Dated fashions for 'millenials'? (Or other)

June 14, 2021 8:31 PM

Truly a critical post: I just noticed a buzz article for dated fashions, skinny jeans were among those listed. I personal think black skinnies are timeless and I'm possibly going to wear them until my late 40s. Other insight to burgeoning fashions considered 'dated'? Particularly for 'millenials'?
posted by firstdaffodils to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

I agree that a lot of this stuff is contrived (I'm a millennial and I've always parted my hair down the center and it's never seemed to matter!) but one thing to note is that fashion is cyclical, and stuff that was trendy ~15 years ago tends to be at the nadir of the fashion cycle. So currently, this means that anything that screams mid-2000s is going to look woefully out-of-fashion, especially when worn by Millennial-aged folks who've had those garments in their closet for a decade in a half. (The Zoomers can maybe, maybe get away with it, but that's because they didn't wear it the first time around.) Some mid-2000s trends that I think look particularly weird now include rhinestone bling, satin blouses/dresses, and tiered miniskirts. And even though I personally consider ballet flats to be timeless, they're really not fashionable nowadays the way they were in 2006.
posted by clair-de-lune at 9:01 PM on June 14, 2021 [18 favorites]

Mod note: A couple deleted. Hey, OP (and answerers), if you'd like to have a general discussion about fashion trends, the best thing to do is find an interesting article and post to the blue. Here in Ask Me, the question to answer is "what other millennial fashions aside from skinny jeans are considered dated by young people today?"
posted by taz (staff) at 11:32 PM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm old millennial so maybe it doesn't count but knee boots over skinnies.
posted by kingdead at 12:20 AM on June 15, 2021 [10 favorites]

This may be regional, but "quiet" clothing. My three millennial kids (19-25) would never want to be seen wearing, say, the plain black or white tees that I wear every day. They crave patterns, noise, logos, branding (sometimes ironically or mutated by culture jamming, sometimes very genuinely for small queer/POC-owned brands), references, clashing, etc.

I'm either the oldest millennial or the youngest Gen Xer, and Naomi Klein had an impact when I was their age, so they view my no-branding-anywhere-and-clothing-is-not-personality approach to be *eye roll* totally dad normcore.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:34 AM on June 15, 2021 [12 favorites]

I’ve recently become aware that baseball caps with curved brims (aka the only kind there were in the 90s) are now referred to even by hat retailers as “dad hats”. On the one hand, this makes me feel old, but on the other hand, with two kids myself, I’m not in position to argue. I do find it interesting that flat-brim caps, which when I was young were a small segment of the market, are now the default.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:06 AM on June 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

"what other millennial fashions aside from skinny jeans are considered dated by young people today?"

Side parts have been replaced by middle parts. Skinny jeans have been replaced by mom jeans or flares. Leggings are being replaced by yoga pants. Scrunchies are back. The Neverful is out and the Lady Dior is in. I also like this list!
posted by DarlingBri at 4:27 AM on June 15, 2021 [4 favorites]

Knee boots, as mentioned above.
Cold-shoulder tops.
Chunky "statement" necklaces.
Hip-hugger jeans.
Gladiator sandals/espadrilles
posted by basalganglia at 4:28 AM on June 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

It's a little tricky separating trends among all ages with trends specific to younger/older people. It's also tricky separating what is considered dated, vs what is actually falling out of style.

Below are the trends I've noticed as major shifts in women-presenting behavior in the last 10 years, focused on Gen Z:

Dated Fashions:
Overtly expensive items.
Items that emphasize the bust more than the bottom (including push up bras).
Makeup. Despite the industry and major influencers, having healthy skincare is HUGELY displacing wearing full makeup. Even makeup that is carrying forward, the focus has been on makeup to promote healthy skin and show beauty.
Shoes - a big focus on comfort over aesthetics. Way fewer heels, way more tennis shoes/comfort shoes. Huge shifts in sales around these.
Matching Bridesmaid dresses.
A shift from occasion: all club / office clothes (in general) to outdoors and athleisure. It's cliche at this point, but it's still happening and it's here to stay.

