What looks undeniably, unquestionably dated to you now?

April

When I first joined YLF, we were entering the Age of the Ruffle. Everything had a ruffles on it, and at the time they looked fresh and good.

I found a top hiding in my closet with a center ruffle down the front and it just looked so passé. Out it went.

What else have you judged with absolute certainty to be Totally Over? Not things you're unsure about or things you wish were over, but things that are definitely over.

12 years ago

General

51 replies

Latest reply was from

Thistle

Veteran

Square toed shoes. Really square. The were really popular at the turn of the millennium and look so dated now. I give away a few pairs that were still lurking just this year.

12 years ago

ramya

Veteran

hip length tee shirts. Have a bunch of those, but 1 by 1 are either getting demoted or into donate bag they go

12 years ago

April

Veteran

You're so right, Thistle. I gave away a pair of slouchy suede boots last year for that very reason.

Ramya -- are you talking about tees that are on the longer side?

12 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Oh, I really don't know but will watch this thread with interest and be ready to purge! Gotta say bye to my slouchy boots then I guess ...

12 years ago

ramya

Veteran

Oh the opposite April. Tees on the shorter side. They look dated to me

12 years ago

VernieJane

Active Member

I agree with ramya on the Tees, the longer ones are great with the leggings (or tights) that people are passing off as pants these days...gotta cover that ass! I am guilty of having a few ruffled pièces hanging in my closet, but you know how that stuff goes: you wait for 5 or 10 years to throw something out, and then when you finally do, 2 seasons later its hot again! Agreed on square toed shoes, and of course we all know about the waist level of jeans... I am happy to see boot cut jeans are finally making a comeback, and I hope the high waistline (or mid waistline) will join them...

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

You know I never worry about dated, only if it looks good on my body. There are a few things I will never wear because they are not me - huge flares, pussy-bow shirts, stripes - but if someone else wears them god bless.

12 years ago

El Cee

Veteran

Oh, let's see… Baby doll tops, overly cropped cardigans, square toed footwear, and YES -- too short T's. Still holding onto a few of those ruffled items as I enjoy a feminine touch now and then.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Hmm.. I don't know. I kind of think a little along the lines of Dana, in that some of the things already mentioned here could still possibly be worn and look good if worn with panache and in a good context. I think it's all a bit relative as there are extremes in each style.

12 years ago

MuseumGal

Veteran

Nooooooo Thistle! I LURVE my square toed shoes and boots. I agree they do have a sort of retro (70's) vibe, but I like that. Plus I'm convinced they'll be en vogue again any time now (she said hopefully).

12 years ago

Alassë

Veteran

I like cropped cardigans, ruffles, and high-hip length shirts (with skirts). But then I'm not fashionable-trendy.

12 years ago

April

Veteran

Sometimes it's not easy to tell "it's over" (i.e., dated) from "it's over for me" (i.e., poisoned eye).

Hence my question.

12 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Overly blingy or embellished tees or jeans. Unless you're doing the whole rock n roll cowgirl thing (which I never knew was a thing until moving down here!). No wonder my Miss Me's were happily snapped up by a Tampa lady 10 years my senior

12 years ago

Veteran

*clutches ruffles to chest*

As I do most of my shopping in thrift stores, I see a lot of stuff from the 80s and 90s and even early 00s, that just screams its time period. So I consider that dated. But other stuff that's likely from those same time periods still looks perfectly fine to me. I guess I go with my gut rather than having a checklist to tell. I'm not terribly trendy or classic though, so as long as I avoid the dramatically dated things, I'm not fussed about the more mild stuff.

12 years ago

(website)

Veteran

For the record, I wore ruffles last weekend and felt pretty good in them, surprisingly. I thought I might be over them, too, but paired with a slightly slouchy blazer, distressed denim, and metal plate sandals - it worked.

