron, and a waste of a good blazer), but I wanted to add a few of my pet peeves to the list.

1.  Call it a romper, a playsuit or a jumper but, whatever you call it, these grown up onesies are just atrocious.  And unbelievably unflattering.

Unless you’re walking the earth on long, skinny legs without a hint of belly fat and a perky bust, you will look dumpy, frumpy and squat in a romper.  There’s a reason why only supermodels and five-year-old girls can pull off this trend.

2. Multi-finger rings were cool, for a minute.  Now, these uncomfortable trinkets are, as a jr. high school girl would say, “So 2008.”

3.  I don’t know what it is about summer that makes women lose their minds and purchase canvas tote bags that cost more than $100.  The Anya Hindmarch bag above is $295.  Tory Burch sells her canvas totes for over $300.  And Kate Spade hocks printed canvas bags that cost as much as a month’s worth of my groceries.  The bags are canvas, one of the world’s cheapest fabrics, please do not spend a triple-digit sum on them.  Especially when you can only carry them three months per year.

4.  Corporette mentioned high-low or dip hem skirts in her post, but given this trend’s upward trajectory, the advice bears repeating.  This style is the epitome of a one-year trend.  Next year, this will be last year’s skirt.  In 20 years, your teenage daughter will come home wearing one.

Basically, the dip hem is to 2012 what the bubble hem was to 2007 and what the one shoulder neckline was to 2010.  One day the trend is everywhere, and the next, it’s played out.

5. Platform wedges.  They’re clunky, chunky and ugly, and yet, they’re so pervasive, I wonder if they will ever go away.  Just today, I saw a woman wearing them.  They really accentuated her cracked and blistered heels.

Bottom line, heavy footwear, like the wedges above, makes your legs look thick and stubby and draws attention to your feet for all the wrong reasons.  They’re not flattering, they look cheap even if they’re expensive and they need to be eliminated from wardrobes everywhere.

Still want wedges? Try a lighter and more graceful silhouette, like these Ivanka Trump ones or these Kate Spade’s.

Which trends are you totally sick of?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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  1. SC says:

    What's the difference between those totes and a purse? They all have leather accents like a purse, and pockets for organizing your things. Only difference to me is that they weigh less than leather and come in fun colors, which seems summer appropriate. I have a different Kate Spade canvas tote that I bought on sale and take to the beach and the farmers market and to picnics. I love it.

  2. Amanda says:

    SC, I would guess that the canvas tote, even with leather accents, won't hold up as well as a regular purse, so it might seem crazy to spend $$$ on something that will become frayed and discolored relatively soon. I think canvas totes are adorable and they are great for the beach and farmers market, but I'd splurge on a bag that is more versatile and, hopefully, long lasting.

  3. Emme Gee says:

    I completely agree with being totally sick of platform wedges!!! They look like bricks attached to your feet and are not flattering AT ALL!! Especially the espadrille/sisel-material wedges. Ewwwwwww!

  4. LL says:

    The only thing worse than the platform wedges are platform flats. Those things look like cinderblocks.

    I'm kind of over the long beachy hair look — I see too many ladies eeking out every stringy inch to their bra straps and it just looks so terrible.

  5. KH says:

    the 'ombre' (or however it is spelled) – it looks like you just didn't go and get your hair done… too lazy!

  6. cia says:

    I still love the one-shoulder look. 🙁

  7. Jenny says:

    ha. well that happend fast! https://caphillstyle.com/capitol/2012/2/2/two-ways-aztec-print-dip-hem-skirt.html

    “one day you're in, the next day, you're out” thanks for the reminder, heidi!

  8. Rachel says:

    When you wear a romper, how do you go to the bathroom? Think about it.

  9. Ellen says:

    For me I think the issue with a platform wedge, or any platform for that matter is the height of the platform under the ball of the foot.. I have several pairs of shoes with a 1/4-1/2 inch platform on them and I love them… anything more and I'd probably break both my ankles in 2 seconds flat, so I avoid them for both style and safety reasons! (despite by many efforts to the contrary, I cannot walk in any graceful and coordinated manner in a higher platform, total klutz).

    A trend that I just do not understand is the peep-toe ankle bootie… I'm so confused by them… almost as confused as I am by the mullet skirts/dresses.

  10. Mo says:

    Exposed zippers.

  11. Heatheresq says:

    I was with you until platform wedges. I actually think they do wonders for lengthening the leg. Especially if the pitch of the shoe is pretty high (i.e. the opposite of what someone so wisely derided, the platform flat).

    Haha. Exposed zippers need to go away quick.

  12. Virginia says:

    sandals with the “ankle jacket” – so silly looking.

  13. BN says:

    wait, is the one shoulder neckline gone? is it faux pas to wear it?

  14. Belle says:

    Ellen- Agreed. A 1/2 inch platform is far better than a huge one like in the photo.

    CIA: One shoulders aren't faux pas, but you're not seeing them as often as you did before. Last year, every dress was a one shoulder. It'll peter out over time.

