Things I (Think I) Will Never Wear

Back in 2006, Merrick and I went on a study abroad program to London. It was pretty much fantastic in every way.

I remember during the last couple of weeks, we started to notice that British girls were wearing skinny jeans. And it wasn’t a few, here and there. It was virtually every person, male and female.

Skinny jeans hadn’t even been on my radar at all back in the States, and it was still another year or two until they really started to catch on. I remember thinking they looked so WEIRD, but by the time we left London, we could pretty much identify Americans by their flared jeans.

And less than a year later, I bought my first pair. Now I only own a single pair of NON-skinny jeans. And I never wear that pair of jeans.

Since then, I’ve felt wary about ever saying, “I’ll NEVER wear x, y, or z” because. . . yes, I probably will.

But! There are a couple of things that I feel pretty certain I will never wear. (Remind me to come delete this post if I ever buy any of the things I’ve mentioned here. . .):


Overalls. I suffer from looking like a pre-teen in regular clothing. I certainly don’t need to be wearing toddler clothing styles. And, also, if you’re going to wear overalls, at least go to Goodwill and buy a mega-cheap pair, instead of paying a ridiculous TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT DOLLARS for this pair. I’m just saying.

Jumpsuits. Over the weekend, Bart and I went shopping with the girls and when we walked past the display windows of Forever 21,we both just died laughing over the mannequin wearing this faded denim jumpsuit. Is this . . .prison chic? I just do not get it at all. The good news is that, like all Forever 21 merchandise, it’s pretty cheap. So once you’ve bought this, you can at least feel okay that you only are out about $30 (you know, of course, that in my mind $30 is still pretty much a fortune to spend on any item of clothing).

 

Shapeless dresses. I titled this photo The Bag Dress in my files. There is a lovely person I follow on Pinterest who has excellent taste, except I have never seen more photos of shapeless dresses that may possibly have been made from garbage sacks. (I hate clogs-type shoes like this photo show, too, so this is pretty much the worst outfit I can imagine).

Dressy shoes with socks. Socks? Are for tennis shoes.The end.

What are you (pretty sure) you’ll never wear? I won’t hold you to it.

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30 Comments

  1. Hahaha I love this! I agree with ALL of these. (And pssh, yes, thirty dollars is a fortune!)

    I just took a picture of similar sneakers and sent it to my sisters the other day, lamenting the fact that someone, somewhere is saying it's okay to wear them. No, no, no.

  2. All of the above. I wore overalls in high school. I especially hate to see them on men.

    Jumpsuits look good on a very small select group of people. Not me. Plus, can you imagine the hassle when you have to pee?

    I don't wear colored jeans. I was never a fan anyway, and now that I'm in my thirties, I think they would make me look silly.

  3. Dress shoes + socks are a big thing here in Japan. I used to think they looked so weird but after seeing them every day for a year and a half they seem quite normal to me. I still don't wear them myself but like you said- never say never! xo

  4. I agree with everything on your list except for the overalls. They were in style when I was in high school and the first few years of college. After my mission (when they were the only pants I could fit into), I looked around and realized that NO ONE was wearing overalls anymore. And I was sad.

    I'm not really a fan of the peplum or hi-lo skirts, but I've also learned through experience to never say never.

    1. I am with you on the overalls. I have a soft spot in my heart for them. I also grew up in rural America in the 90's. 😉

  5. Must comment. I said I would never wear flare jeans. Of course I did. Dress shoes and cutesy socks were already huge in the 80's. along with skinny (we called them "pegged") jeans. I've already worn this look. Now I'm too old to comfortably wear any really rockin' shoes anyway.

    I had a friend in high school who wore baggy overalls (GAP) with a white tee shirt and ropey sandals. She had gorgeous skin and was really fit and thin. She looked adorable. I still think it is a great look on the right person.

    And jumpsuits? Yeah, did that in the 80's too. And ick. Just ick. These new style ones have that horrific baggy crotch. Ick.

    The YW in our ward have started to dress really 80's (scarves with fringe, ahem), and it is really strange to see it recycled. . . because really, it was just such an awful look to begin with!

