Ah, the 2010s! An era of sheer style chaos and fashion experiments that some of us might prefer to forget. It was the decade when girls strutted in their peplum tops and big gaudy bags, flashing BlackBerry phones like an accessory, while boys bounced in their Timberland boots and rocked flannel shirts as jackets — what a time to be alive.
Fashion is ever-evolving, and trends are constantly resurfacing; with Y2K and old Nollywood coming back in 2022, we’re left to wonder if the 2010s are the next to take centre stage. While the decade brought us many quirky trends that have been memorable, there’s no denying that some from that time were cringe-worthy, to say the least.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the fashion styles that we hope never make a comeback.
Carrot Jeans
This trend left us scratching our heads in confusion and ankles in discomfort. Whoever thought it cool to add elastic bands to the ends of already skinny trousers must have been a masochist. Even worse were the ones that came with drawstrings. The waist was already elastic, how were the drawstrings even necessary? It’s as though we loved to suffer in discomfort.
Ama Kip Kip and My Money Grows Like Grass T-shirts
Ama pass on this one. In the wild streets of the 2010s, Ama Kip Kip and My Money Grows Like Grass shirts were an inescapable trend. Despite being made by separate brands, these shirts were fused into one shared disgust. Guys used to confidently sport these shirts with their fresh supra and hat tilted up in 2010 WizKid fashion. I bet they look back and cringe now.
Colour Blocking
Back in the 2010s, you couldn’t walk 30 mins without seeing a fine aunty rocking a yellow blouse with green trousers, a red belt or another type of colour-blocking combo. With how we confidently mixed and matched these bold hues, it almost felt like we were training to become human traffic lights.
Pumps
Remember those shoes with towering platforms and sky-high stilettos? In their heyday, pumps were a favourite among fashionistas but now we can’t help but gag at the thought of trying to walk in those gravity-defying shoes, especially the ones without heels! Let’s admit it; those eye-catching shoes were more architectural wonders than practical footwear, and they certainly weren’t for the faint of heart. They were so loved that a variety of designs emerged. We wore them with their excessive embellishments – from studs to spikes and everything in between. While they were meant to make bold statements, they often ended up looking more like walking art installations than stylish accessories.
But perhaps the cringiest of them all were the pumps covered in animal prints. Leopard, zebra, cheetah – you name it, yet we wore them on our feet!!!
Looking back, it’s hard to believe we thought those wild patterns were the epitome of chic.
Jeggings
When jeggings were first introduced, they came with a fresh wave that ignited a sense of new-age style. They were the unexpected fashion piece that took us by surprise and, for a time, offered more comfort than traditional jeans. The bad side however is that we ended up strolling around in tights with poorly drawn-on jean designs, thinking we looked cool.
Striped Lycra Pencil Skirts
Under normal circumstances this shouldn’t be on the list, but with the number of times we saw it, it definitely deserves a spot here. It wasn’t enough that pencil skirts and stripes were already having huge moments, what was the need to merge them? The design wasn’t just bad, it was bland.
What made this trend especially annoying was how you could count on everyone having it in their wardrobes.
Caribbean skirts
Nigerians woke up one day and decided they wanted to dress like islanders. Partly inspired by Bohemian fashion, the flowy multicoloured skirts were popular for the slight edge and exoticism they brought. Together with bulky neck pieces and white tank tops, Caribbean skirts had Nigerian women swooning for years until their overwhelming presence and difficulty in styling made people pull back.
Maternity Gowns With Abortion Belts
The 2010s version of Rich Aunty Vibes was a resurface of 90s trend. The chokehold that the belts had on Nigerian women in this era cannot be overstated. Maternity gowns can be stylish but I think it’s better to leave it for pregnant women rather than non-pregnant women who look oversized in it and force it to fit with a heinously large belt.
Three-quarter trousers
Three-quarter trousers feel like the weirder distant cousins of the 00s dress-over-pants trend. Both trends missed the mark but three-quarter trousers were arguably worse. The length was odd, and people weren’t quite sure how to style them. It was a failed fashion experiment that we all collectively decided to forget about.
Two-piece Jeans
At some point in the 2010s, we shifted from colour blocking to matchy-matchy, where we wanted every part of our outfit to coordinate perfectly. This marked the birth of two-piece jeans – pairing our jeans with a matching jacket. But things went a bit too far when we decided to add waistcoats into the mix.
The waistcoat has made a comeback in a more stylish way with the dark academia trend but we have high doubts that two-piece jeans will be just as fashionable if they were to return.
Harem pants
The trend that brought a touch of Bollywood fashion to Nigerian waters. For a brief moment, it seemed like everyone was rocking those comfortable yet awkward looking trousers. They might not have been as common as some other items on this list, but you definitely couldn’t escape seeing them.
Wedge sneakers
Fashion has had its wild moments, and wedge sneakers were definitely one of them. While some raved about their comfort, others maintained that the styling execution of the shoes looked ridiculous and we agree. It seemed like the ultimate symbol of cool and uniqueness back then, but looking back, it’s just like wearing Converses with a fancy dress, but 2.0.
It’s hard to picture a future where this comes back and fits into our style evolution, we hope to never have to relive it.
Even though some of these 2010s fashion trends may seem cringe-worthy now, they were a product of their time – a reflection of the bold and daring fashion choices of the era.
As we move forward into new fashion frontiers, remember that style is subjective, and what may seem trendy today could become cringe-worthy tomorrow.