11 Filipino fashion trends you wore that will make you cringe today

by Pacifiqa Staff

 

Trends come and go for a reason. What’s cool now will become baduy the next season. Such is the transience of trends: Nobody wears elephant pants in the 2010s. But for all their temporariness, trendy clothes are indicators of specific time periods: Nothing says 90s chic more than a cachupoy and a zigzag hair part. That’s why thrift stores, repositories of all things that used to be cool, are havens for those who love to dwell in the past. We love feeling sentimental about the hideous clothes that didn’t seem so hideous when we had worn them. In the spirit of nostalgia, and as a sort of cautionary guide for your sartorial choices, here’s a rundown of the fashion trends we miss but hope won’t be making a comeback soon.

 

Butterfly and fake braid hair clips

Blame Jolina Magdangal for making butterfly and fake braid hair clips the 90s hair accessories of choice. Girls, if you were in preschool and grade school at the time, we’re guessing you begged your mothers to please buy you a butterfly or a faux braid hair clip. Nothing said cool like a glittery hair clip that flapped at the slightest touch, or one that was attached with a fake lock of hair. PS: There were also butterfly rings. Thanks, Jolens. What would we have done without you?

 

Trucker caps

Oh trucker caps. Woe that you will forever be associated with the jEjeM0n subculture. Sometimes we get the urge to knock you off of a head or two. May you ever be precariously perched on jejeboys’ heads, and in our hearts. We still see you from time to time, but we won’t be sad to see you go.

 

Elephant pants

Skinny jeans may still be your preferred type of pants today, but back in the 2000s, elephant pants were all the rage. We loved how elephant pants (ele-pants?) promised us extreme comfort, big and loose as they were. We loved how wearing them affected us with a DGAF attitude like Eminem. But man, how we hated the whale tails and the butt cracks unceremoniously exposed by those pants.

 

Zigzag hair part

Okay, let’s be honest. Who here was unfortunately photographed sporting a zigzag hair part in their yearbook picture? It’s alright to admit this now. Frankly, it was kinda cute. It sounds ridiculous to sport a mini version of the Kennon Road on your scalp, but you have to admire the intricacy that goes into creating a zigzag hair part.

 

Flip-flops as pang-alis footwear

With the launch of Havaianas in the Philippines, it was suddenly chic to include flip-flops in your pang-alis wardrobe. (Filipinos still follow the pambahay vs pang-alis fashion dichotomy.) Over the years, we’ve been introduced to a variety of flip-flops, from platform slip-ons to flip-flops that made it look as though fruit trays or US presidents were sprouting between your toes. The flip-flop trend wasn’t so bad, considering that we live in a tropical country. Then again, exposing one’s toes in public isn’t something to be taken lightly. Just make sure you have clean, non-stinky feet before flip-flopping your way to a housewarming party.

 

Inter-barangay basketball jerseys

Hey guys, we know you’re proud of your championship-winning liga, but for the love of Kobe, stop wearing your inter-barangay basketball jerseys like it’s no big deal. We get that Filipinos are obsessed with basketball, but sometimes, you just have to separate your passion from your fashion. That sounds corny, but tucking said passion into a pair of maong pants is inexcusable. Unless you’re a One Direction member, that is.

 

Flying shoes

Flying shoes are rubber shoes with wheels. Wearing running shoes with denim pants is considered a fashion crime today. But how about wearing flying shoes with denim pants? That’s slightly cooler, right?

 

Loom band accessories

Loom bands were a crazy and dangerous phenomenon: From children to adults to Pope Francis, we’ve seen people hunched over their looms, crafting stuff out of colorful rubber bands. People with too much time and loom bands on their hands made all sorts of accessories: scarves, necklaces, bracelets, coats, hats, heck, even lingerie. Do loom bands look stylish? They’re pretty to look at, but not as good when they’re already worn. We also heard wearing colorful “friendship bracelets” went out of fashion in Grade Two.

 

Emo hair

Emo hair was a testament to everything that went down when Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was still THE band to listen to. Guys with side-swept bangs strummed their guitars while singing off-key versions of “Your Guardian Angel,” making many girls swoon. Is that still likely to happen today? We doubt it. Did those emo guys see properly with just one eye? We doubt it, too.

 

Statement shirts

Statement shirts have been around for a long time, and we love how bold and effortlessly fashionable they can be. Isn’t fashion about self-expression, making statements and all that? But can we say the same for mass-produced statement shirts? Are you really making a statement if thousands of other people can buy the same shirt from an RTW outlet store? Why are we asking so many questions about t-shirts?

 

The cachupoy

The cachupoy was the definitive male haircut of the 90s. Parted down the middle, hair flanked the sides of the temples like open curtains. Leonardo Dicaprio sported a modified version of it in “Titanic,” so did Bobby Andrews, Onemig Bondoc, et al. in “TGIS.” All the 90s boy bands had at least one member who had a cachupoy: Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, Ben Adams of A1, and Stephen Gately of Boyzone. Westlife notably had three members who rocked this hairstyle.

 

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