Was YOUR wardrobe embarrassing in 2016? Viral trend for sharing throwback snaps highlights the fashion blunders best left in the past

From pyjamas as outerwear to gaudy sportswear and skinny leather jeansyour favourite clothes from 2016 might well end up in the charity shop pile if you found them lingering in your wardrobe today.

The 2016 throwback trend that’s swept social media in the past week has everyone sharing their photos and reminiscing about how good life was exactly 10 years ago.However, all those old snaps also serve as a reminder of some questionable fashion choices that are perhaps better left in the past.

Sleepwear as daywear was so mainstream that Dolce & Gabbana threw a pyjama party at LA’s glamorous Chateau Marmont with Naomi Campbell turning up in a green satin pair.

2016 was also the year of athleisure, a trend so prominent that Merriam-Webster added the term to its dictionary that year, defining it as ‘casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and general use’.

And while it’s still going strong ten years later, it has evolved into a much quieter version. Back in 2016, however, the bold, showy logos and oversized hoodies reigned supreme.

Rita Orafor instance, arrived for an upmarket dinner at The Ivy Chelsea Garden in a flashy Adidas track jacket, while it was on trend for Selena Gomez to rock a full tracksuit with, not trainers, but a pair of heels while at the airport in LA.

Whether they were leather, heavily distressed, or ultra-skinny, 2016’s most popular jeans would make any Gen Z’er attached to their baggy, wide-legged styles to wince in fear.

Skinny jeans peaked in the early 2000s, led by the likes of Kate Moss, who paired them with everything from evening-wear tops to T-shirts and leather jackets. In her wake were stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Soon enough, everyone had a pair in their closet. At the peak in 2010, Topshop was selling a pair of ultra-high-rise skinny Joni jeans every ten seconds at its former flagship store on Oxford Street.

And more often than not, they were paired with an even more terrifying item… the ultra-cropped top.

Hailey Bieber, Emily Ratajkowski, and Dua Lipa were all among the famous faces sporting the daringly tiny tops in their throwback Instagram posts.

Cold-shoulder tops, which feature shoulder cut-outs, and off-the-shoulder or Bardot tops, were also a hit at the time, though the silhouette has largely stayed off the radar since.

Just like the clothes, shoes and accessories were similarly bright and bold, with chrome-tinted sunglasses, chokers and furry sliders all fashionable this time ten years ago.

Menswear from 2016 wasn’t exempt either, and the leading trends from that time are today considered divisive.

Knitted turtlenecks, tropical print shirts, and heavily distressed denim were all deemed trendy at the time, with the likes of One Direction’s Harry Styles and Zayn Malik riding the wave.

Though many of 2016’s trends have faded, one is making a return, and it’s as divisive as ever.

Love them or loathe them, skinny jeans are back. After years when baggy styles have been the norm, the fashion world – and the high street – is making a return to figure-hugging silhouettes.

Stylist Lisa Talbot says: ‘After several seasons dominated by wide-leg, straight and relaxed denim, designers and high-street brands are once again embracing a slimmer silhouette.

‘Fashion is cyclical, and after years of oversized shapes, we’re seeing a shift back towards more streamlined dressing.

‘Skinny jeans also offer something many women crave: ease. They’re practical, flattering when styled well, and work seamlessly with boots, trainers and smarter outerwear.’