Go Bold or Go Home! The 6 Most Unexpected Celebrity Trends of the Year

Trends ebb and flow on the runways every season, but looking at the bigger picture, 2019 was the year of unexpected trends. And you can thank celebrities for that: Stylish stars hit the streets in daring pieces that were all about embracing the surprise factor. These trendsetters didn’t just carry any ol’ bags around—their bags had to be either super tiny, or super huge. Think they wore simple, sexy strappy sandals to go with them? Think again. Kim Kardashian West revived the ’90s flip-flop heel instead, which went on to become the most polarizing footwear style of the year, embraced by everyone from Rihanna to Katie Holmes.

In the menswear world, Hollywood gents were just as risk-taking with their fashion, too. Professional peacockers such as Harry Styles, Ezra Miller, Lil Nas X, and more took the plunge by experimenting with murses—that’s a man purse, by the way—and dainty jewelry that could easily have been borrowed from the girls. They even dabbled in some of the most surprising womenswear trends of the moment, too, like when Mark Ronson stepped out in flared pants that appeared as if plucked right out of the ’70s. (Styles has also been rocking bell-bottoms on the regular.)

The main 2019 trend takeaway? This past year was all about stars finding the most unlikeliest—and flashiest—pieces from forgotten decades, and then making them (somehow) chic again. Below, the six unexpected trends that took over 2019.