Twice a year, designers at the big four fashion weeks—held in New York City, London, Milan and Paris—present collections that inform what fashion editors will deem the newest trends, what high-end retail buyers will stock on department store floors, and what mass retailers will knockoff for their own shops. Sometimes a dress will make it from the runway to a retail rack (or, more likely, a red carpet) unchanged, but for the most part, the outfits that emerge from fashion month aren’t designed for the average consumer, despite their “ready-to-wear” description. Need proof? Herewith, a look at the most questionable trends from the Spring/Summer 2013 shows, which end today.
(PHOTOS: Fall Fashion Flashback: 1938 Autumn Styles from LIFE)