Image via Complex Original
It's great that fashion and style have achieved a new kind of relevance for the modern man. Besides the guys with a penchant for dressing to the nines in double-breasted suits, benchmade shoes, and precisely tailored trousers, you've also got the more casual guy mixing in high-end fashion brands with snapbacks and streetwear. Hell, even basics like hoodies, sweatpants, and graphic tees have been done up by designers like Riccardo Tisci, Alexander Wang, and Rick Owens.
And you can't deny that a lot of these more flamboyant menswear patterns—floral, leopard prints, and polka dots, have long had their place in womenswear. But beyond Kanye West wearing a women's Céline tunic at Coachella and Lil Wayne rocking jeggings at the VMAs, it seems some men are simply getting too carried away with this shit. The key to a well-dressed man is just enough subtlety—no guy ever wants to scream "fashion" with a capital F. Some trends should just stay in your girl's closet. Be wary of these 10 Womenswear Trends Men Should Never Touch.
Crop Tops
If you're a ripped dude at the gym, this isn't even a good look, it's just accepted because you're working out and look like you could rip a dude in half. Otherwise, you've got no excuse—unless you wanna show off your navel piercing.
Short Shorts
Where's the breathing room? While this trend was big in the '80s, men were eventually enlightened about their nudity like Adam and Eve. An inch or two above the knee is optimal to avoid making you look like you're wearing Daisy Dukes, without seeming like you're rocking highwaters either.
Too Many Bracelets
Leave the arm parties for the ladies and rock a nice timepiece instead. One quality watch stunts a hundred times more than ten dollar store bracelets.
Man Tights
Unless you're in ballet or on the football field, there's hardly ever a reason a guy should be rocking tights. Even then, when compression pants are necessary for cold weather training, you're probably throwing a pair of looser fitting shorts up top for dignity's sake. No one needs to see what you're packing.
Skirts
Nothing says "don't date me" more than a man wearing a skirt. Sure, Kanye wore a leather kilt on stage, designer Marc Jacobs is hardly ever seen not in one, and historically, you've got men like William "Braveheart" Wallace rocking them into battle. But let's not forget—Braveheart was executed. Our point is: the guys that can rock this thing successfully can either wear whatever they want—or handle a broadsword well enough that no one gave them shit about it. You probably can't do either.
Excessive Piercings
Remember when the extent of ridiculous piercing for dudes was the amount of bling in your ears? We miss those days. No one wants to look like a human meat rack—with all those pieces of industrial metal poking out every which way. Subtle nose piercings are cool (sup, Pharrell?) but this Givenchy piece is a little much. Keep it simple.
Harem Pants
Must this even be discussed? Nobody needs THIS much room for their junk. Unless you're the elephant man. In which case, you probably have bigger problems to worry about.
Sheer T-shirts
No one wants to see your nipples. While a dope look might be layering a mesh tank under a button down or other shirt, the point is that's not the only layer you're rocking. You don't want to be the guy that's going everywhere pretty much topless.
OD Floral Prints
Even though we rock with floral print heavily there are many ways it can go awry. When worn as a shirt, tie, pocket square, or socks—where it can be balanced out with solid pants or a jacket, floral pants and floral bags veer into grandma territory. Don't get too carried away, and don't rock clothes that are funnier than you are.
Man Bags That Look Like Purses
This a prime example of one cool guy doing it and everybody else just eating it up. If your girl can accidentally mistake your calfskin bag for hers, let it go immediately. Backpacks, briefcases, and messengers are dope, but stick to dark colors like black and brown and fabrics like waxed canvas to make them more masculine than the PS1 your girl totes around on the regular.