Sorry. These 6 Things Are No Longer In Style And Are Making Us All Look Bad.
Quick! Name a trend you’d be thrilled to see go in 2025. Fine, we’ll start.
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by The Candidly Team
There are some things that come into style that we love so dearly that we’re determined to have them join the ranks of classic, timeless fashion. Wide-leg pants come to mind. Sneaks with dresses. High-waist jeans.
And then there are the trends we’re perfectly happy to watch ride off in the sunset. Uggs and miniskirts. Dresses over pants. Low-rise jeans.
But there are some trends that are more subtle. Trends that fall into a sort of meh-ish gray area. Trends we think are okay because they either blend in or stand out enough to make us feel comfortable. But the truth is these clothes are doing absolutely nothing for us. Especially after we hit about 40.
There are 7 such trends it’s time to give up. Here we’ll dive into what they are, why they don’t work, and most importantly, what to wear instead. We’re sure some of these will spark debate, but allow us to present our case:
1. Oversized Everything
The cold hard truth:
This looks “interesting” and “chic” on size 0 models who are 23 because everything looks sort of artful and “fashion” on them. But on us, it looks frumpy and stupid and even though we feel safe in it, no matter our age or body type, it’s not doing our over-40 bods ANY favors.
The alternative:
Tailored pieces that skim over curves. Think tapered waists, clean, crisp lines, or fit and flare cuts.
Cropped shirts and jackets. We can actually wear more flowy or boxy styles when the length isn’t too long, which makes our waist look narrower and legs look longer.
For example:
Our favorites:
THIS* sculpting blazer gives you a gorgeous, subtle hourglass.
THIS* leather jacket is the one we’ve been looking for all our lives. It hits at the most flattering spot possible to make our waists look nipped and our legs look longer.
THIS* cropped jean jacket has plenty of space, but the clean lines and short length create excellent proportions.
THIS* not-too-long tee, which couldn’t have a more classic fit that flatters arms and skims over belly pooches.
2. White top, black bottoms
The cold hard truth:
We’ve written about black and white being the chicest of combinations duos, however there is one common way of wearing them that does not work: white shirts with black bottoms. We know it sounds dumb, but the black has to be on the top and the white on the bottom. Why? A white top with black pants makes us look like waiters. Basic. Corporate. Blah. We swear, it’s the reason we often don’t quite feel satisfied or fully styled when we put on something black and white.
The Alternative:
White on the bottom with black on top: We actually wrote a whole article about why this looks so chic with lots of photos to prove it HERE.
Perfect-fitting, tailored pants in a non-black color.
Cream or oatmeal tops. It’s amazing how making it a warmer, off-white can eliminate the waitery-ness.
For example:
Our Favorites:
THESE* pants are not only the most flattering black trousers we’ve ever put on our bodies, but they also come in other perfect fall colors.
THIS* stretchy, smoothing pencil skirt is somehow 3X chicer in white than black and looks gorgeous with all our black tops.
THESE* are our favorite white pants that look so good on curves we aren’t even scared to wear white.
THIS* is THE sweater we live in all fall/winter, and the creamy oatmeal color looks great with any black bottom.
3. Shapeless tracksuits
The cold hard truth:
We’re all about comfy-chic and we’re all about sets, but there needs to be some smart tailoring to keep It all from looking frumpy and like we’ve just thrown in the towel where getting dressed is concerned.
The Alternative:
Smartly cut sets with long, wide-or straight-leg bottoms
Cropped or “clean girl” tops - sorry to use the expression, but you need a classic, cool factor for a tracksuit to work.
For example:
* Includes gifted items
4. Baggy-Bottomed Jeans
The cold hard truth:
To clarify, we are absolutely not talking about ALL wide-leg jeans or “mom” jeans or even barrel jeans. We’re talking about baggy-bottomed, weirdly-placed pocketed jeans that make our butts look atrocious. There’s just no reason to be wearing them when so many glorious denim options exist.
The Alternative:
Look for jeans that are more fitted on the butt with big back pockets that leave zero waist gap before cascading into whatever perfect, loose-fit leg you desire. Don’t worry. We have the jeans all picked out (at 3 different price points).
For example:
Our Favorites:
PAIGE* makes the hands down best-fitting jeans that flatter every single one of our curves. We wrote a whole article about it with plenty of photos (from behind) HERE. These jeans are an investment, though they’ll likely be your favorite one’s you own. And we do have a code to help: Use CANDIDLY15 for 15% off.
MADEWELL is our favorite midrange denim brand. We alternate between their super wide-leg jeans* and their perfect vintage jean* practically daily.
QUINCE* makes the best-quality, stretchiest, smoothest, and most flattering affordable jeans (each pair only costs $50). Every style we’ve tried from them has been good, though their straight-leg* is a big winner. We documented many of their styles with real try-on photos HERE.
* Includes gifted items
5. Loud prints front and center
The cold hard truth:
We mistakenly think throwing on a leopard top or a big flowered blouse is a quick way to look styled without having to give it too much thought, but loud, bright prints can come off overwhelming and cheaper than more subtle touches and styling.
The alternative:
We also love a good print, but it has to be very carefully placed in thoughtful, softer colors to be effective and not look cheap.
Choose tops with interesting cuts and textures.
Add more bold prints through accessories to elevate your look.
For example:
Our Favorites:
THESE* leopard boots are an example of something statement that can transform an all-black outfit without being too over the top à la Zsa Zsa Gabor.
THIS* bag from Clare V. comes in too many colors and patterns and prints we lust after. But they just came out in the subtlest leopard, and again, it just makes every neutral thing you wear a million times more styled and luxe-looking.
THIS* blouse from Sézane might be the most thoughtfully placed print we’ve ever seen on a blouse, but they have many beautiful, understated prints and interesting, textural tops that look wildly elegant and more expensive than they are.
THIS* top from Dôen is just one example of the brand’s singular, stunning cuts that are so romantic and gorgeous on a woman’s body. Their tops are lifetime pieces that cost a bit more, but we found some Dôen-esque versions for less that we wrote about HERE.
* Includes gifted items
6. Thin, loose sweaters
The cold hard truth:
It’s cashmere so it must be chic, right? Well, not when it’s shapeless and makes us look sad and schlumpy. Bad-fitting sweaters make us look bigger and bumpier. Whereas the good ones are the best thing we own.
The alternative:
More fitted knits
Oversized sweaters that are cropped
More tailored, flattering, and feminine cuts
For example:
Our Favorites:
THIS* completely cashmere tee is only $45. It comes in every color you could want and is pretty much the only top we want to wear until March.
THIS* Mongolian cashmere cardi also comes in a sea of pretty colors at and is the perfect skimming shape that reminds us of a certain viral $2,000 sweater. But it’s a tiny fraction of the price (less than a twelfth to be exact)
THIS* looks like your chicest little striped coat (we love a stripe) but it’s actually a knit cardi that turns anything you wear into a completely styled “look”
THIS* whipped yarn hoodie sweater is our favorite thing we’ve bought for fall. The softness is indescribable but it also hits at the most flattering length.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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