15 Clothing Trends from the Past That Were Just Plain Strange
From medieval codpieces to neon meggings, these fashion moments left people wondering, “What were we thinking?”
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
Fashion has always pushed boundaries, but some trends from the past veered straight into the bizarre. Whether rooted in class status, rebellion, or pure experimentation, these styles reveal how clothing often reflects more than taste but how it mirrors the times. While we may cringe at ruffs and hobble skirts today, each strange look tells a story about identity, aspiration, and culture.
1. Hobble Skirts (1910s)
Image from Wikipedia
These ultra-tight skirts were so narrow at the ankles that women could barely walk. They looked elegant from afar but caused plenty of stumbles, sometimes requiring the wearer to take baby steps or even hop. It was fashion that literally restricted freedom of movement.
2. Codpieces (15th–16th Century Europe)
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Men once wore padded, often jeweled coverings over their crotches called codpieces, designed to exaggerate masculinity. What started as a practical solution to pants that split in the middle turned into a weird symbol of virility. Henry VIII famously rocked them like medieval bling.
3. Plastic Dresses (1960s)
Anh Tuan Thomas from Unsplash
Designers in the ’60s went space-age, using see-through PVC and vinyl to make “futuristic” plastic dresses. The look was shiny, stiff, and squeaky — basically wearing a shower curtain in public. They were less about comfort and more about shock value on the runway.
4. Crakows (15th Century)
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These medieval shoes had toes so long they had to be tied to the knee to keep them from flopping. The longer the toe, the higher your status — some stretched over 24 inches. They were banned in some places for being impractical and ridiculous.
5. Shoulder Pads (1980s)
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In an attempt to power up their look, everyone from businesswomen to pop stars wore jackets with comically oversized shoulder pads. The silhouette made people look like linebackers in suits. They were bold, boxy, and now mostly regretted.
6. Ruff Collars (16th Century Europe)
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The Elizabethan era gave us ruff collars — giant pleated rings around the neck, stiffened with starch and often wired for structure. Wearing one made turning your head a whole ordeal. They screamed wealth but also made you look like a walking cupcake.
7. Jams Shorts (1980s)
Marcel Strauß from Unsplash
Jams were wildly colorful, knee-length shorts with bold, clashing patterns that made you look like a tropical accident. Surfers in Hawaii made them cool, and suddenly they were everywhere. They were loud, carefree, and borderline absurd.
8. Leg Warmers (1980s)
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Originally for dancers to keep their muscles warm, leg warmers spilled into street fashion thanks to Flashdance and Jane Fonda. People wore them over jeans, with skirts, or just randomly layered like tube socks. They served almost no practical purpose outside the studio.
9. Zoot Suits (1940s)
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These suits had ridiculously long jackets, high-waisted pants, and wide-legged trousers that ballooned out. They were rebellious, flashy, and made for dancing — but also led to tension during the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots. The look was part fashion, part political statement, part peacock display.
10. Men’s Heels (17th Century)
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Before they were women’s staples, high heels were symbols of male power, worn by French aristocrats like King Louis XIV. His red heels were so iconic, only nobility could wear them. Today, imagining kings in stilettos feels bizarre — but back then, it was height and swagger.
11. Hammer Pants (1990s)
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MC Hammer made these pants famous — ultra baggy, low-crotch, and somehow always in motion. They looked like parachutes sewn together and made no anatomical sense. However, for a few years, every dance floor had at least one person “too legit to quit” in them.
12. Farthingales (16th Century)
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These were enormous hoop skirts worn under dresses to widen the hips dramatically. Women took up entire rooms in them, knocking over furniture just to sit. Fashion in this era was all about exaggerated silhouette — even if it meant navigating doorways sideways.
13. Paper Dresses (1960s)
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Yes, actual dresses made from disposable paper were a brief but real fad in the late ‘60s. They were cheap, colorful, and intended for one-time wear — sort of the fast fashion predecessor. One wrong move, and you could literally tear your outfit apart.
14. Panniers (18th Century France)
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Imagine your hips stretching out three feet on either side. That’s what panniers did — wide side hoops that made skirts look like tables. Marie Antoinette rocked them, but even sitting required contortionist-level planning.
15. Meggings (2010s)
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Men’s leggings — or “meggings” — briefly emerged as a streetwear trend, usually in bold prints or metallic colors. They clung to every curve and sparked debates about masculinity in spandex. Not many could pull them off, and fewer dared to try.