Peak stupidity, fashion edition

Nothing says style like forgetting one part leg and over rocking belts on skirts.

By Tiya Chugh

Celebrity style choices? Or just another round of public amusement? Let’s be honest— the so-called “influencers” are now the frontrunners in a race to outdo stupidity. Case in point: Urvashi Rautela at Paris Fashion Week 2025, dressed like a walking bouquet in a navy blue balloon, gown drowning in oversized yellow flowers. Then there’s Kartik Aaryan, whose overdone, frizzy, in-your-face blown-out hairstyle at IIFA 2025, left people wondering if humidity was part of the dress code.

The industry never fails to drop bombs of absurdity, it’s almost like they’re competing for, who can make fashion a bigger joke. Getting smarter by making dumb choices—are you enjoying the look or just the noise around it? The shock factor might turn heads, but the real spectacle? The person wearing it, by choice.

And if attention is the goal, fashion’s latest gimmicks are working. The more you scroll, the worse it gets. It’s IQ is plummeting. Seeking fame? Or is strutting around in one-legged jeans the new power move? Apparently so, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, and Coperni all sent models down the runway wearing trousers with only one leg, like all their tailors collectively clocked out mid-stitch. Less fashion statement, more group project gone wrong, but make it luxury.

Absurd designs becoming hot picks isn’t new, but some things push the limit. “I absolutely hate the skirt-over-pants trend, recently revived by Indian model Tania Shroff. What kind of design is that? What has happened to fashion and the idea of maintaining a sense of decency?” says Ssanvie Salluja, a 22-year-old Fashion Design student at Pearl Academy, Delhi.

And speaking of limits, brands are riding the absurdity wave like never before. Let’s not forget New Balance’s ‘Allerdale’ sneakers—less “Retro cool,” more on a grocery run in 1985. Even everyday fashion is playing along. Belt skirts, just a mini skirt suffocating under a pile of unnecessary belts. Ultra low-rise jeans? Lower than ever. Inflatable clothing? Because normal silhouettes weren’t enough to grab attention.

When asked whether these trends were worth trying, Nishtha Kumar, a 20-year-old Fashion Communication student from Pearl Academy, Delhi, admitted, ” I guess? I always found belt skirts a bit weird and outrageous, but in the spirit of experimentation, I tried pairing a mini skirt with belts from brands like Zara, H&M, and Aldo to see if it actually worked.” Spoiler: It didn’t. Sitting felt risky, walking was a struggle, and at some point, she wondered if she’d left the house half-dressed. “Fashion experiment? More like a test of public judgment,” she adds.

At this point, it isn’t even about setting trends—it’s about testing how far people are willing to go in the name of “style.” The real question is: are we wearing fashion, or is fashion playing us?