50 Men's Fashion Trends That Never Should Have Happened

Image via Complex Original

In the ever-changing world of fashion and street-style, jumping on a trend is risky business. You might look fly one day, and super wack the next. But you were young. You were bound to make mistakes. You wore ski goggles to the mall. You had jeans with your favorite basketball team logo on the pockets. Maybe you even rocked frosted tips for a minute (ok, that's totally inexcusable, loser). But we can look back at those times and have some laughs, right? We examined the past couple of decades to find the 50 Men's Fashion Trends That Never Should Have Happened. How many are you guilty of?

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50. Fauxhawks

We're pretty sure if you're the type of parent to give your son a faux hawk, you're increasing the chances that he'll grow up to be a giant douche. We're talking to you, Brangelina.

49. Hammer/parachute pants

I'm MC hammer, I'm about cream. We appreciate Rick Ross here at Complex, but MC Hammer wore ugly pants and lost his cream to bankruptcy. Two things that never should have happened.

48. Layering polo shirts

Oof. The prep-slash-douchebaggery that plagued frat houses everywhere starting in 2003. What was worse, wearing two polos or buying one that was pre-layered?

47. Hot Topic

Hot Topic is an outcast's haven. If you don't fit in, you can just get weird! Nothing wrong with that, or punk culture for that matter. But when punk hits the malls, is it really still punk? And is wearing a Fall Out Boy T-shirt with tight jeans and a studded belt ever a good look?

46. Puffy skate shoes

These fat, moronic looking sneakers were made popular by pro skaters like Chad Muska back in the '90s. Not only are they totally worthless for skating (how's your board-feel when you're rocking pillows on your feet?), they look like low-cut moonboots.

45. Crystal studded belts

Yo L, What Up? You have a gross belt. Nothing says "I'm a thug" more than bedazzled accessories.

44. Visors turned sideways

In the '90s, we were all for the idea of the visor. It had all the benefits of a cap, but didn't mess up your gelled spiky hair. Turning the brim sideways was considered cool. Flipping it upside down was considered even cooler. Well today, all those cool guys are in jail for pissing in public.

43. Manic Panic hair dye

This hair trend didn't die in the '80s. It stayed strong in the '90s. And we still see it today. Is it you? Green and blue hair is perfect for your upcoming job interview at the local meth lab.

42. Color coordinating du-rags with outfits

Your style icon is likely Flavor Flav.

41. Beanies in the summer

Guys from Los Angeles seem to love this trend. Looking cool is looking comfortable, and sweat dripping from underneath your wool skully is not how you do it. Self-conscious of your bald spot? We feel for you dude, but you just look like a douchebag.

40. Wallet chains

The club kids of the '90s loved to jingle these chains on their massive rave jeans. Maaaaaybe these would be acceptable if your were a mail carrier or a janitorial engineer, but it's not like your broke-ass has enough stacks to need chain security anyway.

39. Message T-shirts

We will forever have love for the graphic tee. Message shirts however, are the worst thing that Urban Outfitters ever popularized. "Jesus is my homeboy" is disrespectful. "Everyone loves a [insert nationality here] boy" is just flagrant.

38. Bieber-style hair

The pop singer's trademark mop-top got so unbearable, even he had to get rid of it. Everyone else still rocking this hairstyle, please follow suit. Your eyes will thank you for your newfound peripheral vision.

37. Wearing clothes backwards like Kris Kross

Everything was backwards in the early '90s—thanks to Kris Kross—but that is no excuse for having your zipper on your backside. Good luck taking a leak!

36. Fleece half-zips

Being a nerd might sound cool with guys like Mark Zuckerberg making billions of dollars these days, but if you wore a half-zip fleece pullover from Old Navy back in high school, it was game over for your sex life. Sadly, these suckers are still favored by lazy men today.

35. Tees over button-downs

This look might've helped convey Chad Hugo's dorky image during his "N.E.R.D." days, but it's not doing anyone else any favors.

34. Sport sandals with socks

Unless you just took off your cleats, you shouldn't be rocking white socks with sports sandals. Strictly for the locker room, bro.

33. Eye brow alterations

Your barber might trim your eyebrows down once in a while, but please leave waxing, tweezing, and altering your brows to the ladies.

32. Airbrushed tees

Since the '80s, amateur graffiti artists everywhere have been making a living off airbrushed T-shirts. "R.I.P." tees with inaccurate Tupac faces fill amusement parks and Bar Mitzvahs everywhere. For shame.

31. Trucker hats

Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake made trucker hats cool for a hot minute, but then Ed Hardy took the market and made it completely despicable.

30. Bubble jackets and vests

Bubble jackets: because for a time, dudes somehow thought the Michelin Man had serious swag. Polo, Nautica, and Tommy Hilfiger made serious paper off of this '90s trend.

29. Shutter shades

Kanye, this is your fault. The shutter shades were meant for the stage only, but because of your killer fashion sense, it had us thinking we could pull off shutter shades, too. Oh, how we were so wrong. Soon after the "Stronger" video dropped, everyone owned a pair of knock-off versions. Now all we're left with are Myspace pictures of us in color-coordinated sunglasses that we can't even see out of.

28. Carpenter jeans

1993 to 1995 was the peak of carpenter jeans. These high-waisted pants were the ugliest things our dads wore. The denim always came in the wackest wash and had more loops and pockets than even a construction worker could ever need.

27. Square toed and pointy toes shoes

The creepy guy's dress shoe. If by any chance you have a pair of these, and you don't give out roofies like candy, use them only for killing roaches hiding in the corners of your apartment.

26. Convertible pants

Moms everywhere bought a pair of these convertible pants/shorts for their pre-pubescent sons in the '90s, but you can still see the horror in middle schools today. "Honey! Aren't these cool? I got you five pairs! They go perfectly with your rolling backpack!"