  6. I totally agree! I also was one of those, I will NEVER wear skinny jeans people! Only hipster kids wear them and they look so weird! (I still maintain that they look weird on men but whatever haha)
    I wore overalls in elementary school and I am confident they will never find there way back into my wardrobe.
    I hate spending $30 on anything clothing related. Even shoes… I have to really force myself into investing in quality things when necessary (coats, shoes,etc) because I would rather be all, look at all the things I bought for $30!

  7. I have a blog post from back in the day when I swore I would never wear skinny jeans, Uggs, or gold jewelry. WELL. My Uggs are fake, but other than that, I was totally wrong! I feel like these predictions are fairly safe, though, but I guess time will tell. 🙂

  8. I felt the same way about skinny jeans. I still don't own a pair, but it's because I think I won't look good in them, not because I don't like the way they look.

    I do have one friend who can pull off the jumpsuit, but for the most part, they look really ridiculous.

    I consistently don't like ankle boots…it doesn't matter who is wearing them or how they are being worn, I think they look stupid (the boots, not the people, of course). I feel pretty safe in saying I will never wear a pair since they've been popular for long enough, and I still feel the same way as when I first saw them.

  9. Yes. I agree with every single one of these. And that denim jumpsuit? Pretty much the worst thing ever. At least with shapeless dresses you can add a belt and it's a bit better.

  10. I was in London in the fall of 2005 completing a graduate degree and there were a few daring fashionista wearing skinny jeans already. I, too, thought they were weird and unflattering, but I started wearing then in 2006 as well. I lived there for a year and I miss the cool fashion (and Topshop!). I was really fashion forward for awhile there after I moved back to the States but it eventually got too hard to keep up.

  11. I will NEVER wear skinny jeans. I think they look ridiculous on those of us who have curves. I happily wear denim overalls, though, so I think it's just different fashion senses!!

    Also, I'm really reexamining my cheap fashion addiction. $30 might be a lot, but is it worth knowing the company pays their workers less than a living wage or sources their material from places where farmers don't make enough to feed their families? I don't know. I haven't completely changed my spending habits, but I want to get away from cheap and probably unethical fashion and move towards humane shopping in the same way I've tried to change my food habits.

  12. I agree– I have stopped saying, I will never wear. Because I thought that about colored jeans and now I have 2 pairs but will have more once I don't have to buy them in maternity style. I could never wear overalls even when they were in style, they just don't work for my extremely long waist. One thing I don't think I will ever wear is fur. I am not a fur person, I find it itchy.

  13. This post is awesome. And hilarious. Overalls were in style when I was in high school, and I wore this really great pair of Osh Kosh overalls. I will never, ever throw those babies away because they make great dress up/ costume attire. I've already loaned them out for a production of Oklahoma! That said, it's really weird for me to see people wearing overalls in real life. Having already worn overalls once, I have no intention of wearing them again. I also had one of those denim vests in high school, and I keep seeing them pop up on the internet. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of mine. It makes me feel old to see my high school attire back in style.

  14. lol… this is so funny! I seriously don't get the wedge sneaker, I promise I will NEVER wear a pair. I agree with all the rest also, BUT if I can pull off a cute pair of inexpensive overalls, I just might rock them around the house/yard, they are pretty comfy.

  15. I'm right there with you on most of these, but I can't make any promises about the overalls. What if I own a farm someday?! (At least overalls are comfortable!)

    I can pretty much promise across the board that I won't ever wear anything that costs $298. I mean, my WEDDING DRESS didn't even cost that much. (Okay, spoiler, I got married in a sundress.) But seriously, the most expensive piece of clothing I have EVER owned is a nice ski coat and it cost less than $200 and has lasted more than a decade. Just say no to super expensive clothes!

