WE all want to look on trend, but what’s considered stylish today can often be tomorrow’s biggest fashion fail.
Take Valentino’s £830 Révélé heels, which have been widely mocked for looking like pigs’ trotters. They have graced the feet of Hailey Bieber, Lily Allen and Georgina Rodríguez, sold out multiple times and had countless fast fashion dupes.
Clemmie Fieldsend reveals the fashion trends she wants to banish – and her stylish alternatives Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Whether it’s balloon trousers or satin shorts, even celebs will regret their fashion choices five years from now
And surely anyone who’s embraced ‘mermaidcore’, the underwater-themed look that’s been plaguing the high street, will soon look like a wally?
I’m not the only one who thinks we’ll look through our Instagram posts in years to come, only to die of embarrassment.
A thread on Mumsnet recently had users flocking to comment on the fashion trends they think they’ll cringe at in 25 years.
While I agree with their choices – tying a scarf around your waist and scrunch bum leggings – here are a few more that I’d like to banish to fashion’s Room 101, along with my suggestions for some stylish, future-proof alternatives…
DITCH: Pyjama sets
This top, £6, and skirt, £18, Primark is just the job Credit: Primark
WHILE my gripe used to be dressing-gown wearers slumming it in pyjamas to nip to the corner shop or, worse, the supermarket, now brands are purposefully flogging cotton co-ords that look like nightwear.
A favourite for hot-weather dressing, but their slouchy silhouette makes everyone look scruffy. Even Emma Watson looked as though she’d just rolled out of bed in her printed two-piece on holiday in Venice recently.
You’ll look back and ask: “Why did I wear my PJs to work?”
SWAP FOR: Poplin separates
MANKIND has evolved enough to be able to pair a different top and bottom.
Stick with crisp, cotton poplin and sharpen up with matching coloured skirts or wide-leg trousers that feel cooling without giving a sleepwear look. This summery set from Primark in sunshine yellow is just the job.
DITCH: Jelly shoes
Jennifer Lawrence, 35, is a fan of the £675 jelly shoes from The Row Credit: BackGrid
You’ll never look back and cringe at yourself wearing these flip flops, £2, from George at Asda Credit: Asda
JELLIES bring back memories of blisters while trudging across the scorching beaches in the Eighties. Why did we bring them back?
Sadly, The Row revived them in the form of £675 caged fisherman jellies in 2024 – and we’ve been torturing ourselves ever since. Jennifer Lawrence, 35, is a fan.
Stylish as she may be, there’s no escaping that she is simply wearing sticky, toe-pinching plastic shoes.
SWAP FOR: Flip-flops
SIMPLE, timeless and comfortable – like this £2 pair from George at Asda – there’s no denying the humble flip-flop is the king of sandals.
You’ll never look back at a pic of yourself wearing a pair and cringe.
DITCH: Balloon trousers
Kate Hudson hit the red carpet looking like she had the power to grant three wishes Credit: Getty
But these wide leg trousers, £27.99, from H&M, will give you extra style points Credit: H&M
THEY might keep you cool, but balloon trousers make you look like a genie.
Take Kate Hudson, 47, who hit the red carpet in LA in February looking like she had the power to grant three wishes.
Mark my words, in five years’ – or even five months – those parachute-style pants will be on Vinted.
SWAP FOR: Wide leg trousers
OPT for a streamlined fit through the hip and upper leg that continues in a straight silhouette to the floor.
You’ll still get that billowing, breezy feel so needed right now, but no one will be left wondering if you’re in fancy dress.
Tailored darting gives this pair, £27.99, from H&M, extra style points.
DITCH: Drop-waist dresses
This drop-waist dress made Penelope Cruz’s torso look too long and her legs short Credit: Getty
This column dress, £25, from F&F at Tesco is a timeless look Credit: Tesco
The drop-waist silhouette was a welcome breath of fresh air from the stuffy, floral tea dresses that once plagued our high street.
But much like low-waist jeans, they shorten legs and make your torso look too long – as perfectly proportioned actress Penelope Cruz, 52, proved in June at the premiere of The Invite.
They’re particularly unflattering in mini length, harking back to Eighties prom dresses that were banished from fashion for the same unsightly reasons.
