History Main / ImpracticallyFancyOutfit

The line where an outfit becomes impractical can depend on the outfit's purpose. If it's a dress for a black-tie dinner, it could have quite a few trimmings and still work. If it's for construction, the only accessories should be tool belts and safety gear. But let's say the company is shooting an ad, and the agency thinks the normal construction outfit isn't cool enough. So they throw on a few pieces of gear that look as though they fit, at least [[DanBrowned to those not familiar with construction work]]. That would be an Impractically Fancy Outfit.

** ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRollercoasterOfFriendship Rollercoaster of Friendship]]'': Rarity's [[https://derpibooru.org/1777655 "Carousel Dress"]] that she's seen parading with during the final song has an impressive design, but it's strictly good for a fashion show and nothing else. Notably, she better be wearing ModestyShorts underneath because it's perfect for upskirt shots. It's also probably impossible to sit down with it.

** When Blaze frantically runs in the throne room toward a window to kick out the bomb, he bumps into the sides of the dress of a few women, making them spin on themselves like tops.

* Discussed in a ''ComicBook/{{Gen13}}'' special, where Freefall grouses about Lynch insisting that she wear her costume (in this case, a spandex one-piece) under civilian clothes in case of danger.

** In ''Game of Thrones'', after Tyrion is accused of murder and hires Bronn to fight on his behalf in a trial by combat, his accuser's champion is outfitted in an elaborate suit of armor that looks nice but doesn't do much for his mobility. Bronn, outfitted in basic leather, easily outmaneuvers the poor guy and kills him.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Pyrrha's warrior outfit is very fancy, but equally impractical. It consists of high heels, a tight micro-skirt, and a leather corset that exposes her impressive cleavage. [[spoiler: The exposed cleavage aspect of her corset actually results in her demise. Once Pyrrha's [[DeflectorShield Aura]] has broken, there's nothing left to protect her exposed skin. Cinder fires an arrow into her cleavage, just above her bodice. Her body is then superheated so fast that it ends up as ash blowing away in the breeze.]]
[[/folder]]

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Pyrrha's warrior outfit is very fancy, but equally impractical. It consists of high heels, a miniskirt, and a corset that exposes her impressive cleavage. [[spoiler: The exposed cleavage aspect of her corset actually results in her demise. Cinder fires a smoldering arrow right between her boobs and in her cleavage, which starts to burn away said boobs. Her body is then superheated so fast that it ends up ash blowing away in the breeze.]]

* GiantPoofySleeves: When it's turned UpToEleven.

* {{Fashion Show}}s love this trope. Many things you see on a fashion show runway require impractical or esoteric sewing techniques that can't be mass-produced, or even easily replicated. Heck, sometimes the models are literally sewn into the outfit. On top of that, they're also often heavy, hot, or itchy. Many overly fancy stage show outfits might be designed only once, then never worn again. Haute couture collections, in particular, take this UpToEleven.

* The famous (or rather, infamous) Robe à la Française: those ridiculously wide 18th Century dresses. Although most dresses of the period had some kind of padding in the hips, this dress took that fashion UpToEleven. Some got so wide that ladies had to turn sideways to go through doors, and wide staircases were necessary to accommodate them. The ridiculousness and discomfort was 100% the point. Requiring these dresses was a way for the King to exert control over the courtiers. Contrary to what some have depicted however, these gowns were never worn outside of formal court events. Elements of their design however were copied in other fashionable gowns of the period: such as the [[BadassCape built in cape]]

** ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRollercoasterOfFriendship Rollercoaster of Friendship]]'': Rarity's [[https://derpibooru.org/1777655 "Carousel Dress"]] that she's seen parading with during the final song has an impressive design, but it's strictly good for a fashion show and nothing else. Notably, she better be wearing ModestyShorts underneath because it's perfect for [[PantyShot upskirt shots]]. It's also probably impossible to sit down with it.

* The group ''Music/ABBA'' was known for wearing such outreagous clothes to the point some made the hypothesis it was a way to avoid paying taxes, since they could claim their costumes were work-related because they were too tacky to wear in real life.

** In fact, Leliana discussed this very thing in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' with a Gray Warden interested in talking to her about it, revealing that apparently Orlais goes through this sorta thing all the time, depending on what specifically is in style at the moment. As an example, Leliana mentions a noblewoman who wore some kind of headdress that contained a cage holding [[RealityEnsues rather nervous birds]]...

