Celebrities on the Fashion Trends They Thought Would Never Make a Comeback

By Andrea Cheng
Updated Jan 05, 2017 @ 8:00 pm
Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage

Trends come and go—and then come back again. It's all a part of fashion's cyclical nature. So if you're a hoarder like me, it's the perfect excuse to hold onto everything. And if you're a celebrity, you're smart enough not to rule anything out during interviews. "I don't hate anything—I'm loath to name trends I hate, because it always comes back to bite you in the ass when you're wearing it the next season," Alexa Chung once told me at an AG dinner, and ain't that the truth.

Still, it's hard not be surprised when something—especially a cringe-y, mortifying fashion something—from your childhood makes an abrupt return to the spotlight. What's even more surprising: When you find yourself for real, as an adult, actually considering the piece. And then that's when you begin to question everything—your personal style, you as a person, life.

Personally, that moment happened for me when Birkenstocks came back, and then again with Tevas (wait a second—am I embarrassed by all the shoes I wore as a child? But I digress). Of course, this happens to stars, too. So we asked them to name the fashion trends they were surprised to see return—though some went as far as calling out ones that shouldnever make a comeback, but, who knows, perhaps that will change, and as Chung so eloquently puts it: it might bite them in the ass.

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Chloe Sevigny

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"I feel like everything kind of comes back. But I was surprised when I saw that Vetements showed that Juicy Couture velour piece, and I also kind of wanted it, which made me have all these mixed feelings."

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Hilary Swank

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"I was surprised when I saw that jelly shoes came back around—I was like, really? There were people wearing plastic shoes this summer, and I was like, "Whoa, I wore those when I was 12, what’s happening?"

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Priyanka Chopra

Credit: Mireya Acierto/FilmMagic

"The ‘90s! Flared jeans, especially—everyone’s wearing them, and I'm like, 'OMG that reminds me of high school.' I have PTSD from that. Or chokers, which I did the other day, and I was like, 'Geez this was me in school.' Everything comes back. I didn’t think it would happen so soon, because I was just in school—at least in my head I think so." 

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Chloe and Halle Bailey

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"I love chokers so much," Chloe says.

"Bell bottoms!" Halle says. "I love bell bottoms and my mom was like, 'Those were popular when I was young.' And definitely high-waist jeans and big belts. I'm so happy those are back."

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Kendall Jenner

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"It’s been done for a minute, but I didn't think chokers would come back the way they did."

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Emily Ratajkowski

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"I'm definitely surprised by the oversized hoodie thing, but I think it’s cool."

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Allison Williams

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"I love comfortable high-waist jeans. Hopefully, low-rise won't make a comeback. Like everyone could just see our butt all the time, right? I tried on a pair from high school and they were low-rise and I was like, 'How did I feel comfortable in this pair of jeans? How did this feel normal?' Even when I was I was sitting, I was so aware of the fact that I was trying to make sure my butt crack wasn’t showing. My body can’t get used to it."

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Olivia Palermo

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"I do like a choker. I wasn’t crazy about them most of my life, but I think if you find different inspirations and ways to wear them, it’s great."

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Jessica Alba

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"I'm always surprised, every season, when prints on prints happen. Every season. It’s like, OMG, OK, we’re doing this. It’s happening. We're doing it. And it's kind of aggressive. Whenever there are loud crazy like print on prints, I’m always surprised." 

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Julia Restoin Roitfeld

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"The ‘90s. Who would have thought the ‘90s would come back, but it’s everywhere! I was a teenager then, so I remember doing the dark lips, the choker. I think it's a good trend for younger girls now, but I'd do a long scarf around my neck instead of a velvet choker. I wore Birkenstocks as a teenager at summer camp, but I would never wear them today."

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