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Worst decade?

Aziraphale

Veteran

http://jezebel.com/which-decad.....1588166451

Hahahahahaaaaaa

Scroll down and look at the pictures. I think I might have to go with the 70s. What's your vote?

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from T

abc

Veteran

I don't remember the 70s but they do look pretty horrid. Of the years I remember I'd vote for those late 90s early 00s years which were exactly when I became independent and dressing and shopping for myself. No wonder I ended up on ylf to try to learn something about fashion!

Aida

Veteran

There's bad fashion in all decades. Have to respectfully and fully disagree with the 70s being the worst. they are my biggest fashion inspiration decade and I don't think I dress horridly -- could just be me, though!

EDIT: I suppose I should answer the question! For me, the 90s were very very unappealing. And I grew up in Seattle during that time, and was in a band for nearly all of my higher formative years.

Isabel

Veteran

LOL !!! I don't know about the clothes, but the article and the responses are the best. : )

I would go for the 70's. Either 1970s or the 1770s. : )

Aziraphale

Veteran

abc -- I sorta liked the 90s. I came of age during the grunge era and fully partook of the culture, though, and I live in Vancouver (just north of Seattle). Hard not to be influenced. I can understand why people didn't like certain elements of it, though.

Aida, of course you don't. You can take inspiration from a decade and turn it into something good (as you have). But unadulterated 70s fashion? Brown and orange polyester leisure suits? Pinafore dresses? Oh dear god.

Isabel -- high five!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I echo Aida, first of all. '70s Glam is absolutely killer.

(Fun post, Elisabeth).

I might have to go with the '90s, the 2000's and the 1770's.

I LOVE the '80s.

Gigi

Veteran

This was fun! I have to agree that the seventies were hands-down the worst. Just watching a rerun of the Brady Bunch makes me cringe. Ick.

Aida, I'm surprised that the seventies are your biggest fashion inspiration; I hadn't felt like your outfits scream "seventies" to me. What is it about the seventies that inspires you? Now you've got me curious.

I have to say that I think the eighties get runner-up for worst fashion decade. The hair and the high-waisted jeans...wow. Mall bangs.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well based on the pictures I would have to condemn the early 2000s first. But I am sure I could find things to love and hate about them all.

always trying

Veteran

Not sure if the 70's were worse than the 90's, but definitely two of the worst. Ugly styles and colors.

MsMaven

Veteran

Okay, there was a lot of bad fashion in the 70s--and I've got the photos to prove it. For me, however, the 70s were also the decade of a certain chic--I should take the time to look for the photos. Tuesday Weld in jeans, boots, a blazer and blonde, blonde hair looking minimal but so there. Cheryl Tiegs in her African bracelet, jeans, and a lumberjack shirt. There was a subtext of elegant, simple chic in the 70s that I still yearn for. Not that I often wore it.

Worst decade for me was the 90s--shlumpy-dumpy ill-fitting clothes. Lots bad to say about the 50s as well: strict conformity and confining clothes. Girdles and pointy bras. Even skinny girls had to wear girdles--nothing below the waist could move or show the least bit of unrestrained curve--unless you were Marilyn Monroe. And nylon stockings always always. With seams to keep straight.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

One of the responses was 1770 with pictures it was to funny.

MsMaven

Veteran

After scrolling through tons of Google images of really bad fashion, I think I will give up and go to bed. Somewhere, though, there are a couple of iconic photos floating along . . .

annanza

The 1980s. The decade that spawned this: http://www.tribute.ca/news/ind.....emi-moore/

rachylou

Veteran

Heh, yeah... I have to agree with Shevia. Based on the pics, the "Aughties" are out. But I don't remember them looking like that...

Anonymous

I honestly think that being in my teen years during the '90s seriously warped my perception of fit, proportion, and a million other details for many, many years. It took me until I was 21 (in 2001) to figure out that I was actually a medium, not an XL! Ha!

But really, I think the '70s were the worst overall. So much polyester!

Sal

Veteran

Vote the 90s...
70s were glamourous and extreme - some killer looks
80s were fun and as a teenager I had some home-made/charity shop stunners -
90s were boring and the sexy looks were hard to wear. I was in my 20s and think I wasted so much money on drab midi skirts, moleskin trousers, plaid shirts and polo necks. Even then I found it hard to find things - why I was young and at my prime!!
00s for me were mostly about young children but discovering my own style
10s are lots of fun I think....

Aida

Veteran

Gigi, well my favorite decades are the 40s, 60s, 70, and 80s. I tend to gravitate to the more glam aspects, and primarily use the key silhouettes from those eras to drive what classics I wear as opposed to as any kind of overarching style; though individual outfits may have a certain decade vibe. The 70s are so ingrained into my style preferences that for a loooooong time my only YLF royalty title was Queen Modern 70s! Which I still proudly bear, though I'm on a bit of an 80s slant at the moment. Tall boots, faux fur, button-up shirts, flared pants, sweaters, leather, denim denim denim, early punk....

(Sorry for the minor derail!)

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I love the '70s too, Aida. Love the pics. YOU MUST see American Hustle. Best '70s fashion.

I love the '60s, '80s and 2014 best, and the '70s next. I'm still voting '90s and Noughties as worst.

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks, Aida! I went back to your WIWs, and now I can see some of the seventies influence. Your outfits always look good.

I loved pic 8—that lady is giving the young woman a seriously nasty look! Ha ha!

I was in college in the 90s and don't even remember what the "in" style was back then. But as a college kid, you pretty much wear only jeans and a t-shirt for four years.

