Fashion trends you should forget about in 2016
Before we go any further, we simply have to add a proviso here: it’s always been notoriously hard to pinpoint what’s ‘out’ and what’s not at the onset of a calendar year, and we certainly wouldn’t be the first to get caught out if any of these predictions turn out to be hilariously wrong.
Nonetheless, we know you are stood there clutching your Topshop, ASOS or Boohoo voucher code, eager to save money on jumpers, knitwear, coats and jackets, and would like to know what to spend your hard-earned money on and what to give a wide berth.
So what the hell, here we have taken a punt on what we reckon definitely won’t be making many more catwalk rounds in 2016.
Tapered-leg trousers
These have certainly had a good run in recent years, but if you want to be ahead of the curve, now is the time to abandon them for the most adventurous wide strides you can find.
Tutus
Sure, you may still be able to make them work at your wedding or a New Year’s Eve party, but otherwise, we’d leave this one with the ballerinas. Tutus may be pretty, but the pairing-them-with-standard-clothing thing was getting a bit overdone a few years ago, never mind now.
Knits with logos amd witty sayings
How did this trend ever gain much currency? It’s amazing to think that so-called ‘witty’ slogans could have ever been anything other than embarrassing, but that has become especially clear since they proliferated on everything from coffee mugs to Instagram. Leave this one to the 13-year-olds from now on.
Cross-body bags
These were a great example of the far-from-practical fashion trend – let’s face it, did yours ever actually hold much? Well, now’s the time to be a bit more honest and go for that Burberry backpack instead. 2016 is when many of us will be embarking on more grown-up backpacking treks and consigning the cross-body bag to the, erm, body bag.
The barefaced look
We knew all along that even the most ‘barefaced’ celebrities doing the rounds in the paparazzi pages were, more often than not, caked in slap. Well, it’s time to stop feeling bad – the barefaced look is heading firmly out in 2016, in favour of brave eye make-up and ’80s ‘club kid’ eyes.
The usual fashion spots
Are you still trying to spot something new to wear among the hot new things of Ibiza, Tulum or Mykonos? This year is the year to abandon the traditional, shallower style hotspots in favour of the chance to draw fashion inspiration from new and unlikely lands like Iran.
Overdoing it with fringes
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of fringe in moderation, such as on jeans and T-shirts – when done well, it’s all rather Rachel Zoe, Joan Jett or Stevie Nicks, in a good way. What isn’t OK though is going on a complete fringe bender, festooning dresses, shoes, bags and jackets with the stuff all at once. A big backlash against the overdose of fringe is very much expected by us in 2016.
Body chains and harnesses
This is another trend that is not necessarily off-limits for those of a certain subculture who can really make the style work, but it’s one that went very mainstream over the last year, appearing in loads of mass retailers and Etsy shops. It’s not a trend that is built to last, so unless leather harnesses and body chains are really your thing, we wouldn’t make it a big part of your fashion diet in ’16.
Peplums
These short overskirts always seemed set to stay on the catwalk, but when they did make the transition to the high street, they did so in a big way – seemingly all of the major retailers had an extensive peplums range at one point. Again, that’s sort of the problem – they’ve just become too common, and they weren’t always the most practical or flattering things anyway.
Wedge sneakers
There’s always been a keen following for fashion sneakers, but 2016 is set to be the year of the chunky high-top or slip-on sneaker, not the built-in lift, especially now that the latter is being copied by even the most downmarket brands.
What do you think? Do you expect some or all of these trends to be firmly ‘out’ in the next 12 months, or can you imagine some seemingly unlikely comebacks? Let us know in the comments below!
