The funny thing about fashion is just how much it can change from one decade to the next! What was big in the 80s was totally out of date by the time the 90s rolled around, for example, and those early 2000s looks seem so ‘has been’ these days.
That’s the beauty of trends. They only last for a set amount of time, and even though they seem super cool and popular during that period, they often look pretty silly in hindsight.
We’ve all been guilty of following some bad trends in the past and dressing up in clothes that would make us burst out laughing these days, so let’s take a lighthearted look into years gone by to see just how much the big fashion fads have changed over time.
1) Dedication
It must have taken this guy so much time to get every strand of his precious emo hair just right for his 2007 yearbook photo. We simply have to applaud the effort!
2) Golden Girls
These shiny young women were actually bridesmaids at a wedding, and the bride decided they should all wear these golden dresses to give her big day a little extra glam.
3) Wow
Can you imagine a world where these sweaters are considered fashionable? No, neither can we.
4) On Fire
This poor guy probably hoped he looked ‘so hot’ with those flames all over his shirt. Sadly, between the shirt, the hair, and that white sweater too, this outfit just screams ‘No!’
5) It Hurts My Eyes
Stripes can be fine, but there is such a thing as “too many stripes”, and that’s what we’re seeing in this picture right here.
6) Fly Away
It seems that this bride wanted a fairy tale theme for her wedding, so she dressed her bridesmaids up like fairies, complete with little butterfly wings. It’s cute, but not exactly fashionable.
7) Too Many Colors
There are just too many bright and garish colors in these outfits. We can’t handle it! That big boat-bed thing looks very comfortable though.
8) Jewish Superman?
We’re not exactly sure what the story is behind this photo, but it seems like this young boy decided to blend his Jewish faith with his love of superheroes. Hey, at least it’s creative!
9) That 70s Show
Back in the 70s, the idea of couples wearing matching outfits was actually quite popular. Fortunately for us, the trend died down pretty quickly. Maybe it’ll come back someday though!
10) Half Good
Both of these pairs of outfits are half-good, half-bad! The couple on the left is wearing pretty normal sweaters and awful pants, and the couple on the right are wearing normal pants and terrible shirts.
11) Spiders
This guy’s haircut looks like a bunch of angry spider legs, all frozen in place with way too much gel. Plenty of people thought he was cool at the time, but this look wouldn’t fly in 2020!
12) A Day You’ll Never Forget
The bride doesn’t look bad, but the outfits selected for her bridesmaids and her groom are pretty dreadful here! That baby blue suit just doesn’t seem to work and the bridesmaids can’t have been too pleased with those dresses.
13) Ahead Of Her Time
Believe it or not, this is a photo of a girl in sixth grade! Uploading the photo, she joked that she looked like a 35 year old woman at the time, and we’re inclined to agree. She doesn’t look bad, but definitely not like a typical 12-year-old.
14) Nope
Why is that man wearing a mesh yellow shirt so we can see his nipples? Why do they all have their shirts tucked in? Why is the lady wearing a matching outfit to the guy in the center? So many questions and not enough answers!
15) Don’t Have A Cow, Man
Cowabunga! This kid looks like Bart Simpson jumped right out of our TV screens and into the real world.
16) His And Hers
Here are a few more of those matching, his and hers outfits that used to be pretty popular. The designers seemed to have a lot of difficulty trying to make the same look work on two different body types.
17) Scene Kids
These scene girls seemed to be having fun during this early 2000s photo session. Silly hats, homemade dye jobs, and stripey gloves? This is what the authentic scene look was all about!
18) Poncho Fun
Ponchos were once pretty popular too, but if you’ve ever tried wearing one, you’ll know how tricky it can be! They’re pretty cozy on cold days, but they make it so hard to lift your arms, eat food, or do almost anything.
19) Cute!
Okay, these bridesmaids dresses are pretty awful, but there’s also something kind of cute about them! The women all look like little dolls, surrounding a very happy bride.
20) Prince Of Darkness
The goth look has been around for many years, and this kid probably thought he looked super cool with his painted face, studded gloves, and death metal T-shirt. There’s nothing wrong with liking hardcore music, but this look is a little too much to cope with.
21) The Waltons
In their denim shorts and old-fashioned overalls, these kids look like they deserve a starring role in The Waltons.
22) Scene Queen
Nope, this girl didn’t get struck by lightning, she actually styled her hair like that! It took her a whole hour every single day and it was really popular at the time.
23) Look, Honey, There Goes Our Fashion Sense!
This happy couple look pretty pleased with themselves, but we can’t find much to love about those outfits! They look almost like old 80s action figures.
24) That Hair Though
Wow! This girl looks so glam, like she’s ready to strut the stage at one of those little girls’ beauty contests. Either that or she’s heading to a fancy dress party as Dolly Parton.
25) The Wool Look
You know when grandma knits you a sweater and you realize you have to wear it at least once to show you’re grateful? It seems like that’s what happened here.
26) Those Glasses
So many kids grow up, look back at their photos from school, and shake their heads in despair. This unfortunate 7th grade student probably did something similar after remembering her spiky hair and middle-aged mom glasses.
27) Taste The Rainbow
These bridesmaids all dressed up in pastel shades of a beautiful rainbow, standing in line to create a quite impressive effect. It’s just a shame the dresses really aren’t the best.
28) What Were You Thinking?
We’re not sure what was going through this guy’s mind when he turned up at the school photoshoot like this. Looks like he’s having fun, at least.
29) Good Value
Okay, these weird floral cowboy shirts aren’t great, but at $11.05 each when you order a set of two, at least they’re not too expensive!