* Graduation outfits. The gowns have no pockets, make pockets in clothing worn beneath them inaccessible, and can be stiflingly hot under bright commencement-ceremony lights. Mortarboards can be nearly impossible to balance on one's head, are awkward to store, and nearly impossible to clean. As for the hoods worn by Ph.D. recipients, just figuring out ''how'' to wear them is a challenge, especially for college faculty who have a whole year between graduation ceremonies to forget which bit goes where.

* Literature/HerculePoirot's perfectly neat suit is not excessively fancy, and as long as he's in what he considers civilisation it's not impractical, but when walking through muddy fields in "[[Literature/TheLaboursOfHercules The Apples of the Hesperides]]", he is forced to consider that perhaps there are footwear options other than patent leather shoes.

* Insofar as natural plumage can be considered an "outfit", this is the case for some male birds. The vibrantly colored and often times very ''large'' feathers on, say, a peacock are very alluring, especially to a female bird. However, they make stealth virtually impossible (hence he can't hide from predators) and they can often weigh the bird down while he's flying (hence, he can't easily escape from a predator). Indeed, many peacocks and other birds like them have been known to shed their tail feathers when attempting to flee from a hungry predator, in a sort of natural world GivingThemTheStrip[=/=]LifeOrLimbDecision combo. Females of these species usually invert this trope, with their cryptic, nondescript plumage being the very definition of BoringButPractical. Some biologists suggest that male birds of this type are deliberately [[MenAreTheExpendableGender attracting predators' attention towards themselves]] and away from a female mate and any young. The other primary speculation is that given how energy-intensive it is to have such large and elaborate feathers, it servers to signal to females how fit the male is and thus show that he would be a good mate if he can keep them in pristine condition.

* {{Fashion Show}}s love this trope. Many things you see on a fashion show runway require impractical or esoteric sewing techniques that can't be mass-produced, or even easily replicated. On top of that, they're also often heavy, hot, or itchy. Many overly fancy stage show outfits might be designed only once, then never worn again. Haute couture collections, in particular, take this UpToEleven.

* Literature/HerculePoirot's perfectly neat suit is not exessively fancy, and as long as he's in what he considers civilisation it's not impractical, but when walking through muddy fields in "[[Literature/TheLaboursOfHercules The Apples of the Hesperides]]", he is forced to consider that perhaps there are footwear options other than patent leather shoes.

* BlingOfWar - War uniforms fancied up to be practically useless in all but the most formal warfare. note that something explicitly described as a "dress uniform" in-universe does not count for this trope: as these uniforms are, of course, never used during actual battles. To count as this trope it has to be something the character is either shown fighting in or is implied to use during an actual battle.

* FormFittingWardrobe- if in a setting that logically wouldn't have modern materials like spandex or polyester. Or if it's made of latex, vinyl etc (even in a setting where these materials would logically exist). Also applies to armor if it is worn without any clothing underneath: as that is in fact very dangerous.
* GiantPoofySleeves- when it's turned UpToEleven.

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery-if the garment in question would in reality limit the wearer's movement, or if the ass-kicking actions would realistically lead to a WardrobeMalfunction.
* PimpedOutDress - Dresses that are fancied up enough to be impractical for everyday wear, only however if they are shown to be worn for everyday. Dresses that are explicitly labeled as being for a special occasion don't count.
* RequisiteRoyalRegalia -if mixed with RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething. Or if it is made with some improbably expensive material: covered in gemstones for example. Especially in fiction, royals are usually wealthy enough to not worry about damaging clothes made from fine fabrics.

* ShouldersOfDoom -if they would logically limit the character's vision and/or degree of movement.
* SexySantaDress- if it's either improbably short, is made of latex, or is worn by a character in an arctic setting as if it was actually a thermally protecting garment.
* ShowgirlSkirt- only if it's not worn over another garment though. If she's not at risk of showing her privates or underwear, then this design is not actually that impractical.
* TutuFancy - Dancers portrayed in clothes that would actually be unsafe to dance in.

->''It was not a garment meant for any man who had to work. The tokar was a master's garment, a sign of wealth and power.''

* Literature/HerculePoirot's perfectly neat suit is not exessively fancy, and as long as he's in what he considers civilisation it's not impractical, but when walking through muddy fields in "The Apples of the Hesperides", he is forced to consider that perhaps there are footwear options other than patent leather shoes.