  15. Courtney says:

    I agree with the high low hemline. I wore a red and black bridesmaid dress with a skirt like that in the late 90's. It didn't look good back then either. Not sure why that style was resurrected…

  16. Rory says:

    Short shorts. I see so many women wearng shorts has an inseam of MAYBE an inch.

  17. KML says:

    I'm sick of the neon trend. 80s styles should not be resurrected, not least of all the dubious color choices. I like bright colors, but lime green, neon pink, highlighter yellow are not flattering colors.

  18. K says:

    Skinny jeans. Let's be honest- they're just leggings made with thicker fabric.

    Because they don't look like real pants, I think they both make wearers look like they lack polish and maturity and are generally unflattering to 90% of women. Sure, they show off perfectly toned legs, but the other 90% of us look much better with a little volume at the bottom of pants to balance out the thighs (me) or a little volume/better cut at the top of pants to de-emphasize chicken legs.

  19. Alex says:

    The reason old ladies dress like old ladies is that when most trends which you've seen through the cycle of Ugly-Fashionable-Ugly come back the second time you can never move past Ugly, so you're left only liking the style which is called simple or Classic. Young girls who think clumpy shoes look great then look at you and think you dress like an old lady. There's nothing you can do about this but steadfastly eschew Ugly and wait until Classic becomes fashionable again, which it currently is thank goodness.

    Preliminary List of things are only very young women can admire:
    clumpy shoes,
    flounces, frills and bows,
    buckles, studs and details everywhere
    very short dresses
    lots of jewellery (unless your ethnicity means it looks classic to your culture e.g. Indian)
    Metallic fabric
    “Deconstructed' or ripped anything

  20. elz says:

    Mullet dresses and skirts, rompers, shorts as “business or formal” wear, and peep toe booties make me want to scream.

  21. Maharani says:

    Alex,

    The “lots of jewellery” look is not exactly classic in India, either, it is “traditional”, which is different, There is, however, a “classic” look, and ironically it consists of a French chiffon sari worn with minimal jewellery-a pair of earrings and a string of pearls, plus medium heeled sandals. No 4 inch platform spikes please……

  22. Shannon says:

    My rule on fashion is that if I wore a fad the first time it was in style, I'm too old for the next go-round. This has politely excused me from neon, clompy shoes (so 90s!), rompers (oh, my 80s childhood!), and many other doses of hideous. Plus I've avoided the mutton dressed as lamb effect – not that women need to wear burqas after 25, but that nothing would look sillier than 35-year-old me dressed as a teenybopper.

  23. Allison P. says:

    I agree with exposed zippers. They are awful. There are so many dress I wanted to buy until I saw the back.

  24. Lucille says:

    Wait, I thought you just posted about these dip hem skirts?

  25. Rachel says:

    I agreed with you right up until the platform wedges. I know they might look clunky on some women, but ones with a smaller platform have grown on me. The “flatforms” have got to go. Ugh.

    Also, women in “too short” shorts are really starting to drive me crazy. If I can actually see part of your derriere, there is a problem here. How can someone actually go outside looking that trashy!? And I am not talking about teenagers (though age is not an excuse) but actually 30 year old women. Gah.

  26. SarahT says:

    I will also have to politely disagree about the platform wedges. For example, a quality pair in a nude/flesh tone leather with a minimal platform can actually be pretty flattering to the leg line…just a thought.

  27. Maharani says:

    The “It” bag and logos all over everything. I make a very good salary but I would rather spend mine on learning to fly, charity, or invest it, anything rather than throwing it away on yet another overpriced impractical bag. No more Tory Burch-as someone wrote, SHE should be paying US to advertise, not the other way around.

  28. Nadia says:

    Thank you! Finally someone would understand that wedges are not graceful.
    My husband is always telling me how terrible he thinks it looks like. Heels are very feminine, sexy and gracefull but wedges….. beurk

  29. Sarah says:

    On the subject of short shorts, beyond the obvious length offense, I cannot stand when I see a girl/woman wearing shorts with their pockets hanging out of the bottom……to me, this is beyond trashy! I see this and immediately expect to see a thong and a “tramp stamp” when she turns around. Class up, ladies!

  30. nicci says:

    I am sick of dresses with elastic around the waist (or just above the waist). The top is supposed to look blouse-y but it ends up looking like a sack of potatoes. I second the Tory Burch comment.

  31. AP says:

    The romper. How did that even get into the market in the first place? I saw a lady wearing a green onesie outfit last week and I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop staring. Why? Why? Why? How do you expect to be taken seriously in something like that?

  32. Jane says:

    I hope you know that those billion dollar (exaggeration) Louis Vuitton bags are canvas. They are coated canvas, but canvas all the same.

    I have to admit I like wedges in the summer because in the grass, there is nothing better.

  33. K says:

    The “Cold Shoulder” shirts that have slits on the shoulders. It makes it look like someone tore your shirt. It hasn't been trendy for too long but I can't stand it.

  34. Vixt says:

    I agree with pretty much all of the items listed, esp. those double finger rings! Wearing one makes me feel like I have webbed fingers. Great blog topic, thank you for sharing! – V.

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