What's New and Acceptable that wasn't before:
Budget fashion (branded tees, target, thrifting)
"undressed" looks (pajamas, half-buttoned/tucked, unwashed hair, braless)
"Camping" looks (hammocks, nalgenes, storage bags, large backpacks)
Fully visible Sports Bras / bralettes (IE with unbuttoned jacket, very loose tank top)
Eyebrow Microblading

Net, I don't think Gen Z has yet found a voice in work fashion, and in the next few years there either will be major shifts in work fashion, or Gen Z will have to navigate the world of traditional blouses and pants for the first time, when many retail outlets have disappeared. (The Limited, Lord & Taylor, Banana Republic, JC Penny, F21, Express, Macy's, Rue21, and Guess are all closing MOST of their stores from 2019-2024, with few replacements)
posted by bbqturtle at 6:33 AM on June 15, 2021 [15 favorites]

Agree that skinnies have mainly been replaced by other jean cuts among the fashion conscious. Similarly ballet flats have mainly been replaced by trainers (especially big white trainers). Other things are more subtle, but the rise is higher in trousers and tops are shorter and boxier, including cropped. So low rise trousers and long (including tunic) tops are also likely to be dated. Scarves had a big moment several years ago, I think they were replaced by blanket scarves, not sure what's in now. To my, jaded middle-aged eyes, looking co-ordinated with no mixing of formality seems to be dated. But then I'm old enough to have sworn that I would wear bootcut jeans forever, before eventually spending a decade in skinnies, am now in straight cut.
posted by plonkee at 7:26 AM on June 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

I've seen a couple of TikToks that mentioned that one type of dress that was kind of ubiquitous around like 2010-ish as being particularly dated—the one that had like a t-shirt/tank top, a big stretchy elastic band (usually black) around the middle, and a patterned a-line or kind of tube skirt.

It seems like overall the trend is moving away from tighter, body-con clothing and toward more loose-fitting, drapier looks. Honestly, I'm kind of thrilled about it.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:20 AM on June 15, 2021 [5 favorites]

Dark denim
Infinity scarves
Riding boots
Heavy makeup

Low-rise pants are actually sneaking back in, when it comes to loose styles (e.g. boyfriend jeans) and those hip cutout flare pants
posted by airmail at 8:40 AM on June 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

Yeah, there was a part of the Millennial/ Zoomer TikTok feud that had to do with low-rise jeans. Zoomers think they're fun: they're part of the Y2K revival trend. Millennials have a trauma response to them: people who were actually around in the late 90s and early aughts associate low-rise jeans with some pretty toxic body shaming. But my sense is that part of the disconnect here is that the Zoomers see low-rise jeans as a possibility among other possibilities, whereas Millennials are remembering a time when they were the only acceptable jeans/ trousers, which were only acceptable on certain bodies. So basically, I wouldn't say that anyone should feel pressure to wear low-rise jeans. Fashionable Zoomers like them, but they don't consider higher rises dated or unfashionable.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:17 AM on June 15, 2021 [5 favorites]

One really interesting trend with Zoomers is the rise of gender-neutral fashion. A lot of millenial fashions are very gender-coded in their cuts/colours/style: for women, stuff like body-con outfits, heels, and heavy makeup are all designed to emphasize the wearer's femininity; for men, the millenial look of beards, work boots, and dark denim is very stereotypically masc.

