Spring Fashion Outlook: Top 10 Styles We'd like to Lose This Season

The changing seasons find us swapping our wardrobes, choosing clothing styles more suitable for warmer weather. Fashion designers are unveiling the latest looks and casting aside yesterday's apparel.

Cleaning out my own closet, I'm discarding these 10 ridiculous styles. Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed to admit owning any of these. Let's just say a few items were gifts. Please don't tell that I'm tossing them.

1. Colored Animal Prints

What creative genius dreamed up purple leopard or green zebra prints? That wild blouse is not eco-friendly or figure-flattering, so it's going to the thrift store. Even the zoo wouldn't take it.

2. Colored Camouflage

Camouflage is great for hunters or soldiers, who choose subtle hues for blending into the background. Pink and tan camouflage cargo pants stand out for all the wrong reasons. What military does a fuchsia flak jacket support? Goodbye, mixed message!

3. Faux Furs and Leathers

Animal rights activists ought to protest faux furs and fake leathers. Perhaps no actual creatures were harmed in the making of that shiny jacket, but onlookers' eyes may be burned by the sight. Pleather is no pleasure, even for the wearer, and a man-made mink is a desecration of decoration.

4. Fuzzy Vests

Ban the bulk! Real lambs are shorn in the spring, so it must be time to shed those loopy synthetic fuzzy vests. Snowmen are melting, and even the Abominable Snowman would find these over-the-top tops to be abominations.

5. Jeggings

Stretch denim leggings can go jump. Jeggings are the epitome of fashion indecision, and it's time to take a stand. Will you join me? Be bold. Be strong. Pick jeans or leggings, and be done with it already.

6. Pajama Jeans

Real grownups carped about youth flaunting pajama pants in public, so clothing manufacturers offered this quirky compromise. Denim-colored flannel or cotton knit PJ pants are supposed to fake out onlookers. Raise your hand, if you've ever mistaken pajama jeans for real pants. I didn't think so.

7. Rompers

One-piece outfits with shorts, bloomers or pantaloons may look adorable on toddlers, but abhor-able on adults. Let's send those rompers to the swamps, unless they come in tiny sizes with snap-tape crotches for diaper changes.

8. Rubber Clogs

Gardeners swear by rubber clogs, not for fashion, but because all manner of mush hoses off easily. These casual shoes may be great for the pool or beach, but they offer neither style nor arch support. Charmed, bedazzled or plain, rubber clogs are not grown-up footwear.

9. Socks with High Heels

For two terrifying years, knee socks and anklets have appeared under skirts with high heels. This style, perhaps intended as a funked-up version of long-lost legwarmers, reminds us of the stereotypical tourist with his baggy, droopy socks. Let's lose this fashion foible fast. Pick panty hose, or dare to go bare, but skip the socks.

10. Three-Quarter Sleeves

Sleeve-tugging has become epidemic with the resurgence of this indecisive style. The three-quarter sleeve fits neither climate nor clothier. Ever tried to slip into a jacket or sweatshirt with one of these tops? Can't we just pick a long-sleeved shirt and push the arms up, or go all-out and toss on a tee?

The new season will bring remarkable and ridiculous fashions of its own. Mind-boggling trends will persist, as long as style-hungry shoppers continue to snatch them up. In the meantime, I'm making room for fashion finds by shedding old dogs that have outlived their wardrobe welcome.

Sources:
Closet Finds (Don't ask.)

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