Jean Trends...yeesh...and other stuff...

[Darkkin]

Is it just me or are the current jean trends some of the ugliest in recent memory?

I admit to being a very habitual soul when it comes to jeans. Mine are all dark wash skinny (one of the few cuts that actuality fit) or straight leg (I found a pair that fits and I still think they look odd).

Not being a very big person (in both height and weight), I can't do much volume in terms of pants. I also know what I like is not currently on trend, but they fit me well and have a decidedly more grown up sense of style to them.

The current denim trends are almost caricatures of traditional cuts. Wide leg, hombre wash, acid wash, cargo, cropped, patchwork, flared, and countless combinations of these permutations...it is some of the ugliest stuff I've seen. It just grates on my aesthetic.

It is a bit like going to a bougie ice cream shop and being happy with vanilla and chocolate syrup or fresh strawberries. I love a good chocolate marshmallow swirl as well, but I don't like complicated.

I know what works for my size and shape, but I still marvel at the sort of stuff people buy. Just because it is in vogue and on trend doesn't mean it isn't ugly.

Sorry, I'm being judgy about jeans. It is just that within the last few months jean trends have gotten so over the top that yoga pants or leggings almost make more sense.

We're allowed to wear jeans (no rips or designer tears) on the sales floor. I do occasionally, but I generally prefer to wear a dress with tights or leggings (I stay was more comfortable (warmer) because of layering). (And yes, I am one of those people who thinks wearing pajama pants while in public is a bit sloppy. Jeans, even ugly jeans, at least don't look you just rolled out of bed. As for athletic wear, while casual, it is practical and easy.)

Sorry for getting a bit off point, but fashion is one of those things that is both frivolous and complex, it shouldn't matter, but somehow it does whether we want it to or not. It is also one of my biggest tools when it comes to social camouflage. I've learned that certain cuts, basics, and styles transcend trends, meaning they don't go out of style and don't cater to specific age demographics.

Vogue jeans are very much a teenager, young adult trend. Same with things like crop tops...(never a good fashion choice). You can pretty much pinpoint the age of a lot of our staff simply by their jeans.

If I wear jeans to work, I usually get taken for a teenager or college student at least once per shift. As such people tend to underestimate what I can do. Channel the inner Audrey with an A-line dress, tights, and a cardigan, it is amazing how differently people perceive you. They tend to take me a bit more seriously.

What are your thoughts and/or observations on jeans, trends or other things.

e.g.

Does how you dress impact how others react to you? For me, it is a shield, a very big part of my mask.

 

[Luca]

I legitimately dress like a child so I might not be the best person to ask the opinion of on this lol

I don't follow any fashion trends though, at least not consciously... I've had some of the same clothes since I was a teenager and I still wear them.

 

[Outdated]

You sound similar to me with the jeans, original style straight leg, dark denim. I can't stand the stretch material, it feels like rubber and it just doesn't fit right, I always feel like they're falling down.

I never gave a toss about fashion or trends, I started dressing myself back in the 70s and that's how it stayed. If someone comments I say "Nah, it's coming back in. I should know, I'm a trend setter.".

 

[VictorR]

I guess I'm lucky as I'm pretty oblivious to stuff, like when colleagues get haircuts or new glasses and things like that... so changing fashion trends fly over me.

I will say that myself, I like to keep things simple, buy multiples of things I like, and I also prefer classic ice cream options and get confused when presented with a bunch of random things I don't recognize.

 

[Misery]

It's not so much that how I dress impacts others, but moreso just how it impacts myself.

It's connected to my gender issues, really. Sooner or later the way I dress is likely to change a good bit (after I come out, that is). But I'm not sure what exactly that entails, and I've no idea how anyone will react to it. Likely to be a slow-ish process.

Judging by how people have reacted to the very feminine outfits I've done at conventions (generally positive), I can pull off certain looks, but... yeah I'm not quite sure exactly what direction that'll go in, so there's probably going to be some experiences of looking/feeling silly and experimenting.

Before now, I could not have given less of a fart about anything clothes related (which I now realize is indeed because of the gender thing... it's very hard to care when everything feels wrong), and so everything I have is just ultra-basic. Simple t-shirts. Basic cloth shorts when it's warm out, and sweatpants when it's cold out. I absolutely will not wear anything with buttons or snaps on it, no exceptions, so jeans are out of the question. And anything that makes me feel too "male" is also off the table. My current stuff at least feels somewhat neutral, kinda. Functional, at least.

But I'm aware it's considered kinda odd by most (the sweatpants, I mean). For the time being though, it's what works, so it'll do.

One way or another though I'm likely to always look at least a little strange. If I were to *really* allow myself to come up with an outfit (as opposed to trying to look at least somewhat normal), I'd likely end up wearing some bonkers ensemble that would look more like a costume than normal clothing. I like things that are colorful and unique. "Normal" is boring. So yeah, always gonna be a bit unusual. Even now that's the case to a degree beyond even the sweatpants, I absolutely will wear t-shirts that are bloody odd somehow (related to stuff printed on them), and I've usually got my keychain around my arm/wrist when I'm out. It's of a size that it's definitely part of the "outfit" when I've got it with me.

I legitimately dress like a child

Out of curiosity, what do you mean by this? What would count as "dressing like a child"?

 

[Luca]

Out of curiosity, what do you mean by this? What would count as "dressing like a child"?

People always tell me that I don't dress appropriately for my age. I am 28.
I wear hoodies and sweatpants (or high-waisted jeans or skinny jeans and a T-shirt) most of the time, and I wear a lot of pastel/colorful/fluffy/rainbow/colorblock/pattern/vintage/oversize things, and athleticwear or streetwear. I also wear overalls a lot. I own very few pairs of shoes that aren't colorful sneakers.

