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If I learned anything from the countless episodes of Project Runway I watched as a child, it’s that fashion is all about taking risks. Sometimes designs flop, but that’s arguably better than being bland and quickly forgotten. So it seems like many designers have decided to err on the side of outrageous design, and no one knows that better than the members of You Can’t Just Slap Some Fabric Together And Call It A Dress

Contrary to what the name of this Facebook group says, apparently, you can! But you’re likely to be mocked for it online. Below, we’ve gathered pics of some of the most comically bad dress designs that deserve to be shamed, so feel free to channel your inner Tim Gunn and be sure to upvote all of your favorites (or those that you can’t believe anyone actually wore).

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    #2

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Stephanie Tavlarides Stratos Report

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    Daniel Atkins
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Somewhere there is and older gentleman wondering how she got her pant up so high and wants tips on how he can do the same.

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    Famous fashion designer Vera Wang once said, “I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman." Perhaps that’s why she’s been so successful, because her designs aim to highlight the wearer rather than distract from everything else around them. 

    Clearly, not all designers have the same mindset, though, or You Can’t Just Slap Some Fabric Together And Call It A Dress wouldn’t have any content. This Facebook group has been around since April, 2020, and it has already amassed an impressive 61k members. The concept of the group is simple, as the rules state that it’s for “dress shaming only”, and the members stay active sharing all of the fashion atrocities they come across from all over the internet.

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    In a previous Bored Panda article featuring You Can’t Just Slap Some Fabric Together And Call It A Dress, we reached out to the group’s creator, Mary Waldron, and she was kind enough to have a chat with us and provide some insight into how the group began in the first place. “The group name was actually inspired by a comment on a post in the group, ‘That’s it, I’m wedding dress shaming,’" Mary previously told Bored Panda.

    #5

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Lyn Beavers Report

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    Clay S.
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is that mushrooms? The beginning stages of the "the last of us " apocalypse?

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    "The group was originally just a wedding dress shaming group called ‘You Can’t Slap On A White Skirt and Call it a Wedding Dress,' but over time, as more and more people joined, I decided to allow other types of dresses,” Mary explained. Then in May, 2021, after Mary and the admin team decided the group needed a more inclusive name, You Can’t Just Slap Some Fabric Together And Call It A Dress was officially born.

    But this dress-shaming group has been popular since the beginning. “I noticed the group gaining more popularity about 6-7 months after I created it, and it was honestly out of nowhere,” Mary previously told Bored Panda. “I never expected it to be such a big group, but honestly, I should have because at the time, shaming groups were a big trend on Facebook.”

    "Looking back, I think the thing about shaming groups in general that brings people together and really resonates with them is the idea that there are things so bad out there that they feel compelled to share them with everyone for a good laugh,” she continued. “Just like when a group of kids in school will see a teacher with a really bad tie and make a few jokes. To me, it’s that same concept, just on a much larger scale, that really makes these groups what they are."

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    #7

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Stacey Boings Report

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    Ivy_Fox
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    they clicked rotate 100 degrees clockwise and left it at that

    Doglover
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Took me 10 minutes to figure out that she was in a sideways dress and not cosplaying a feather duster

    Dorothy Reiser
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Apparently this designer does this to shock, but has a real fashion line.

    Jasmine O
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When a storm approaches the nudist beach but you got no f***s left to give.

    CringeGuy
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That moment when the clothing glitches off your character in a game

    Mariele Scherzinger
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I did not become a fashion model. This picture screams "You did not miss much".

    brandyy17
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ummmm? also funny enough it looks like my wedding dress just worn the wrong way lol

    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The designer said this was supposed to be a thought-provoking show, looking at our relationship with clothing and how we wear them.

    Remy
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You are wearing it wrong! You put head and arms through the right side and your feet come out the bottom... but it's ok, more than enough people have been too drunk to figure out how a T shirt works, a dress is more complicated

    Izzy Curer
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Okay, I actually like this, as art at least. I'm sure the structural integrity is as such that it's way more than slapped together.

    Fembot
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is from the Victor & Rolf fashion show and should be seen as a collection - and also absolutely as art. Not this same as rando attention seekers trying to be as tacky as possible

    Inclusion2020
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ahhh, the pinnacle of high fashion and what wealthy people pay so much $$ to see. A dress. But sideways.

    mira thepickle
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    idk i think it's kinda unique. maybe more of a unique costume rather than unique fashion. still cool tho!

    Holly Stevens
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No this runway was brilliant. The dress is a normal dress, it was just presented this way on the runway so you would see it in a different way, like an abstract piece

    Display_Name
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh, honey, I understand you may have enjoyed your bachelorette party a little too much but you are not actually wearing your wedding dress.

    Chewie Baron
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These are actual dresses from the collection but just worn at odd angles because it’s a fashion show and they like to be different.

    Commander Ducky
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0430/0704/9886/products/wet-mop-complete-absorbent-quality-cotton-yarn-floor-cleaner-w806-handle-mops_1200x1200.jpg?v=1596013754

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    Mary also previously shared with Bored Panda what makes a dress truly terrible, in her opinion. “The dresses I tend to really gawk at are the ones that look like they could fall off, tear, or just completely malfunction at any given moment,” she explained. “But outside of the group, I try to keep an open mind when it comes to fashion because a person’s taste is as unique as their own. At the end of the day, if a dress makes you feel happy when you wear it, then you wear it relentlessly because your body is your own to dress how you want to,” she added.

