Fashion is all about taking risks. If you don’t think outside the box, you’ll never become an icon! So what if your cabbage-themed dress ripped in half or your balloon shoes flopped at fashion week. In the famous words of Tim Gunn, “Make it work.”
One Instagram page that’s gained massive popularity through sharing unique (and somewhat questionable) fashion choices is AtoC Magazine. This account posts a variety of accessories and looks that will likely make you do a double take.
There’s a fine line between high fashion and hilarity, and this account certainly teeters between both. So enjoy scrolling through some of their best pics, and be sure to upvote the ones that even a runway model might have a hard time pulling off!
The AtoC Magazine Instagram page is a wild place. Some of their posts feature undeniably stylish pieces of clothing that would flatter anyone, while there are also models covered in countless packages of ramen noodles gracing a runway. But what makes this page so fun is the fact that there is fashion and humor. The world of fashion can sometimes be seen as pretentious or elite, but we can all appreciate great clothes and laugh at how ridiculous the industry can be.
AtoC also often features pieces from the EGNARTS clothing brand. This is a Seoul-based company whose name comes from the word “strange” spelled backwards. “EGNARTS adds wit to strangers and presents a new path to creating two concepts of incompatible unfamiliarity and familiarity,” their site explains. And while they do sell clothing items that I would love to wear myself, they also undoubtedly have a sense of humor on social media.
As far as what exactly fashion is, it can be difficult to define. But according to a PBS publication from 1999, International Fashion Editor Cynthia Durcanin says that it’s a state of mind.
“A spirit, an extension of one’s self,” Durcanin shared. “Fashion talks, it can be an understated whisper, a high-energy scream or an all knowing wink and a smile. Most of all fashion is about being comfortable with yourself, translating self-esteem into a personal style.”
And if we take Instagram into account, fashion can also be sneakers that look like rats or a shirt that looks like hair. It can be whatever we want it to be.
While the looks on this list might seem ridiculous, considering what makes it on runways, they’re probably not too far off from high fashion. Have you ever wondered why Fashion Week is always filled with unrealistic and completely impractical looks? Aren’t these designers supposed to be dictating the trends for the upcoming year? Well, according to Tutorials Point, these shows are really about creative expression more than anything else.
Runway shows are a chance for designers to experiment and showcase avant-garde looks that you might never see in real life. Plus, it’s much more fun to see shocking outfits gracing a runway than looks that you see everyday walking down the street (just on much taller and more attractive individuals). These designs might be unreasonable to wear to an awards show or a birthday party, but at least they can see the light of day for a brief moment during Fashion Week.
The idea of featuring crazy looks on the runway also isn’t anything new. Tutorials Point explains that showcasing avant-garde looks dates back to the 1960s and 70s when iconic designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and Paco Rabanne created unique and bold looks that subverted the fashion of the time. And while there is always some controversy surrounding the inaccessibility of high fashion and the need for runway looks that no one would actually wear, we can simply choose to see this fashion as an art form and means of expression. Or we can laugh at it! That works too!
There’s certainly no need to go out and buy any of the crazy creations featured on this list. But if you actually like some of them, we’re not judging you! Just like anything else in life, we are all entitled to our own opinions when it comes to fashion. Not everything will be your cup of tea, and you shouldn’t have to explain your preferences to anyone else. I’ll never stop wearing baggy sweaters and high-waisted jeans no matter how many teens on TikTok tell me not to! As long as you’re comfortable, you do you, fashionistas.
Marlen Komar wrote a piece for Bustle explaining why fashion has been her “most intense love affair,” noting that her obsession with it began at a young age. “I’d read articles about culture and designer inspirations and finish as nonplussed about it as when I started, but the ideas and feelings started to become familiar,” Komar shared. “The crazy patterns and wild mix of colors started to become more intuitive, and the more art-like the outfit the more my eyes ate it up. It was a world I couldn’t grasp, but knew I had to be a part of.”
According to Komar, playing with fashion allows us to create our very own fantasy worlds. “One where citrus colors rule, skirts become messy with flowers, material sweeps down the length of your back and flirts with your ankles, and lets you put your hands around the dream,” she writes. “And then dares you, encourages you, to make it into your life. You find something beautiful because you see yourself in that beauty.”
Are these photos inspiring you to hit the runway, pandas? These pics just go to show that either anything can be fashion or nothing is fashion… Keep upvoting the looks and pieces that you think you could rock, and let us know in the comments what the most unique fashion choices you’ve ever seen were. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing questionable fashion, look no further than right here!