30) That 50s Look
This photo comes to us all the way from the 50s, as this young woman was getting ready to go to a school dance, wearing one of the frilliest dresses in existence.
31) Three For One
The his and hers outfits are bad enough, but when you add a third person into the mix, it gets even more ridiculous! These three look just about ready to form a 70s pop group.
32) Matches The Curtains
Those dresses and those curtains look very, very similar. Did they just tear down the curtains from other rooms to make their dresses?!
33) A Beautiful Smile
At least this young figure skater is smiling happily in her very shiny outfit. People told her she looked great at the time, but looking back, she realized they were lying.
34) If Grandmas Made Hoodies
If you asked your granny to knit you a hoodie, this is probably what you’d end up with. They look pretty cozy though!
35) Glamorous
This girl went to town for her senior high school photo! She did her hair all fancy, applied a whole ton of eye makeup, and even attached a fake mole to her cheek. She hasn’t quite nailed the Marilyn Monroe look, but it’s not a bad attempt.
36) A Night On The Town
In their fancy one-suits, these folks almost look like they’ve jetted into space to party on some distant planet. They wouldn’t be classed as ‘trendy’ nowadays, but there’s still something cool about these outfits.
37) Fashion Cowboy
This handsome dude could clearly look pretty good with the right outfit. Sadly, it seems like he just threw on whatever he could find, creating this very odd ensemble.
38) The Handmaid’s Tale
These ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ style bridesmaids look eerily like the women in The Handmaid’s Tale. It makes this wedding seem a little spooky, but we’re sure it was actually a lovely day!
39) Nice Tan
The outfits are pretty weird, but the most distracting thing about this picture is that guy’s tan! It looks like he took a bath in some spray tan solution and forgot to get out.
40) What A Combo
A mullet and a colorful silk shirt? Wow, what a fashion statement! Even if we don’t like this guy’s look, we have to respect his bravery.
41) The Heigh Of Fashion
There was a time when people would have looked at this photo and been so jealous of this couple’s fashion sense! They were the Instagram stars of the past.
42) Ouch
We try to say something nice about all of these awful outfits, but it’s hard to find anything positive about those fluffy purple dresses! At least the bride looks very pleased with her special day.
43) Retro Chic
This photo just goes to show how fashion tends to go round and round in cycles. This look was super trendy at one point, then went out of style, but is starting to make a bit of a comeback nowadays.
44) Can You See It?
Believe it or not, this guy is actually trying to show off his ‘beard’ for the camera. If you zoom in and squint, you might just about make it out.
45) Meow
Leopard print has always been a bit of a tricky thing to deal with in the fashion world. It can work pretty well in small quantities, but these folks are basically cosplaying as leopards in this photo. It’s just too much!
46) Prince Charming
This prom dude seemed to be going for a kind of ‘Prince Charming’ look with his long, flowing locks. It didn’t quite work out, but at least he tried.
47) Floral Fun
The bride is usually the star of the show at any wedding, and it’s clear that this bride wanted to stand out when surrounded by her bridesmaids! It looks almost like she’s standing in the middle of a huge pile of flowers.
48) Matching Suits
Would you be brave enough to go out for a walk wearing the exact same outfit as your husband or wife?
49) Braces Are Tough
We have to feel for this girl. It can be so hard to look good with those old-fashioned braces. Thankfully, they make braces that are way less visible these days.
50) Join Us
These colorful gowns are quite pretty, but terribly old-fashioned by today’s standards. It looks like these women are preparing to perform some weird ancient ceremony.
51) Peace And Love
This couple is rocking that classic hippy style we all know and love. Just look how wide those flared pant legs get!
52) My Life Is The Worst
Another awesome emo for the collection here. This girl’s husband actually found her old yearbook photo and started giggling when he saw her old-school emo look. She’s really rocking that eyeliner!
53) Put Some Pants On!
The girl looks pretty fabulous, in all honesty, but what is that guy thinking!? What’s with the hat, and why does he have no pants? This just makes us feel weird.
54) Surfin’ The Web
This tech-loving teen must have had a lot of fun staging this shot of him ‘surfing the web’ back in 2001. It’s not exactly the kind of photo you want to use on your dating profile though, is it?
55) Anything?
The catalog marketed this jumpsuit as “the before or after anything suit”, and also described it as “tough looking, but soft as a kitten”. Thankfully, marketing has progressed quite a lot since those days.
56) Two Tone
This boy’s brightly colored hair reminds us a Sour Patch Kid or some other kind of sweet candy. It looks pretty dumb now, but he probably felt like the coolest kid in school at the time.
57) Too Fly
It’s hard to even know where to start with these clothes. One thing’s for sure: if you tried wearing that these days, you would definitely attract some funny looks from passers-by.
58) ‘Fro Down
There’s a funny story behind this one. This guy went to a really conservative Christian college, but he had a spiky, punk rock hairstyle. For his yearbook photo, the college workers actually photoshopped a funny afro onto his head in order to hide the spikes.
59) The Unisex Look
It might be weird, it might be strange, it might be utterly unfashionable, but there’s still something hypnotizing about this outfit! Who do you think wears it best?
60) Snoops
This girl was such a big fan of Snoop Dogg that she decided to try and steal his hairstyle! This just goes to show that trying to look like your idols isn’t always a smart idea.
Wow! Fashion sure has changed a lot over the years! We poke fun at these outfits now, but who knows? Maybe in another 10 or 20 years, we’ll all be looking back and laughing at the clothes we’re wearing today. Either way, be sure to share these funny fashion disasters with your friends and family.