I use a lot of hair accessories that were popular when I was a kid in the 90s and 2000s (scrunchies, butterfly clips, hair slides, etc)

The amount of "formal" or "classy" clothing items I own, I can count on one hand.

Hope that makes sense.

I personally don't see it as a negative thing at all, I like expressing myself the way I feel the most comfortable. But other people my age (and older adults) constantly tell me I dress "immaturely" or "not age-appropriate."

 

[Outdated]

But other people my age (and older adults) constantly tell me I dress "immaturely" or "not age-appropriate."

You just need to find a better class of people.

Or tell them you don't want to look like a grandma just yet.

 

[Luca]

You just need to find a better class of people.

Or tell them you don't want to look like a grandma just yet.

I've figured out that what most 25-to-30-year-olds constitute as "age-appropriate" is like what you would wear to an office job, or on a first date.
Even if I wanted to dress like that (which I don't), that kind of clothing isn't cheap either!

 

[Outdated]

Even if I wanted to dress like that (which I don't), that kind of clothing isn't cheap either!

Not unless you like wearing nylon. Eurrgh!

 

[MildredHubble]

I get accused of the same thing @Luca . I dress pretty much like I did when I was a teenager but with a few modern updates I suppose.

I wear t-shirts with band names on or retro game characters.

Sadly I don't rock the hair slides and funky scrunchies I did when I was 16-19. I kinda wish I was brave enough but I don't think people would accept it as easily as they did back then.

I think you should enjoy dressing the way you like to and in what makes you feel comfortable. I think what people wear is an expression of who they are and it's about time people stopped policing what is acceptable and thereby who is acceptable!

 

[MildredHubble]

Not unless you like wearing nylon. Eurrgh!

Exactly "Eurrgg" nylon, just, no, no, no no no no no!

 

[Outdated]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, maybe my vision's a bit skew whiff, I still reckon that straight leg denim jeans with a blue singlet and bare feet has a certain elegance.

[Edit] It's what I'm wearing right now by the way. It doesn't matter what I'm wearing, I'm the trend setter here! Everyone else is so last week.

 

[Luca]

I get accused of the same thing @Luca . I dress pretty much like I did when I was a teenager but with a few modern updates I suppose.

I wear t-shirts with band names on or retro game characters.

Sadly I don't rock the hair slides and funky scrunchies I did when I was 16-19. I kinda wish I was brave enough but I don't think people would accept it as easily as they did back then.

I think you should enjoy dressing the way you like to and in what makes you feel comfortable. I think what people wear is an expression of who they are and it's about time people stopped policing what is acceptable and thereby who is acceptable!

I totally agree!
And I like to wear things that match my personality. Preppy clothing or formal clothing wouldn't make sense with my personality at all.

 

[MildredHubble]

I totally agree!
And I like to wear things that match my personality. Preppy clothing or formal clothing wouldn't make sense with my personality at all.

I'm pretty much the same. Whenever I wear something formal it looks like I borrowed it from an older relative!

In one job I worked we had to wear trousers and I had gotten sick of buying good trousers that got torn. So I bought cheap ones. And this is where my objection to nylon comes in ,(I'm pretty sure they were nylon). They felt too light and it was like hundreds of little bugs were crawling over my legs :-( Yuck! Ick! Yuck! How can people be comfortable in that!?

 

[Outdated]

...and it was like hundreds of little bugs were crawling over...

Some companies make you wear a nylon shirt and that's exactly what it felt like to me, and at the end of the day I'd be covered in a rash. I used to always wear a cotton singlet underneath but it didn't help much.

 

[MildredHubble]

Some companies make you wear a nylon shirt and that's exactly what it felt like to me, and at the end of the day I'd be covered in a rash. I used to always wear a cotton singlet underneath but it didn't help much.

We did have to wear a synthetic polo shirt. It wasn't super comfortable for me, but it had some weight to it so it didn't feel too bad. But one thing I hated was that it built up static and then would do this wierd thing where it would unevenly stick to your arms or torso. Moving it somehow made it worse!

 

[Shevek]

I've never owned jeans. I didn't want to look just like all the nonconformists.

 

[Misery]

I use a lot of hair accessories that were popular when I was a kid in the 90s and 2000s (scrunchies, butterfly clips, hair slides, etc)

Huh. I'd had the thought of trying stuff like this myself, and at no point did the thought of it looking "too childish" ever cross my mind.

It occurs to me that I dont have the foggiest bloody clue what counts as dressing too childish and what doesnt. I mean it either looks/feels good or it doesnt. But everyone has to make such a big deal out of stuff like this.

I've figured out that what most 25-to-30-year-olds constitute as "age-appropriate" is like what you would wear to an office job, or on a first date.

This sounds remarkably dull.

I swear, so many people are just... boring. And then they get all bothered when they meet someone who doesnt try to be as dull as they are.

 

[Luca]

We did have to wear a synthetic polo shirt. It wasn't super comfortable for me, but it had some weight to it so it didn't feel too bad. But one thing I hated was that it built up static and then would do this wierd thing where it would unevenly stick to your arms or torso. Moving it somehow made it worse!

I was a shift supervisor in a retail store a few years ago, and I had to wear one of those too!
I actually still have it somewhere lol but I would never wear it again.

The person who manufactured those shirts didn't take into consideration that men and women have different body shapes...

 

[Outdated]

The person who manufactured those shirts didn't take into consideration that men and women have different body shapes...

Just thought I should clarify why I agreed to your comment - because they don't fit men's bodies either.

Terry Pratchet: One size fits all fits no one.