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    #11

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Amber Ennis Report

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    A C
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Looks like she got up from the toilet quickly and forgot to pull 'em up.

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    If you tend to think all of the outfits featured on runways look ridiculous, you’re not alone. Renaud Petit wrote a piece for Medium breaking down why fashion shows are filled with unwearable garments, and he explains that those bizarre pieces we see on models aren’t ever going to end up in boutiques or in department stores. But they can be a great way for designers to express their creativity. “Designers are artists and they wish to express something through their designs,” Petit writes. “As you can easily imagine, a basic T-shirt or a pair of trousers are not deep enough to be turned into powerful artistic supports (unless you decide to write a strong statement on them but that is called ‘punk’ and has been done before and done again a million times). Many of them thus need to be able to create their own sculptures, real artworks that play the role of canvas.”

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    #15

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    Madison Mishoe Report

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    Daniel Atkins
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did she come out of a tv and because I looked at it. I need to pass it on or she will come after me?

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    Petit goes on to explain that the looks featured in fashion shows are typically more of a “mood board” for what the actual collection will look like than they are pieces that should be sold on shelves. “This is actually why it is called ‘a show’ and why it is not simply a range of products displayed on still mannequins,” he writes. “It is some kind of dance in a carefully chosen venue, with finely-worked décor and music. The garments you see can be compared to costumes. The audience needs to interpret the moves and costumes to understand what the story is about in a ballet. This is basically the same with a Fashion show.”

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    “Runway pieces are like muses, they make for some kind of base on which the actual collection will rely on,” Petit continues, in defense of absurd pieces on runways. “Presenting such exaggerated pieces also makes it easier for us to understand what were the real inspirations behind the collection. They sometimes are used to subtly introduce new hints on what the designer wants to do for future seasons. After the show and if the public liked it, an idea may survive and be found in upcoming collections. There is thus another reason why Fashion shows are so weird-looking: they display several ideas from the designer in order to guide them and set the guidelines for future collections.”

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    #19

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    Sarah Ihrer Report

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    RafCo (he/him/ele)
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Give my six year old a pair of scissors and your sweater, she'll do this for you. Then she'll claim she has no idea what happened. We have to hide all the scissors in the house.

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    #20

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Group member Report

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    Camilore
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The upper part doesn’t work well with the bottom, maybe paired with another style could work, as a wedding dress with a slight victorian vibe. The bottom is horrendous…

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    Robin Givhan also wrote an article for The Washington Post explaining that there’s a good reason for fashion to be so weird. “Is weird fashion simply clothing struggling to be taken seriously as art? Perhaps, if the definition of art is an expression of creativity that aims to provoke an emotional response. But fashion is not the same as a painting or sculpture or ballet. Fashion is a commodity — it has to be worn, it has to live outside of a gallery or theater,” Givhan writes. “It doesn’t have to be worn by everyone. It doesn’t have to be appropriate for the office or the mall or  a White House state dinner. You and your cul-de-sac neighbors don’t have to like it. The point is that you react to it.”

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    “If fashion makes you laugh, good. It means that it has jarred you from complacency. It means it has caught your attention. Now, think about why you laughed. Then ask why. Ask why, again. That’s the starting point of a conversation,” Givhan goes on to write. And I have to say, the photos on this list have certainly gotten a reaction out of me. So even if you hate every single dress here, that’s totally fine. That doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t fashionable… Many of them just also happen to be tasteless. 

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    #25

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Jade Loren Jeffries Report

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    Clay S.
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Cool concept, but I would have chosen a team that made it to the superbowl

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    Is there any chance you would ever wear any of these dresses, pandas? I’m all for a bold choice myself, but I think I’ve got to leave these for the  runway models and celebrities who have more money than brains. Keep upvoting the looks you find most atrocious, or so ugly that they’re brilliant, and let us know how you feel about this “high fashion” in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more of these wild dresses, you can find Bored Panda’s most recent article featuring You Can’t Just Slap Some Fabric Together And Call It A Dress right here!

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    #30

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    Ricky Martinez Report

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    McKenzie LeValley
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    DESIGNER:what should we do with this extra fabric HER: PUT IT ON MY HEAD DESIGNER: what? HER:DO IT

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    #34

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Karla Carreon Ferry Report

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    Camilore
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The fabric is off, the colours are off, the style is off, this beautiful lady deserves much better. Don’t get me started on the buttons

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    #35

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    Becca Grace Fee Report

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    Cara
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Me halfway through getting dressed and realising that my top is still in the dryer. Hoick up skirt so I don’t scare the neighbours whilst getting it.

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    #48

    Shaming-Funny-Dress-Fashion

    Sol Benucci Cruz Report

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    Couriva
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really don't see an issue with this one. It has a pretty color and I like the design.

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    #49

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    Chloé Yoko Mkb Report

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    Brittany Grawe
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why is this here? Yes, it needed to be tailored better, but this is is beautiful.

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    #50

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    Megan Schuldt Report

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    sh30joy
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This doesn't belong on this list - it's cheap lingerie, not high fashion. These are also amateur photos, which makes me hope she gave her consent.

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