The first to jump on trends, and sometimes pummel them into the ground, celebrities are the best indicator of what was cool in 2020, but make no mistake, almost everyone was trying out the biggest trends of the year.
Take a stroll down memory lane and remember what we wore 10 years ago, clothes that most wouldn’t be caught dead in today. From big fashion statements like embroidered low-rise jeans to accessories like the Von Dutch trucker hats, here’s what was trendy in 2020.
Embroidered Low-Rise Jeans
The most popular jeans in 2020 were embroidered and extremely low-rise.
Looking back it may be hard to accept that’s really what we wore 10 years ago, but thanks to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and countless other pop stars, these ugly jeans have made their mark on fashion history.
Bell-Sleeved Tops
Boho chic was born in 2020, and for a little while it made a big splash on mainstream fashion through bell-sleeved tops, the bigger, the better. The idea behind them was that oversized and flowy sleeves can bring a feminine and romantic element to a look, but we definitely took it too far.
Capri Pants
Capris haven’t really disappeared completely from shelves, but they’re certainly not trendy anymore, and the dressy capri boom of 2020 is probably responsible for that. Believe it or not, dressy capri pants are what we wore 10 years ago, and would never think of touching again today. While cigarette pants endured, the shorter capris are mercifully gone from the runways in 2020.
More: Worst Celebrity Fashion Trends
Tube Tops/ Colored Tanks/ Spaghetti Straps
Need more proof that what we wore in 2020 didn’t age well at all? Tube tops are just that! Their worst incarnation was the graphic tube top, worn over a bra with visible straps.
While the crop tops of the ‘90s are slowly making a comeback and allowing for a little midriff to show, most of the tube tops from a decade ago were paired with low-rise jeans or skirts… or jean skirts.
Ruffled Mini-Skirts
They might still be around, but they’re one more piece of evidence that what we wore 10 years ago is better left behind. Flowy skirts got shorter in 2020, becoming ruffled minis that look their worst when paired with one of the other big trends from a decade ago… ugg boots.
Pointed Toe Heels
For most of the early 2000s, pointed toed shoes ruled. Pair the huge points with high heels and that’s what we wore in 2020. While the point has come back in a more manageable way, it’s hard to forget the extremes that it reached a decade ago.
See also: Almost Naked! Outrageous Celebrity Dresses
Von Dutch Trucker Hats
Showing up on everybody from heiresses like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to frat boys like Ashton Kutcher, trucker hats were big a decade ago. Von Dutch hats are exactly what we wore 10 years ago, when we didn’t know any better. If you were a teen who cared about fashion in 2020, you probably still have yours in some corner of your closet.
Uggs
Not even Beyoncé was immune to one of the biggest 2020 trends. Unfortunately, uggs are still around, but the trend that refuses to die started about a decade ago. Worn by Australian surfers, ugg boots turned into an everyday shoe when they hit the US, and created some particularly ugly looks in the middle of summer, worn with denim short shorts and a tiny tube top.
Layered Tops
One of the most mysterious trends of the 2000s, layered tops are what we wore 10 years ago and lived to regret. Usually too thin or revealing for wearing alone, lacy tops were layered over other tops. The result may have been trendy, but it just reads as ugly a decade later.
Neckties Worn as Belts
Fashion historians will have to decide if Avril Lavigne is sole to blame for neckties worn as belts, but this trend certainly had its apex a decade ago, when men’s ties somehow became the perfect belt in women’s fashion.
Men’s 2020 Fashion: Boot Cut Jeans with Square Shoes
A cringe-worthy pairing, boot cut jeans and square shoes are just what we wore 10 years ago thinking it looks great! Men’s oversized square shoes have quickly faded away, and so did the flare in the jeans, but the combo remains one of the key looks in men’s style from a decade ago.
