1. Low Low Rider Jeans
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Popularized in the early 2000's by a little song by Sisqo worshipping the female derriere sporting a ridiculous piece of underwear, the thong, this became a fashion staple to show the top of the thong and tramp stamp (a tattoo on the lower middle region on the back). The funniest thing about the low rider was that women actually put belts on. I am guilty of having my fair share of low rise jeans back in the day. That paired with a scandalous belly top made the guys go wild back in the day. In retrospect, maybe they were going wild with disbelief that someone with my stature and little behind actually had the nerve to put that crap on.
I am not a musical fan of Rihanna. What I am a fan of, however, are her fearless hairstyles. She dropped a hit ("Umbrella"), but even more impressive than the ringtone sales, were the droves of people flocking to the nearest beauty salons gleefully chopping their locks just to try to mimic her style. To the chagrin of most, the hairstyle didn't really work on folks, especially on naturally kinky hair and your were left with a style that didn't sit quite right. I, too, fell into the trap. In retrospect, I would have just bought the wig, but nooooo, I chopped my hair off all to eagerly to be left with a hot, uneven mess when it came time for it to grow back. Eventually, Miss Rihanna moved on to another hairstyle and we soon followed, leaving the overworked trend in pop culture oblivion. Hmmm....on second thought, maybe I can go get that wig now. :-)
3. Sneaker Gymshoes This trend is one that I can proudly raise my hand and shout, (in my Bill Clinton voice) No! I did not take part in this trend, sneaker gymshoes. J-Lo made some music video and was sporting this killer pair of Manolos that resembled the Timberland boots with a heel. OMG! Who would have ever thought to put a stiletto heel on a hiking boot! Praise the fashion gods, right? After that video, we saw all types of knockoffs and they didn't stop at the Tims. They started sticking a stilletto on every type of shoe possible: Chuck Taylors, Nike Dunks, Crocs. Well, maybe not Crocs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. All I have to say is, Thank God this trend went back to black.
4. Jersey Dresses
Accompanying the sneaker gymshoes, while I was in highschool, was the jersey dress. The guys were rocking the jerseys and matching gymshoes and the girls were doing the same. At some point, some "genius" said Hey, a girl needs to feel like a girl when she's rooting for her team! Let's produce shapeless, unflattering, elongated versions of the male jersey to them! And they snatched them up like hot cakes. And to make matters worse, you had a bunch of knock off jerseys sans the team and just a pitiful, lonely number on the back. (23? But for which team? Is it Jordan or James?) I am glad to say, that after a year of popularity, the fad waned and we evolved to....
5. The Rock Star Overload
Skinny jeans, pocket chains, mohawks, star tattoos, the song "Party Like A Rockstar" (whatever happened to them?). Now, I am a fan of edgy, rock-inspired pieces, but the overkill? Everybody started wearing black nail enamel and cutting their hair into mohawks. I personally know about six people who added stars to their bodies. Ask them why, and they'll say, "Because I'm a rock star". Um....yeah. Straight-face. That trend hasn't fully gone away, but it definitely isn't on overkill mode like it used to be.
What are some fashion fads that had you reeling in ecstacy or pure agony? Let me know!