12 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think asking the "is it over for me" question is more important, actually. Like you, I feel ruffles are over for me. But do I think they necessarily date a look? Well...it depends on the wearer. Because some people wear them with such grace and panache that a person would never look at them and think, "Dated!!" OTOH, others wear them, and it's all you can do to try to swallow your (probably misplaced and patronizing) pity for them for not having any opportunities to shop in the last five years!

12 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

I'm with you April that ruffles are a tired look to my eye. So is leggings with a long top (I can't help but think 80s when I see it). Square toed shoes (they never fit my feet correctly anyway). An at the waist cardigan (I know it's classic and I own one myself, but I prefer the longer flowy styles lately). And trousers with a front pleat. I know some of these may actually be IN fashion right now, but my eye just can't adjust or has already tired of the look.

12 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

I dunno…it seems to me that things cycle between "wildly trendy" to "dated" to "back in vogue" so quickly now. I was going to say "flared jeans", because I've been watching Veronica Mars on DVD and I was struck by how dated the characters' flared trousers seemed, but now that I've said that, here's betting that flares make a huge comeback in two months.

12 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Ditto to Suz! I see plenty of things in the stores that feel dated *for me* even though I can imagine others wearing them and feeling and looking fab.

12 years ago

Adelfa

Veteran

Tees with a body con fit. Short fitted cardigans.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Yeah, the big one for me is shorter tees.

I do still wear some ruffles but not the really twee ones. The ones I like now are more architectural, closer to pleating. but I think this is more about my personal style shift than datedness.

12 years ago

retailgirl

Veteran

I don't think ruffles are dated! I have several blouses with ruffles that I wear under a jacket or blazer and I always get compliments on them. I am not sure about square toed shoes; I have a pair of red cole haan loafers that are over ten years old, with a square toe, but I think hey get a pass because they are obviously very high quality and flattering.

12 years ago

Desmo April

(website)

Veteran

As soon as I've decided something is 100% totally over, never should be worn again, some sweet young thing in the hipster part of town makes it look fantastic. It may take a few years to trickle out to the more fashion mainstream but it gets there. I think midi skirts are the latest full example.

That dosen't mean I keep everything. I'm not sentimental and I get rid of things once I'm personally over them.

12 years ago

Gaylene

Veteran

Body-con, shrunken jackets worn with super-tight skinnies and tall cognac boots. Seems like everyone was wearing that look a couple of seasons ago, but it now looks dated next to the more fluid looks that are popping up now. I think the datedness is probably as much the combination as anything else. Anything that was a hot trend for a season or two seems dated to me once the trend declines and something new replaces it, unless the wearer has found a fresh way to wear the trend.

12 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I think Angie would argue that not currently trending does not automatically mean dated. There is a continuum between on trend and outright dated.

12 years ago

April

Veteran

I should probably revise my ruffles comment. The particular blouse that I removed was in a style that (I thought) looked awesome five years ago but definitely looked dated now. That's not to say that no ruffles are now or will ever be chic again.

Desmo April -- isn't that the truth? I saw a young hostess in a hipster cafe in Chelsea wearing real deal, old school, "reverse fit" mom jeans, like in the Saturday Night Live skit.

12 years ago

deb

Veteran

I really cannot answer this because some on trend items I would never wear and the same for items from seasons ago. Most listed here I never wore when they were trending.

12 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

I lost a lot of weight a few years ago so almost everything in my closet was purchased in or after 2011 and hasn't had much time to be dated.

The only thing I am pretty well over are my thrifted three-and-four-button blazers with the wide-ish lapels.

12 years ago

Suja

Veteran

Interesting observation on the ruffles! I was just thinking about whether my ruffled blouses were dated. Unfortunately, I invested a lot in the look and am thinking about taking the silk blouses to a tailor to remove some of the ruffles for the ones that can be easily altered that way.

I think Juicy or Juicy-like velour track suits look dated. I just demoted mine to loungewear and am thinking they might even be dated for loungewear.

12 years ago

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