FashBlog.com

By Brandi M. Seals

By now I think it is well established that I hate when stupid trends from the past pop up again. There have been lots to complain about lately. First it started small with those lace gloves Madonna used to wear. Then it moved to a real atrocity - leggings and over sized shirts or leggings under skirts. Now I think it has gone too far. I know this latest thing will not even be picked up, but it still annoys me. What you ask could possibly be so horrific? I do not really know what to call these things. I guess the best way to describe them is to call them pants purses.

The other day I was shopping at my local JCPenney and I saw the most horrific thing - purses that looked like they were made from the waist and rise of jeans. They also had them made from a variety of colored cords. I remember these purses from when they were first suppose to be cool. It is a little fuzzy for me as it was the early 80s, but I definitely remember them.

Yeah, a purse that looks like a pair of pants is really what I want to wear out on the town. What kind of statement is that going to make? That I am too poor to buy a real purse so I have been sitting at my sewing machine all day whipping up this little number?

Like a long list of 80s horrors, I do not know why these are trying to make a come back. Based on the fullness of the display they were on, I would say that no one has been unfortunate enough to pick up one of these bad boys.

Honestly I do not know why anyone would want to buy one. After all, I think they used to be a homemade craft back in the day for any pair of pants that had seen better days. Why spend money on this atrocity when you can make a crappy replica at home? For that reason I really hope no one is crazy enough to really spend money on one.

The company's buyer must have had an off day when he or she decided that these things would sell. I can see it now, three months down the road the people at Penney's will finally realize that mystery of all mysteries, the purses really will not sell. I really wish I would have looked to see how much they were trying to sell them for. I guess it does not really matter. The ugly things will be marked down to $7.77 or lower and sold to anyone willing to pay that much for them.

By the way, that is a tip for anyone who shops at JCPenney. If you ever go and see something you like marked at a price ending in $.77, it means they will not clearance it out any lower unless it is during sidewalk sales. So you should buy anything that catches your eye when you see it has been marked down to a price point ending in $.77. I worked for Penney's for over 5 years; they implemented the $.77 thing around 2001 or 2002.

I would still advice avoiding the pants purses even if they become dirt cheap. You cannot take them anywhere. Perhaps they could be used as part of a Halloween costume or used for dress up for the kids. But really, no one would want to be seen in public with a pants purse. Shoot, if you have a real hankering for one, go down to the local Goodwill. I bet you find one, or at least a pair of pants that you can make into one.

I wonder what the next horrible fashion style will try to make a come back. Maybe people will start sporting overalls with one side unclipped. Maybe the fashion gurus will tell us that pants up to the breast will be hot. You never know what someone will try to pass off as fashionable. If your first thought is to laugh when you see something, then it is definitely a fad you will want to avoid. I would love to know if anyone else has seen any fashion atrocities recently.