With over 9 years of outfits documented here on my blog, it can be a real kick to go back into the archives. Back when I first started this blog, I was taking photos with a point and shoot camera on a tripod behind my office building. Everything was blurry. Plus, everything was inspired by the bloggers I was discovering along with what was trending on Pinterest.
I think it’s safe to say back in 2011 and 2012, the trends were uh, not so wonderful. Sure it was the style then, but man it’s cringe-worthy looking back. And let’s just hope these things don’t come back into style! From the neon bauble necklaces to anything and everything peplum, and the beloved Chicwish piece of shit midi skirts, it’s all painful to look at now. So let’s walk down memory lane and see all the horrible trends that took place that we ALL thought were fashion must-haves.
Anything Peplum
This was obviously a major trend for a few years, but honestly who allowed this one to get out to the masses? Hey, let’s just make the widest part of our body look EVEN BIGGER! I ate up the peplum trend from big peplums, to minimal peplums, to peplum skirts and peplum sweaters. No peplum was off-limits to me. This look was embraced by yours truly from the start of my blog up until just a few years ago. It’s probably the longest-lasting trend in this roundup.
Just Say No To Neon
If you didn’t own a neon BaubleBar necklace, were you really a blogger? There are few people who still make this trend work and I actually like it on THEM but hate it on ME. Obviously, it’s evolved, but for me, I will always be saying no to neon. I clearly loved a good yellow and hot pink neon combination. Even down to the shoes.
Full Midi Skirts, Preferably From Chicwish
I will say, I don’t hate the idea of a full midi skirt still. When done right I think it could work and is such a feminine pretty look. Obviously, that isn’t me but clearly I was dressing “for the blog” back then and now I dress well, just for me.
But there was a time when I had to get my hands on a Chicwish midi skirt in a ridiculous print only because it was what bloggers were doing. I can at least admit I don’t think I ever wore this hideous flamingo midi skirt or floral one in public. They were typically just gifted items from Chicwish that I had to have because it was on-trend.
Statement Necklaces
I never did get my hands on the ever so popular bubble necklace from J.Crew (they were insanely expensive!). Instead, I did what most other bloggers did back in the day and bought everything from BaubleBar. Or J.Crew Factory. I had all the neon chunky statement necklaces or Kendra Scott neon pendant necklaces. I’m ashamed. As someone who only wears dainty gold jewelry, I don’t know what I was thinking.
Going through the archives was fun and honestly, kind of embarrassing. It’s really wild to see how influenced I was by my fellow bloggers and the trends going on at the time. Realizing that most of the pieces I rarely wore, or wore just for the blog, proves that you shouldn’t be influenced by what’s hot just because it’s hot. I see you neon tie-dye and biker shorts, and I rebuke you.
Clearly, I was also much younger and figuring out my personal style and how to run this blog. I’m happy to say that I’ve grown, learned and evolved. But the real question is, what will I look back on in 5 years in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and cringe over? Maybe the plastic Birkenstocks? Maybe the high waisted jeans? I guess only time will tell.
