Sartorial error

[STN]

When I was about 15 or 16, I went to Sheri's on Ganton Street and bought a three-button, two-vent dogtooth suit. I used to wear it quite a lot (with a black shirt and a white tie) and I thought I looked RAD and that girls were bowled over by my dangerous mod panache.

I found some photos the other day, and actually I just look like Rodney Trotter out on a date. So, come on, we're all friends here, what are your gravest sartorial errors? I'd propose a game of photo poker ("I'll see your furry-collared bodywarmer and raise you bondage trousers and a crass t-shirt with an open hawaiian shirt over to the top"), but frankly, I'd destroy the lot of you, so appallingly dressed a teenager was I.

 

[swears]

Between the ages of 13-18 I was really scrawny, but most clothes on sale were quite baggy with it being the 90s/early 00s. So I constanly had t-shirts down to my knees and the hems of my jeans dragging along the floor. Quite conseravtive styles/colours, though. (I went through shedloads of plain black t-shirts.) But I didn't really give a shit about clothes then, and I don't really now. As long as I don't look like a complete knob, I'm happy.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Don't diss Hawai'ian shirts! I used to wear them a lot more than I do now, but I still dust 'em off every now and then. I think they're great.

 

[tom pr]

Don't diss Hawai'ian shirts! I used to wear them a lot more than I do now, but I still dust 'em off every now and then. I think they're great.

Oh christ. I used to live in those things when I was around 15, and I still have no idea why. Big baggy bastards too...

 

[stelfox]

i went to a boarding school where the default out-of-uniform uniform was black jeans, black shirts, black band t-shirts, black everything. as pretty much everyone there was very white, very middle-class and there were lots of servicemen's kids in the mix, it was cool to be a bit punk/gothy — rebelling in the most conformative way possible.
i got very pissed off with this sea of dark colours, smiths t-shirts and cardigans at around 14/15 and decided to be as colourful as possible. for about three years i wore skinhead-style tie-bleached 501s, converse all stars in bright pink, yellow, green, whatever was the most ludicrous colour i could find, and rarely the same colour on both feet, pinstripe trousers, loud checked golfing pants, plus fours, crepe soled brothel creepers, second hand platform shoes, ridiculous hawaiian shirts, floral blouses, seventies shirts in purple rayon. other favourites were pyjamas as daywear, or vintage silk dressing gowns over trousers and shirts with cravats in a noel coward-style, velvet smoking jackets and ruffled shirts, tuxedo jackets with cummerbunds and even a full safari suit complete with pith helmet that one of my mates grandads gave him.
basically the more idiotic it looked and the more of a laugh it would get, the better. every day was like my own personal costume party. it also really annoyed people. it got particulary ludicrous when I came downstairs after classes wearing a kilt. my housemaster told me to change. i refused and was sent to the headmaster. i said it was my right as a member of the clan macclean to wear a kilt whenever i liked and he called my mum and dad, who, on principle stuck up for me, but i'm sure thought i was a complete moron privately. i wore it reasonably often after that.
when i was at home i was reasonably conseravtively dressed.
thankfully, i don't think any photographic evidence exists of this.
we also had a bad taste day on our final saturday of classes. i wore black jeans, a smiths t-shirt, desert boots and a cardigan.

 

[STN]

i went to a boarding school where the default out-of-uniform uniform was black jeans, black shirts, black band t-shirts, black everything. as pretty much everyone there was very white, very middle-class and there were lots of servicemen's kids in the mix, it was cool to be a bit punk/gothy — rebelling in the most conformative way possible.
i got very pissed off with this sea of dark colours, smiths t-shirts and cardigans at around 14/15 and decided to be as colourful as possible. for about three years i wore tie-bleached 501s, converse all stars in bright pink, yellow, green, whatever was the most ludicrous colour i could find, and rarely the same colour on both feet, pinstripe trousers, loud checked golfing pantsm plus fours, second hand platform shoes, ridiculous hawaiian shirts, floral blouses, seventies shirts in purple rayon. other favourites were pyjamas as daywear, or vintage silk dressing gowns over trousers and shirts with cravats in a noel coward-style, velvet smoking jackets and ruffled shirts, and even a full safari suit complete with pith helmet that one of my mates grandads gave him.
basically the more idiotic it looked and the more of a laugh it would get, the better. every day was like my own personal costume party. it also really annoyed people. it got particulary ludicrous when I came downstairs after classes wearing a kilt. my housemaster told me to change. i refused and was sent to the headmaster. i said it was my right as a member of the clan macclean to wear a kilt whenever i liked and he called my mum and dad, who, on principle stuck up for me, but i'm sure thought i was a complete moron privately. i wore it reasonably often after that.

I am humbled.

 

[swears]

rebelling in the most conformative way possible.

I remember a group of Rage Against the Machine fans at my school who were the biggest conformists ever, ultra-petty and small minded. They would take the piss out of you for listening to hip hop. (Obviously RATM vocalist is the only tru-school shit, you see.)

 

[stelfox]

those were the days when in provincial charity shops you could literally buy a whole trash bag full of mental seventies clothes for about a tenner.