25. Neon dunks

Rocking neon can be cool. Just be modest with it. But when Nike started releasing highlighter dunks in all sorts of neon combos in '06 and '07, the emo kids, skaters, and hypebeasts ate 'em up and took a massive L. Good luck reselling those deadstocks on eBay.

24. Hemp necklaces and shell chokers

Puka is one letter away from "puke."

23. Pastel Timberland boots

Timberland boots have always been a staple for the winter season. They're practical and badass because all the New York rappers wore them in the '90s. But you think Raekwon and Styles P would have street cred if they wore these joints in Easter egg colors? Nah, B.

22. Ski goggles

Kenny! Seth Green's character in the 1998 teen movie classic Can't Hardly Wait immortalized this horrible trend. And save for the DTF chick at the end, the goggles didn't help him any ass.

21. Windpants

Nylon is the leather of the activewear world. Awesome for jackets and outerwear, not so good for pants. Besides the fact that it feels like you're walking in a garbage bag, windpants are pretty annoying to wear when there's well, wind. The sound they make flapping in the breeze kind of makes you want to grab a pair of earplugs.

20. Deep V-necks

Deep V-necks are like the sweater vests of summertime: impractical, really hard to pull off, and its existence is pretty injustifiable. Is there really a type of weather where you need to keep your chest cool and biceps warm? Didn't think so. Friends don't let friends show man boob.

19. Mars Candy/M&M leather jackets

The best way to ruin a buttery leather jacket is to tack M&M characters on it. For some odd reason, it was cool to rock these in the '90s, but Soulja Boy isn't doing anyone favors by bringing it back. Fool looks like a walking cavity.

18. Velour tracksuits

Brands are still making these—crazy right? Velour tracksuits have had a long run in the fashion community. It's made out of soft velour, but designed like a sweatsuit. Luxury meets casual lifestyle. But trust us when we say it sounds way better than it looks.

17. Fox tail belt accessories

Pin the tail on the donkey—literally, you ass!

16. Mandals

Whether you call these chancletas, sandals, or mandals, there's no excuse for wearing these in the city streets. Unless you're at the beach, no man should be flaunting his corns or pedicured toes. We said to keep it gully, not girly.

15. True Religion jeans

The obtrusive pocket stitching and obnoxious flare of the bootcut legs make True Religions the ugliest of designer denim. Not to mention, there are even uglier fake ones being sold in Chinatowns nationwide.

14. Sleeveless hoodies

Dear scientist who invented the sleeveless hoodie, thank you for making clothing for the idiots confused by the climate change. Without your help, what would they have worn?

12. Tattoo designed long-sleeved shirts

Either you have tattoos or you don't. You either have sleeves, or you have a real job. Well, a bunch of tools decided to design sheer shirts with tattoo designs so it looks like you have sleeves. What in the hell???

12. Fitted hats with stickers on the brims

O.K. we get it, you have over $50. And if you think girls are correlating hat size with your junk, you've already failed at life.

11. Tall tees

Hip-hop's love affair with the tall tee still blows our minds. White tall tees, specifically, were rap's uniform for a while in the early 2000s. Seriously, hip-hop red carpet events looked like giant toga parties. We're glad the trend died down, along with snap music and ringtone rap.

10. New rave

Remember when YELLE came out, Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." was all over the place, and M.I.A. wasn't a mom? That was when someone took a collection of highlighter markers and spilled them all over club kids. You couldn't walk into a rave and not see someone wearing neon. Yeah, day-glo is tolerable in moderation, but when you're head-to-toe in brights, you're probably gonna blind someone—might be yourself when you look in the mirror.

9. Name plate belts

Pretty much all statement belts are awful, but the fact that name plates are customizable makes it even more embarrassing for the people who followed the trend in the early 2000s.

8. White people with cornrows and dreadlocks

Google image search "white people cornrows" and you will see a ton of photos of Kevin Federline. Now ask yourself: "do I want to be associated with Kevin Federline?"

7. Girls' jeans

Now that labels have been putting out slimmer jeans with guys in mind for years, it's time to hang up your girl's pair back in her closet and give the boys below some room to breathe. Don't you miss that extra front pocket space? Besides, no one really listens to screamo anymore and you're far too old to be spotted at Warped Tour.

6. Vests with no shirt underneath

Layering works like this: shirt, then vest, then jacket. The vest and the jacket are pretty interchangeable, but for every time someone rocks a vest with nothing underneath, God kills a stylist.

5. Frosted tips

Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath and celeb chef Guy Fieri have sported this spiky 'do. We prefer to call it a spiky don't. Nick Lachey, what hath you wrought?

4. Drop crotch anything

Prominent in the early 2000s, drop crotch pants started out in women's collections before popping up on select dudes. Keep this in mind: "drop crotch" is a euphimism for "droopy butt." Now imagine yourself rocking "droopy butt pants." Yeah, not so fashion-forward now is it?

3. Ed Hardy/Affliction/MMA T-Shirts

The only good to come out of MMA style is material for us to laugh at: Jersey Shore and Bobby Bottleservice.

2. Crocs

Crocs. Foam clogs. What's the difference? These horrible shoes became a hit in '06, with the selling point being that they're so comfortable, you won't want to take them off. Wrong! We wanted to rip them off the feet of every dude we saw rocking them. Of course, the three founders made a fortune off of the fashion fail—lucky, unstylish bastards.

1. JNCOs

Wide leg jeans from brands like JNCO and Kikwear were another example of how horrible '90s style was. These things ate up your shoe and looked like an ugly denim skirt cut in half and sewn together to form a pair of legs. Forget bell bottoms, these things were more like "hell bottoms."