Gaylene

Veteran

Well, after looking over my pics for half a century, I'd have to say the most cringe worthy ones were from the 80s. But the skanky, porn-star looks from the late nineties and early millennium were even worse. At least the eighties were colorful--and those shoulder pads made even the smallest woman look imposing and powerful.

danskogirl

Am I the only one sticking up for the 1990s? Sure, there was the grunge, and the babydoll dresses and all that -- which I wasn't much into. But I did like the juxtapositions then of masculine and feminine at play with things like matching a long floaty skirt with tough work boots and a moto jacket.

Also: Wasn't the '90s also the decade of lovely minimalism from the likes of Donna Karan and Helmut Lang and Jil Sander? Some of the images from those ads (especially the Donna Karan one showing a woman being sworn in as president) still remain with me.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Every decade has good stuff and really awful stuff. But I think the look I still cannot find anything good about, even in a nostalgic way, is the big curly hair Laura Ashley midi dress wearing look of the early 80s. Lady Di wore a lot of these looks before she became a fashionista.

Claudia

Veteran

Like Gaylene, I spent my entire twenties during the '80s and find most everything cringe-worthy when I look at photos from the era: my big hair (permed and/or moussed anyone?), my wedding gown (poufy and over designed), my professional corporate attire (big shoulders, etc.), and most of all the dreadful, dreadful maternity clothes available at retail. Ugh, just ugh.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks for all your comments, ladies!

A lot of thumbs down for the 70s! It's a popular decade to make fun of. Of course, as several of you have pointed out, there are examples of bad fashion and good fashion in every decade. For example, there's lots I still like about the 80s, but oh dear god I remember the HAIR. We all had the stupidest hair. Huge, fluffy bangs. What were we thinking? (In my defence, I was in my early teens and had poor judgment).

Aida -- thanks for the visuals! Great pics. Love the punk lineup in #12. You still haven't changed my mind about the 70s, though. For my taste at least, overall there was more bad than good. Doesn't mean there weren't some killer looks. A few men and women always rock it.

Gaylene -- re. shoulder pads -- they did NOT make small women look powerful. They made us look like teeny tiny topheavy football players!

Danskogirl -- I'm sticking with you re. the 90s. I never wore dresses over jeans (although I didn't hate it on others) and I DID wash my hair, but I thought grunge was a breath of fresh air into fashion. So different, so freeing. The people who did it right looked really cool. I liked the 90s minimalism, too.

Claudia -- good point about the maternity clothes. I had a hard time finding decent stuff, and I was first pregnant in 2003. By my second pregnancy in 2007, there was a lot more to like. I think the industry was just starting to make decent stuff in the early 2000s. 1980s maternity wear, yuk.

eds

I loved 70's fashion...interesting, though, most photos you see are late 70's. My husband wore a white tux and white shoes for our late 70's wedding. His groomsmen wore baby blue tuxedos. Yikes. My children cringe, as do I!
Early 70's were a hold on from the hippie era and that is where my heart will always be! I think the currents styles are my favorites since then.

Gaylene

Veteran

I agree with those who say that you can find pretty horrible pictures of every fashion era, but I'm feeling a bit depressed at the thought of all the negative vibes towards the 70s based on the worst catalog shots of that era.

The big style icons I can remember from the seventies were Ali MacGraw, Cheryl Tiegs, Naomi Watts, Bianca Jagger, Jane Birkin, and that ilk. For those with a more RATE style, I'll offer up Debbie Harry and early Joan Jett. Even those Charlie's Angels knew about PPL when they hemmed their full-legged pants. Diane Von Furstenberg also introduced her iconic jersey wrap dress in that decade. And just to close my argument, here's a Philip Lim number from a few years ago that would have fit perfectly into the seventies scene.

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You'll hear '70s love from me for the third time on this thread, Gaylene. LOVE those pics. Have you seen American Hustle?

I'm sad people are ripping off the '80s. There was SO much good stuff back then. Many of today's brilliant silhouettes can be traced back to the '80s.

April

Veteran

I think we have to distinguish between the fun, pop-music 80s and the grim, dismal 80s of young women heading out to interview for their first serious jobs.

Remember the navy skirt suit with a button-front blouse underneath, buttoned all the way up? If you job-hunted in the 80s you must remember that suit because it seemed to be the only thing you could buy if you worked in an office.

Claudia

Veteran

Angie, all I can think is that being a teenager was way better than being an adult dressing in the '80s and that's why you love the fashion so much. If you can find a few minutes, I'd love for you to post a few photos from the decade to prove your point, as Gaylene did above defending the 70s. A lot of people mock 80's fashion and illustrate it with the worst of the worst, now show us the best of the best! Thanks.

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm sure Angie will come up with better examples, but, until she gets a chance, Claudia, here are some examples of patterns that I actually sewed in the 80s as workwear. The decade had a lot of glitzy disco, Madonna-inspired, teenage-trendiness, but this is what I remember wearing as an adult woman in my late 30s and early 40s in that decade.

It was actually a good decade for an IT shape. Those huge shoulders made everyone's waist look tiny and I loved the juxataposition of structured and fluid in a lot of the designs. Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, Chloe and Jean Muir were some of my favorite designers during that era.

And, yes, Angie, I adored American Hustle. It was so much fun looking at all those sets and fashions. I actually remembered reading about the ABSCAM operation mounted by the FBI back then--the tactics used caused quite the controversy at the time. And I couldn't help but marvel at Amy Adams' ability to get everything to stay in place when she moved!

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