7 of the Least Practical Fashion Trends That Ever Existed ...

Jumpsuits, playsuits, overalls, dungarees, onesies – basically anything that makes it difficult to go to the toilet will make the list of least practical fashion trends ever. Designers and trendsetters might make jumpsuits and overalls look effortless, but in practice they can be much trickier to pull off. As long as jumpsuits and overalls are trending, we’ll be forever watching our fluid intake and practicing our escape routes.

Apparently, putting your arms inside the sleeves of a jacket or coat is so last season. If you’ve visited a street style blog in the past year or so, you would have noticed a trend for fashionistas to robe or drape their coats over their shoulders, leaving the sleeves completely empty. Shoulder robing is definitely one of those trends that leaves us scratching our heads. Just carrying off this look is a precarious balancing act and any exaggerated arm movements could quickly lead to your coat falling off its perch.

Wedge sneakers are definitely one of the least practical fashion trends around. Sure, it’s sport luxe, but aren’t sneakers meant for physical activity? It must be pretty difficult to pick up the pace while tip toeing around in a pair of wedge sneakers.

For some people glasses are a requirement. However, for a while there being a ‘four eyes’ was oh so trendy. It seemed like a pair of glasses, particularly of the thick-rimmed hipster variety, was the latest must-have fashion item. People with 20/20 vision resorted to wearing non-prescription glasses in order to rock the latest trend. So I guess it was more of a case of ‘faux eyes’ than ‘four eyes.’

Capes look charming but how practical are they, really? Sure, they can make an ordinary outfit look that extra bit polished but you’re really choosing fashion over function when you opt to wear a cape. They often don’t have arm holes and you can kiss goodbye to wearing a handbag over your shoulder.

Crochet swimsuits gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, and the recent vintage revival has seen them come back into fashion. However, the ‘swimsuit’ part of the name is quite misleading. Crochet swimsuits aren’t really designed for wearing in the water at all. Better just leave them for lying out by the pool in.

Shutter shades have actually been around for some time, but their popularity hit epic proportions a few years ago when Kanye West started wearing them. Soon it felt like you couldn’t go to a music festival without seeing shutter shades at every turn. Most don’t even function as sunglasses as they don’t protect eyes from UV radiation.

These are just some fashion trends that seem to take no heed of practicality. It’s definitely a case of trendsetters choosing fashion and form over function. Can you think of any other impractical fashion trends?