 

[STN]

kensington market was a godsend for the undiscerning teen. I remember buying a pair of bluebolt jeans so baggy that they had a loop on them that you hooked over your toes before putting your shoes on to ensure maximum possible resemblance to MC Hammer.

 

[stelfox]

man, harem pants would have been a godsend, but sadly these were pre-hammer days

 

[gek-opel]

i went to a boarding school where the default out-of-uniform uniform was black jeans, black shirts, black band t-shirts, black everything. as pretty much everyone there was very white, very middle-class and there were lots of servicemen's kids in the mix, it was cool to be a bit punk/gothy — rebelling in the most conformative way possible.
i got very pissed off with this sea of dark colours, smiths t-shirts and cardigans at around 14/15 and decided to be as colourful as possible. for about three years i wore skinhead-style tie-bleached 501s, converse all stars in bright pink, yellow, green, whatever was the most ludicrous colour i could find, and rarely the same colour on both feet, pinstripe trousers, loud checked golfing pants, plus fours, crepe soled brothel creepers, second hand platform shoes, ridiculous hawaiian shirts, floral blouses, seventies shirts in purple rayon. other favourites were pyjamas as daywear, or vintage silk dressing gowns over trousers and shirts with cravats in a noel coward-style, velvet smoking jackets and ruffled shirts, tuxedo jackets with cummerbunds and even a full safari suit complete with pith helmet that one of my mates grandads gave him.
basically the more idiotic it looked and the more of a laugh it would get, the better. every day was like my own personal costume party. it also really annoyed people. it got particulary ludicrous when I came downstairs after classes wearing a kilt. my housemaster told me to change. i refused and was sent to the headmaster. i said it was my right as a member of the clan macclean to wear a kilt whenever i liked and he called my mum and dad, who, on principle stuck up for me, but i'm sure thought i was a complete moron privately. i wore it reasonably often after that.
when i was at home i was reasonably conseravtively dressed.
thankfully, i don't think any photographic evidence exists of this.
we also had a bad taste day on our final saturday of classes. i wore black jeans, a smiths t-shirt, desert boots and a cardigan.

This is fucking brilliant...

Though the last bit reminds me of "no uniform day" at school... where obviously I was the only one wearing the uniform... the head of 6th form rightly noting the pure perversity of it...

However: I realise I have an urgent need for a safari suit and pith helmet...!

My own worst sartorial error was wearing an Eagle t-shirt which I picked up aged 11 at a bird sanctuary on the south coast, and given my skinny form I insisted on wearing it up to ten years later- as a guide to quite how awful it looked, if anyone's seen "Flight of the Conchords" (off HBO) the character called Brett has a similarly ghastly collection of tacky animal themed clothing, all rendered in a horrible painterly style reminiscent of a particularly gruesome "collector's" plate as advertised in the radio times circa the mid 90s...

 

[matt b]

vision street wear. unforgiveable.

 

[STN]

vision street wear. unforgiveable.

I don't even know what this is.

Martin, surely the anorak would have had 'Casual' credibility, especially when worn with stupid cords, hush puppies and a pink jumper?

Anyone rock Dosse Posse?

 

[matt b]

terrible garish skateboard attire from the late '80s.

had a quick look for some examples, but it seems even the internet has banished everything bar the shoes.

however i did find this:http://www.whenwewasrad.co.uk/

which has this example of 'the look'



woo hoo!

 

[martin]

Martin, surely the anorak would have had 'Casual' credibility, especially when worn with stupid cords, hush puppies and a pink jumper?

It had cunt credibility for sure

 

[swears]

Actually, looking at my clothes now, I wear almost exactly the same stuff as I did ten ten years ago, only tight instead of baggy.

I still wear the same grey Adidas T-shirt I wore to a millenium NYE bash nearly 8 years ago. It fits now though.

 

[nomadologist]

In the early 90s, did people in the UK wear hugely baggy t-shirts with only the front tucked into colored (maroon, aqua, teal) jeans (tapered at the ankle) with the hem rolled up to look even more "genie-like"?

Because people here did.

 

[Lichen]

Calf high cuban-heeled winklepickers with studded ankle band things.

I clearly remember my older cousin looking at me up and down and saying, shaking his head slowly and saying: "one day you'll look back and wonder what on earth you were thinking"


How I laughed...

 

[Lichen]

In the early 90s, did people in the UK wear hugely baggy t-shirts with only the front tucked into colored (maroon, aqua, teal) jeans (tapered at the ankle) with the hem rolled up to look even more "genie-like"?

Because people here did.

improvised Hammer pants?

 

[Dunninger]

terrible garish skateboard attire from the late '80s.

had a quick look for some examples, but it seems even the internet has banished everything bar the shoes.

however i did find this:http://www.whenwewasrad.co.uk/

which has this example of 'the look'



woo hoo!

You're kidding, right? I'd never wear that stuff today, but I still think this silly late 80s skateboard look is cool ... sort of.

A friend of mine still has a pair of Airwalk Vic from that time that he wears occasionally.