50 Style Trends Complex Magazine Regrets Co-Signing

We may have gotten one or two or 50 things wrong...

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Style is a fickle beast. What's considered cool today might be kindling for for a large-scale bonfire in the streets three weeks from now. Or, something that is universally despised will somehow keep being copped and worn frequently (fuck you, square-toed shoes!). Keeping your judgment unclouded while staying atop what's now and what's next at lightning-fast speeds isn't the easiest of tasks, and that's been the goal of Complex Magazine since 2002. However, when shit comes and goes so quickly, we aren't afraid to admit that we done goofed in the last decade or so. 

Ask any dude who cares about how he looks and he's sure to feel shame or confusion as to why he dressed a certain way in the past. We dug into our archives and scanned pages from our magazine to admit that, yes, we too had our off-days. Whether it was how we styled a celebrity, highlighted a certain aesthetic in a style editorial, or featured a specific type of product in a market round-up, these are 50 Style Trends Complex Magazine Regrets Co-Signing. Let this be a reminder that, in order to develop a dope personal sense of style, you definitely need inspiration and advice from various sources, and we work to build and maintain that trust. However, the ultimate authority on what you endorse is yourself.

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Straight out the gate in Complex's premiere issue and we're already fucking up with these leather cuff watches.

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Still in the first issue and we're endorsing these terrible hats. At least we set a low bar for ourselves!

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If you were really going about town with one of these bags on your shoulder, then you were and always will be a fashion victim.

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It looks like we just took a picture of the sunglasses display at the nearest gas station.

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Everything about this jacket is wrong, and throwing a hoodie under it gives it that frat-chic look that should never be duplicated.

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Graffiti is sooo urban and edgy. These tagged pieces really showed off your authentic city grit.

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We really fucked up on this urban woodsman post. Never tuck your pants into your boots unless you're clamming or playing baseball in the 1880s.

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If you ever go to Miami, you've already made your first mistake. Don't make things worse with a barf-inducing suit like this.

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The fact that boot-cut jeans were in our magazine's pages warrants a group seppuku session.

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The only dude who rocked a studded belt was also the type of dude who referred to himself as a stud.

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Whoever the fuck invented the T-shirt over the button-down needs to be banished to the gulags.

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Double popped collars, double ties, and a shitload of pastels. Damn, the post-9/11 world was a confusing place.

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A T-shirt over a polo with a popped collar. Just typing that made us want to burn this motherfucker down.

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Purple fedora? Purple fedora. Sad face.

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If you ever tried rocking a plaid fedora, then you're either a pick-up artist or a ska band member. Either way, you creep us out.

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Hopefully this was a test to see if you'd actually wear these pieces, or if you could exhibit some common sense.

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Proof that dudes simply didn't know how to dress up pre-2008. Thank you, #menswear gods.

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Somehow, the colors in this look aren't the worst part—shirt collar over the lapels trumps everytime.

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It took Complex a few years to recover from putting every one of these pieces in our pages.

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Remember bling? Yeah, us too. *Quietly stares off into middle distance contemplating the purpose of life*

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Cargo pockets only made sense to carry a CD player, which is why there's no room for them post-2005.

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These fits are disgusting. Bonus uggo points for the cargo pockets.

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V-necks lasted waayyy longer than they ever should have, and for that we apologize.

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The mid-aughts were when cultural mash-ups were jumpin' off, but denim blazers were destined to fail.

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Baggy denim cargo pants? Let's just pretend this never happened...

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Britney Spears should never be any dude's style inspiration.

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The fact that we were still behind giant denim in 2005 is shameful.

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Was looking like an asshole a stylish trend in 2005?

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The Game will just never look right in a suit, especially one that's so ill-fitting.

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Why is it that cargo pants try to make a comeback every few years? Stop trying to make cargo pants happen!

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Studded designs on the ass. Come on, we're better than this.

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Driving gloves. Just, driving gloves.

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These are dope brands, but the pieces shown are absurdly enormous.

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Taking selfies will always be mad corny, especially if you literally dress like a clown.

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We must've been trolling. Anyone who actually wore a V-neck over a crewneck is a true sucka-ass.

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LOLing at everything individual element in this photo, as well as the complete look.

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No words necessary for why this instills us with shame.

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Anyone rocking a vest trying to go for that "rocker" look is actually a sex criminal.

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Besides that Pegleg joint, these are all hideous.

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If you're gonna copy Fab, let it be his flow and not his style from 2007.

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Sometimes, someone has to say no to Kanye.

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This would actually be okay, if it weren't for the toggle coat's hood, the bowtie, the untucked shirttails, and the matchy-matchy tartan.

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If you ever want to get your ass kicked/pulled over for meth suspicions, just do all of this.

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Snoop Dogg must've smoked us out and tricked us into featuring fedoras.

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Say what you will about skinny jeans, but at least they moved us away from these.

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The only fail bigger than endorsing this is the terrible "Scarface" pun.

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Our man on the left is either rocking the terrible "long-ass pants" trend, or is 4'11" tall.

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Before "Purple Swag," we needed to sacrifice someone to the purple pant gods.

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Dammit Nas, if you bring us back to the shiny suit era then hip-hop truly is dead.

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The fact that Wale succeeded in spite of this look is a testament to his tenacity.

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