At one time or another, we’ve all jumped on the bandwagon of an unfortunate trend (frosted tips in the ‘90s anyone?). Fads come and go, and hindsight can be painful—especially when you have to figure out what to do with all that destroyed denim. There’s nothing wrong with trying to stay on trend, but no one should be prisoner to the rainbow-colored bagels of the world just because Instagram says so. Sometimes, you have to fortify yourself with a hearty dose of JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) and take solace in sage non-compliance. Not all trends are created equal, after all. With that ethos in mind, here are five things to steer clear of this year. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Thomas Heatherwick
The Brit designer’s public sculpture-slash-jungle gym, the Vessel, which opened in March in New York’s Hudson Yards to scalding reviews, has already garnered such nicknames as the Trifle Tower. It’s hard to get behind a $150 million Instagram backdrop meant to lure shoppers to a mall. Heatherwick’s rise is well deserved, but has anyone tallied his recent misses? We’re keeping an open mind about his Pier 55 (a Hudson River floating park), High Line condos and Google headquarters in California and London, but if the Vessel is any indication, maybe folks should stop opening their wallets until some of these projects are complete and we see if he’s upped his hit rate.
Galápagos Islands
We’ve been bored with bucket lists for a while now, but there’s one destination on the do-before-you-die register that we’re ready to retire for good: the Galápagos Islands. It’s not because the birthplace of Darwin’s theory of evolution isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Quite the contrary—it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. Rather, it’s because the best we can do for this delicate ecosystem is to go away. The islands have become a glorified zoo, packed with sightseers ticking it off their damned lists. No matter how many faintly green initiatives are passed, or how luxurious the latest ship to sail its waters is, the Galápagos Islands deserve better. They deserve to be left alone.
Thomas P. Peschak
Superproof Spirits
Whisky and bourbon are supposed to have something of a warm burn on the way down. That’s a warm burn, not first-degree. The high-proof (over 110 proof ), cask-strength bottles of the last few years held eye-watering spirit that was nearly undrinkable without a rock (or six) or a hefty splash of water. Cask-strength might sound impressive in marketing materials, but we’ll take a nice, smooth 90 proof instead, thanks very much.
Shutterstock
Gold Skin Care
The trend for gold-infused skin care comes around every decade, which, coincidentally, is about the same time it takes us to forget the so-called cure-all didn’t work the last time. Regardless how many people tout it as an antiager, an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant—or how high they set the price tag—it’s little more than modern-day snake oil. Just ask Dennis Gross, MD, a top New York dermatologist and the man behind Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. “There was some research done into gold many years ago, and it didn’t live up to the bar set by the medical community,” he says. “What we have now is a commercial phenomenon—not a legitimate scientific one.” Keep your gold on your wrists, please.
Elasticized Ankles
There’s been a premium placed on comfort in menswear over the last few years, from supersoft suiting fabrics to the ubiquity of designer sneakers and rubber-soled dress shoes. And that’s fine. Good, even. Comfort is nice. But may we agree to call time on the aberration that is elasticized ankles and a sport coat? The rise of the athleisure jogging pant teamed with an unstructured blazer was always wrong, but now that designers are still sending this combo down the runway a few years on, even adding elasticized ankles to smarter suits, something needs to be done. Got joggers? Wear them with a bomber. End of.