Zoomers seem to be rejecting that pursuit and/or flipping it on its head. It's anecdotal, but I'm seeing a lot of stuff like women in ballcaps and oversized tracksuits and men with visible makeup and drapey long sweaters. I suspect that the millenial fashions that bring strong and stereotypical gender coding are the most likely to be seen as dated.
posted by ZaphodB at 10:24 AM on June 15, 2021 [12 favorites]

-big tattoos! I don't see them on young adults often, they're all my age (mid 30s) and late twenties. younger kids seem to have more like, small, randomly placed tattoos that have a vaguely stick-and-poke feel, but really fancy tattoos that take up real estate on your body (like full sleeves) seem pretty millennial.
-sideswept bangs
-a type of shoe that's kind of like a bootie but with open toes and usually has a heel.
-pointy toed shoes, both masc and femme.
-anything that looks too put-together (like a really neat ballet style bun, or straightened then re-curled hair, wearing more than one colour of eyeshadow.
-cleavage
-full size backpacks and large purses
-oversized sunglasses
-thin lips (sucks to be meeee)
-foundation
-teeny bikinis
-brightly dyed hair for women
posted by euphoria066 at 10:43 AM on June 15, 2021 [4 favorites]

From what I see around Hip Young People Brooklyn areas, this stuff seems pretty out of date:

- strappy or gladiator sandals, or the like
- Classic ray-band styles, like aviator or wayfarer
- the French Tuck (sorry Tan France!)
- basically anything from Madewell
- jeans with A LOT of holes
- short jean shorts/daisy dukes
- those purses with the chain straps or other huge metallic bits and bobs
- high pony tails or buns (they seem to be mostly low buns or alligator clips or half-ponies… mostly with the middle part visible instead of swept back. The outlier seems to be Baby Spice pigtails.)

On the flip side, what I AM is seeing lots of bright colors, loose-fitting and comfy clothes, big sneakers and TONS of crocs, “weird” shaped sunglasses with colored lenses, long t-shirts, bras optional, scrunchies, middle parts, bobs and long blunt cuts, some mullets or Princess Di cuts, more natural hairstyles on Black folks, backpacks or Fanny packs slung around the shoulders. Also seeing some monochrome, neutral, beachy linens and button downs with a lot of buttons open, paired with Birks or Crocs.

Basically it’s relaxed, gender-neutral-ish, stoner-meets-candy kid vibes out there.

That’s all I can think of right now, but I love this question! And also no more skinny jeans!
posted by functionequalsform at 11:52 AM on June 15, 2021 [11 favorites]

A lot of millenial fashions are very gender-coded in their cuts/colours/style: for women, stuff like body-con outfits, heels, and heavy makeup are all designed to emphasize the wearer's femininity;

I mean, we took Mad Men as a goddamn catalog. Literally! There were crossovers with J Crew! Fox News anchors still dress like that! We brought back the girdle in the shape of Spanx.

The bra situation has changed because the fashionable bust shape has changed. No more half-grapefruits pasted onto one's chest as we had in high school. Instead, the fashionable boob shape has gotten pointier, a bit more teardrop-y, more 1970s. People say it's a more "natural" look but of course that depends on what your bust "naturally" looks like (but it seems to be getting a bit more inclusive so yay). It's not just navigating visible bras/straps in the workplace -- Gen-Z is going to cause a reckoning about visible nipples, just you wait. The "t-shirt bra" is going to be a staple of the dated Millennial shape, trotted out for special occasions and uncomfortable formal wear or job interviews.
posted by Hypatia at 1:11 PM on June 15, 2021 [6 favorites]

As someone with two (!) hellacious front cowlicks who has to have a side part or else join the traveling hair circus, I reject this middle part nonsense.
posted by SinAesthetic at 3:31 PM on June 16, 2021 [6 favorites]

They'll get my skinny jeans when I die. I'm skinny, I'm tall, the things fit perfect. Sandals or chucks or these total dorkola oiled brown Dansko clogs that are so. damn. comfortable -- gawd. I don't give a damn if the pants or the dorkola shoes aren't cool. They fit perfect. They're comfortable as hell. I like how they look. That's good enough for me. I don't wear them every day -- can't wear them with boots plus I still like Levi's, Wranglers, whatever else -- I just wear them when I want to.
posted by dancestoblue at 9:56 PM on July 13, 2021