50 Style Trends Complex Magazine Regrets Co-Signing

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

August 27, 2013

Image via Complex Original

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.

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

Issue: May 2002

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

Issue: May 2002

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.

Issue: May 2002

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

Issue: June/July 2002

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

Issue: September/October 2002

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

Issue: November/December 2002

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.

Issue: November/December 2002

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.

Issue: April/May 2003

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

Issue: August/September 2003

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

Issue: October/November 2003

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

Issue: April/May 2004

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

Issue: April/May 2004

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

Issue: April/May 2004

Purple fedora? Purple fedora. Sad face.

Issue: August/September 2004

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.

Issue: August/September 2004

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

Issue: Holiday Wishbook 2004

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

Issue: Holiday Wishbook 2004

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

Issue: February/March 2005