By
Lucy Yang,
INSIDER
- Brands keep releasing items that seem like they were designed to perplex customers and go viral.
- This trend has hit denim particularly hard.
- From denim thongs to butt crack-revealing jeans, see some of the most baffling denim designs below.
Over the past few years, an increasing number of brands have embraced viral fashion, with designers creating items that seem intentionally perplexing, ripe for online ridicule.
For proof, look no further than what's happening in denim: Pretty Little Thing sent Twitter ablaze with its denim thong. Y/Project released a jean jacket with extra-long, Slenderman-sized sleeves. Milk It turned the top of an old pair of jeans into a denim bustier, layered over a white T-shirt. And the list goes on.
Below, check out 22 of the wildest denim designs that have left people scratching their heads.
People had a lot to say about these jeans with transparent plastic panels.
In March 2017, the internet was divided over this $95 pair of jeans from Topshop. Featuring large, plastic-covered cutouts over both knees, the pants had some reaching for their wallets and others tweeting in disbelief.
Sadly, if you're hoping to draw people's attention to your knees, look elsewhere. This pair is currently sold out everywhere.
Shoppers were not particularly happy about these $425 faux-muddy jeans.
Designed to "embody rugged, Americana workwear," these PRPS pants were ridiculed online in April 2017 after people spotted them on Nordstrom's website. While the jeans have sold out by now, you can easily replicate the look for less by going outside on a rainy day in boot-cut jeans and rolling around in dirt.
This denim look had some scratching their heads.
French brand Y/Project put an interesting spin on the "no pants" trend last June with this garter belt and detachable pant leg combo.
While we probably wouldn't wear these jeans to work, or in public, or in general, at all, enough people clearly wanted to. Originally priced at $570, the pants were on sale for $399 before selling out.
Many loved these jeans that zip all the way from front to back.
These Reformation jeans, which quickly sold out last summer before getting restocked, are arguably one of the more wearable designs on this list. If the thought of getting your skin accidentally caught in the zipper doesn't deter you, the pants are currently available in sizes 25 through 31 for $148.
The internet had a field day over this pair of jeans with a uniquely placed cutout.
From the front, these high-waisted pants by ASOS look completely normal, uneventful even. But turn around, and you may end up flaunting your butt crack for the world to see, thanks to the open-back design.
The jeans, which went viral last August, are on sale for $21 right now, for anyone who, as Sia might say, loves cheap thrills.
Shoppers were baffled by this denim-on-denim pièce de résistance.
Remember the jean skirt over leggings trend from the 2000s? UK brand Liquor N Poker brought it back, kind of, last summer with several skirt-over-jeans looks.
Sold on ASOS, this design came in four different denim washes, which ranged in price from $60 to $72.
This layered jean look left us speechless.
There's so much going on here. All you really need to know is that these $695 jeans by Natasha Zinko sold out shortly after people spotted them online in fall 2017.
Some were disturbed by this denim jacket with extra-long sleeves.
You could spend a lifetime rolling up the sleeves of this $695 jacket. When the Y/Project design went viral last fall, some online joked that it would be perfect for Slenderman, the faceless spawn of a creepy internet meme.
People couldn't take this denim bustier T-shirt seriously.
Vintage brand Milk It made headlines earlier this year when it attached the top of a pair of jeans to a white T-shirt and sold the combo for $56 on ASOS.
To be fair, Rihanna has worn what appeared to be an actual denim skirt as a top.
Many thought this jacket was Photoshopped, but it turned out to be just truly gigantic.
Designed by visvim's Hiroki Nakamura, this oversized denim jacket reminded some online of a popular meme in which celebrities' jackets are edited to look humongous.
If you have a cool $5,968 to spare, you can still get this limited edition piece on Have
These revealing jeans sent social media into a frenzy.
Best described as a denim thong connected to the outline of a pair of jeans, these pants captured the internet's attention in May.
Made by LA-based brand, Carmar Denim, the design sold out in days. For those who joined the retailer's waitlist, the pants are now available again in sizes 23 through 29 for $168.
Shoppers had a lot of questions about this pair of lace-up jeans.
This unique take on denim went viral in May after people spotted it on Fashion Nova's Instagram page. Judging by comments on social media, many thought the pants would be tricky to put on and take off. Others joked about the tan lines the jeans' crisscross design might leave on your skin. The lace-up jeans are still available for $49.99.
This butt-revealing design raised some eyebrows.
Believe it or not, this pair of jeans from Pretty Little Thing isn't the only one out there designed to show off your assets. While these pants currently retail for £25 ($32.78 in US dollars), Kylie Jenner famously wore a similar pair by an unidentified brand back in 2017.
We were at a loss for words after seeing these mesh panel jeans.
Originally $590, this Bless piece was available at Opening Ceremony for the low price of $236 before selling out in June. But the photos of this look, with its giant see-through mesh panel and folded fly design, still remain.
People seemed excited by these upside-down shorts.
In late June, this unconventional design garnered a ton of attention online, most of which was positive. Made by Cie Denim, these inverted shorts retail for $385.
The brand also sells four other upside-down denim pieces: the "Will," the "Mike ," the "El," and the "Lucas."
This garment took layers to a whole new level.
Available on Farfetch for a totally reasonable £935 ($1,217.44 in US dollars), this one-of-a-kind shirt dress looks like the offspring of several designs on this list.
People weren't sure how to wear these thigh cutout jeans.
This unconventional denim look by ASOS is a steal at $28, but, as Mashable reported, the placement of the thigh cutouts isn't ideal for anyone who may experience the discomfort of thigh chafing.
These $565 shorts left some people confused.
Made by luxury denim label R13, the shorts appear to have a second pair, in a lighter wash on denim, sewn on the back. The unique design makes it look like you're wearing two pairs of shorts at the same time.
Some loved this high-rise denim design.
A pair of denim thong shorts by Pretty Little Thing made headlines in mid-August. While the shorts originally retailed for £15 ($19), they are currently on sale for £5 ($6).
A popular vlogger tried wearing these 9-foot-long jeans.
In late August, YouTuber Safiya Nygaard went viral after she tried wearing Bronze 56K's $500 "Extendo Pants" in public.
Nygaard, who is known for her beauty and fashion experiments, said the nine-foot-long pants were fun to wear but impractical.
Inside-out jeans take the distressed denim look to another level.
Two months after Cie Denim's upside-down shorts took the internet by storm, Unravel Project caught people's attention with a pair of jeans designed to look like you're wearing them inside out.
The unique piece, which was originally listed at £920 ($1,184), is currently on sale for £368 ($348).
Asymmetrical jeans let you wear two different silhouettes at once.
Ksenia Schnaider had Instagram users talking in early 2019 thanks to its unique "Asymmetrical Jeans," which feature one slim-fitting pant leg and one flared one. The unconventional design retails for $375.
