By Guest Contributor Jatin Vengurlekar

(Image: iStock)

Trends come and trends go, but there are those that we wish would leave the party a little early. Thankfully the world of fashion is ever-evolving, and with a little luck, some new trends that are more pleasing to the eye and less taxing on our sanity will soon replace the misguided efforts below.

Read on for 7 fashion trends that have died a slow painful death, and whatever you do, make sure you don’t find yourself committing these fashion sins lest you find yourself

1. Normcore

We all have our decades that we love, especially when it comes to fashion. We might even try to incorporate some of that decade’s iconic pieces into our personal style. Of course, we’ll put a modern slant on it by combining it with something that’s currently uber-stylish, but you get the picture. A hat from the 60s, flares from the 70s, there’s a lot to choose from. But whatever you choose, it’s usually a piece that is stylish in its own right.

Then came the genius that dreamed up normcore. In case you’re wondering what normcore is, here’s a brief explanation. It’s everything that was bad about 90s fashion (was there anything good?) in one outfit. Need we say more?

2. Overalls

Overalls or dungarees, whatever it is that you want to call them, if you have a pair and don’t work in construction or on a farm then bin them. Think you’ll look rugged like your cousin that builds boats? No chance. These might look great on a worksite or even the runway, but they look nothing short of ridiculous on the high street.

Dressing like you’re eight years old doesn’t impress anyone except perhaps your mother. And she’ll want lots of photos because you look so cute. Sorry guys this is just wrong.

3. Short Shorts

The Simpsons may have loved them but who in their right mind would wear short shorts? What happened? A few years back they were too long, and now they’re short enough to make a cheerleader blush. Is there no middle ground in the world of shorts design and manufacture?

Thankfully this is a trend that didn’t take off in a big way (we wonder why) and doesn’t look like being around in 2017. Could it be that it was just a design template that someone folded in the wrong place?

4. Socks And Sandals

You know it’s wrong, we know it’s wrong, in fact, just about everyone except style-redundant dads of a certain age knows it’s wrong. So why is it still happening? Socks are for warmth or for soaking up sweat. Perhaps you might catch a glimpse of them now and then, but on the whole, they are not for our viewing pleasure. Sandals, on the other hand, are for keeping your feet cool. Together they just don’t work.

Here’s an idea. If your feet are cold wear shoes and socks, and if not, wear sandals or thongs. Once you start messing with established norms such as these, the world becomes a different place.

5. Dressing For Instagram

Everyone likes to look good. We all try our best whether it’s by donning a custom tailored suit or combining a great sweater with jeans, and we love to get a compliment. But fishing for those compliments in the form of social media likes is just plain sad. 

Posing for social media is nothing new, however creating complete looks just for those hearts on Instagram is something that crept up on us males last year. Is it Kanye’s fault? Probably, but that’s no excuse. Us modern folk need to step out of their social media bubble and dress for themselves and not for their followers. 

6. Destroyed Denim

There was a time when your distressed denim looked that way because you ran it through the proverbial mill. It took years of hard work and sweat to earn a pair of worn jeans.

These days all it costs is a rather exorbitant charge to your credit card. But it’s not the high-end distressed look that is the problem here. It’s the torn-to-shreds, will-it-stay-in-one-piece look that offends the most. Put the poor jeans out of their misery.

7. High-End Band Merch

Slayer, Metallica, AC/DC, some people love them, some don’t. And while it’s wrong to cast aspersions, we’re not quite convinced that the Biebs would rock out to a bit of Thrash metal or heavy rock in his spare time.

What we doubt even more is that the many guys we see wearing band merch on the street actually like these bands. In fact, we’re quite sure they’re not even getting these t-shirts in the usual manner. No, someone is making a killing selling band merch in some high-end store. Please stop the madness and buy your shirts from the back of a guy’s car like everyone else does.

Awfulness aside, 2016 was actually a great year for men’s fashion and here’s hoping that 2017 brings more of the good such as these suit trends, leaving these terrible trends where they belong; in the past.

Jatin Vengurlekar is the CEO of Montagio Mens Suits Sydney and a leading men’s fashion consultant in Sydney, Australia. He has been featured on publications such as HuffingtonPost, GQ, Men’s Fitness and many other leading publications. In his spare time, he likes to write men’s fashion advice on his men’s style blog and take his dog for walks on the beach.

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