  16. Sorry, I hope not to offend anyone, but socks with high heels reek "prostitute" (my generation, anyway). The bib overalls? I've worn my grandpa's cast-offs until they were in about that condition, LOL, but they probably never cost more than $10 brand new. (That was, ahem, roughly 40 years ago). The shapeless dress? Not flattering the 1st 3 or 4 times around, however, they are comfy for lounging or good as a swimsuit coverup. Jumpsuits are just a pain and completely impractical for women.

  17. Ha! I was the same way with skinny jeans…but I'm starting to realize that a straight/slim leg or slim bootcut is a better style for me…oh well.

    I'm with you on every.single.one of these "trends." Sneaker wedges confuse me, and socks with high heels gross me out. Jumpsuits look ridiculous. I'm fine with a more shift/sheath cut dress, but not something that looks like what I slept in as a kid (my dad's old oversized tees). I used to love overalls, and while I still think they are DARLING on babies, they just look silly on grown ups.

    theoriginalbrynn.blogspot.com

  18. You had me until socks with dressy shoes. I have never done it but I wish I could pull it off. I always think it looks cute and bohemian. I also wish I could pull of skinny jeans.

  19. Sadly, for some leg types, flared jeans are much more flattering than skinny jeans. So glad you got to do the study abroad with your sister.

  20. This reminded me of when I recently saw maternity overalls on zulily, and they were sold out! Really?! I can't imagine anything worse. I'm pretty sure I used to say I would never wear leggings…I still would not generally substitute them for pants, but I am guilty of having worn them during pregnancy and while traveling (now that I have a child, I aim for easy and comfort over everything else when I travel with said child). What I will never do is wear leggings with a dress to church.

  21. My "about" page on my blog used to list Ballet Flats as something I hated. And now I own multiple pairs and love them dearly. So, never say never indeed!

    However, I DO feel safe saying that I will (probably) never wear animal prints. I just really, really think they are ugly, and they have some negative connotations in my mind that I won't share here for fear of offending others. I know a LOT of people love animal prints, but I really do not. At all.

  22. I remember bringing home my first pair of skinny jeans from Argentina in 2008 and getting comments from friends, "Really? Skinny jeans? I'll never cave to that fad." Aaand… now no one is wearing flared pants, and I, like you, only own skinnies.

    I thought I'd never wear leggings, but I caved to that one too (despite learning the saddening news that Tim Gunn hates leggings. Sad face).

    I agree with your "I'll never wear…" above. I own a pair of overalls left over from middle school for the SOLE purpose of "What if I want to dress up as a farmer for Halloween someday." And for no other reason. Come to think of it, they are actually taking up prime real estate in my drawer, and have been for almost 15 years. Hmm…

  23. I'm with you on all of it but those shoes. Overalls would make my hips look even bigger, jumpsuits? ugh, shapeless dresses = muumuu, and socks with heels? I already have big calves. No need to make it worse. BUT I do see the appeal of the sneaker wedges. Like skinny jeans, I hated them at first, but they've grown on me, especially since fashionable and also walkable shoes are a gem in this city. So I get that one and that one alone.

  24. So people do this ALL the time and it drives my absolutely crazy… wearing leggings as actual pants with a regular t-shirt or something. UGH!! It makes me want to cry and scream and at the same it. It is so not attractive!! Under a dress or a skirt or even under shorts is cool, but as pants alone. KLDKAJGKLAGKH

  25. Never say never, but I'll go out on a limb and assume I agree with all your choices as well 🙂

  26. I love the look of skinny jeans with flats or sandals, but living in a state where it is cold 6 months of the year, I feel like I have to have a couple pair of boot cut jeans to wear with real shoes. Because sneakers with skinnies does not look good and after a few times of getting my feet soaked in the snow, I have to put away the ballet flats. 🙁

  27. Hahah, never say never!! And did you edit out your wedge sneakers? Because I swore you posted those when I read your post in my reader a few days ago but when I finally had the time to come comment (now), it's not there! does this mean that you have already changed your mind about them? I MUST KNOW THE REASON THEY ARE NOT ON THE LIST ANYMORE.

    But yeah, overalls, shapeless dress, jumpsuits, and socks with heels are just ridiculous, but… maybe I'll change my tune in a few years time 😉

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