SWAP FOR: Column dresses
GO for a streamlined shape in a plain or printed style that packs an effortlessly chic punch.
Column dresses cut in a straight tube-like shape graze the body without hugging every lump and bump, so you won’t look like a circus tent, just like this £25 bargain from F&F at Tesco.
Pair with simple sandals or heels for a timeless look.
DITCH: Cold-shoulders
Even petite singer Rachel Steven couldn’t pull off the tricky cold shoulder shape at Wimbledon Credit: Getty
This cotton square neck top from M&S, £10, will give you a polished look Credit: M&S
Cold-shoulder tops and dresses have dominated trends for the last few years. But after giving them a good try, fashion folk have realised they’re a faff to constantly adjust.
Not only do off-the-shoulder dresses scream that you haven’t updated your style since 2010, but they create a hard horizontal line across the broadest part of your body.
Even petite singer Rachel Stevens, 48, couldn’t pull off their tricky shape at Wimbledon, with those added frills only widening the shoulders.
SWAP FOR: Square necks
AN enduring style option, the square neck frames the collarbones by creating clean lines that make the décolletage look longer in an elegant way.
Unlike off-the-shoulder designs, it brings balance to fuller busts, adds the illusion of curves to smaller ones, and has a knack for always looking polished – just like this cotton number from M&S, £10.
DITCH: Satin shorts
Zendaya looked like she was stepping into the boxing ring in her satin shorts Credit: Getty
These £20 Bermuda shorts, from Tu at Sainsbury’s, will add definition to your figure Credit: Sainsburys
WHEN it comes to shorts, you can’t reinvent the wheel, but this season satin shorts tried to do just that.
A cross between nylon sports shorts and lingerie-style bloomers have flooded the high street, inspired by YSL, Khatie and Celine.
Whether they’re shaped like hot pants or cut in a Bermuda style, you’ll look as though you’re about to step into the boxing ring, just like actress Zendaya, 29, did in New York in May.
SWAP FOR: Bermuda shorts
If you want a pair of shorts that will be ageless, stick to a length just above the knee in cotton or denim.
They’ll cover your thighs, will skim rather than cling, and in high-waisted styles will add definition to your figure.
DITCH: Oversized tailoring
Former Real Housewife Lisa Rinna oversized tailoring Credit: Getty
This waistcoat, £28, and trousers, £24, from Peacocks is the perfect balance for summer and looks intentionally tailored Credit: Peacocks
REMEMBER the scene in the Nineties classic Big, where a 12-year-old boy saunters along the street wearing a suit worn by a full-grown adult Tom Hanks? Copying that look is not stylish, nor does it age well.
I’m talking giant blazers, ultra-baggy trousers and overly exaggerated silhouettes. Lisa Rinna demonstrated this at the American Music Awards in May.
The excessive shapelessness has quickly dated and looks naff.
SWAP FOR: Soft tailoring
YOU can still have that loose look, but think less ‘swallowed by fabric’ and more intentional tailoring.
Look for darting on trousers with high waists and wide legs, which won’t look like they could catch wind and take flight. Team with waistcoats or blazers with defined waists that aren’t big enough to fit two or more people in.
This set from Peacocks in fresh mint green is the perfect balance for summer.
DITCH: Long socks over leggings
Banish embarrassingly branded, expensive socks for this economic set from Tu at Sainsbury’s, £6 Credit: Sainsburys
Since Covid, leggings have become a wardrobe staple outside of the gym – and they’re often paired with ankle socks.
But, now the trend tides have turned, and the look is now outdated, as model Alessandra Ambrosio, 45, showed when she left the gym earlier this year in Los Angeles.
The lockdown lifted in 2021, so it’s time to put this trend to bed too.
SWAP FOR: Ankle socks
GEN Z are now embracing a less daft-looking, shorter sock that stops just above your ankle.
It’s not a massive wardrobe transformation, but it’s a sartorial shift back into not cutting your legs off at the shin and creating a sleeker leg in the most unforgivable fabric, nylon.
Banish embarrassingly branded, expensive socks for this economic set, £6 for four, from Tu at Sainsbury’s – so just £1.50 a pair.
