BYU has seen its fair share of fashion faux pas over the years, from chokers to scrunchies to platform sneakers. With fall approaching, many BYU students are worried as they see styles coming back to life that should stay dead.
In the last few years, we have seen the 80s and 90s start to come back, but certain items that went out of style did so for a reason. Students at BYU say fashion can make a statement, and some styles have nothing good to say.
Katie Bell, a psychology major from Washington, D.C., is shocked to see styles from her childhood creeping back into everyday wear and said there are certain things people just shouldn’t wear.
“Men in capri pants. Why are they doing this to us?” Bell said. “Also, leave the overalls to the children. This isn’t 1995. Welcome to the new millennium, people.”
Adding her consensus to the capri debate, Brinley Murphy, a sociology major from Salt Lake City, said it’s only long pants or shorts these days.
“I think capris went out of style a couple of years ago,” Murphy said.
Murphy also added that the 90s in general should stay in the 90s. Dressing like a kindergarten student, Murphy added, is not fashionable and never will be.
Students mentioned that they were grateful to be out of the days of furry boots, poofy bangs, and socks with sandals; but they are now seeing recycled styles around campus, and some are not pretty.
Travis Irwin, an information systems major from La Habra, Calif., said mixing plaids is always bad because it “just hurts your eyes.”
“Zip-off pants. They don’t look good as pants. They don’t look good as shorts,” Irwin said. “They just don’t look good, period.”
In addition to zip-off pants and overalls, there are many styles that should be down-right avoided.
Whitney Rice, an international studies major from Salt Lake City, said there are a few rules of fashion that should be followed.
“One rule is that it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed,” Rice said. “I would not wear flared jeans because they just don’t look as nice and classy as skinny jeans.”
In addition to flared jeans, Rice said gauchos are out as well. She also mentioned a few things from the 80s and 90s that were absolute cardinal sins of fashion.
“Chokers, never,” Rice said. “Also, the flower clips everyone used to wear in their hair should never come back.”
Students agreed that although many of the decades produced some bad looks, there are a few retro styles that work. Just be sure to avoid the socks and sandal combo.
