Outdated Outfits HGTV's Joanna Gaines Has Been Caught Wearing

Joanna Gaines' exterior often matches her interior designs: Her clothing is a hodgepodge of trends from the past. However, the origins of the "Fixer Upper" star's favorite clothing styles don't stretch back quite as far as that of her beloved shiplap, which can be traced to a shipbuilding style used by Vikings. While it would be entertaining to watch Joanna wrangle her husband, Chip Gaines, into sticking to her design gameplan while dressed like a shield-maiden, she's more likely to be seen sporting looks popular during the 20th and 21st centuries.

On her shows, Joanna likes to give living spaces finishings that are rustic but with enough modernity to make them feel fresh to viewers. She also usually sticks to muted color schemes, which is something she does with her wardrobe as well. In a 2017 Instagram post, she shared a photo of six shirts she had worn over the course of a week. They were all gray or blue with long sleeves and were either button-downs or loose V-necks. Of why she gravitated toward such drab pieces, she wrote, "I don't have to think much about them." However, she noted that there's a downside to finding a look that feels easy and safe and sticking with it. "I'm sure that anyone who saw me this week would assume I was basically wearing the same outfit everyday," she added.

While Joanna and Chip have started sporting tuned-up looks since their HGTV debut, Joanna often opts for styles that feel a bit outdated when she steps out of her fashion comfort zone.

Joanna Gaines was in college in the late '90s, so maybe she was feeling nostalgic for that era's resurgence of '70s trends when she put together the outfit she posed in for in a 2017 Instagram photo. Her footwear was the most retro part of her look: peep-toe heeled sandals with wooden platforms and leather straps. Many millennials might remember the humiliation of loudly clomping down an empty high school hallway in similar shoes on their way to the restroom.

Gaines' wide-leg jeans and tie-front top were also fashion throwbacks, so her outfit was missing an element to make it feel more current. If they were a bit longer, her pants wouldn't have looked out of place in a dELiA*s catalog, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, the large plaid pattern on her top was an issue — it looked like something you might see on a fleece throw blanket on the couch of a homeowner who has leaned too heavily into the cozy cabin aesthetic.

If something else feels off about the outfit to longtime "Fixer Upper" fans, it might be the top's bold color. "Typically, I like wearing black, white, denim, and every now and then khaki. Red is a stretch," Gaines says in a video on her Magnolia YouTube channel. While she was happy with the scarlet frock that she rocked on a 2019 cover of Magnolia Journal, she said, "That's the only time you'll ever see me in a red dress, people." 

In a 2023 Instagram photo, Joanna Gaines channeled an upper-middle-class mom spending a long day at a theme park, and many of her wardrobe pieces were '90s staples. They included the white, tucked-in tank top to keep her cool as she stood outside a ride with no cellphone to distract her from the unbearable boredom of waiting in line.

Her baggy, high-waisted jean shorts in a light wash were another must-have for '90s moms, and while there's certainly nothing wrong with sporting shorts that provide more coverage, there are sleeker, more sophisticated styles available. But look at that — Gaines did roll up the hem to show everyone that she's no square. In fact, she just might know all the lyrics to some of her kids' favorite Nirvana songs, and maybe she even likes to sing along. The plaid shirt tied around her waist was a huge trend with the grunge generation.

Unfortunately, any cool points Gaines scored were negated by her soccer mom accessories: a baseball cap with sunglasses resting on the brim. Completing her look were a pair of Birkenstocks, the ugly-chic sandals that made a comeback in the '90s after once being favored by hippies. In 2022, Gaines told Popsugar that her Birkenstock Arizonas are her favorite shoes, and at least she can brag that they are in style — per CBS News, social media influencers and models have embraced the long-running footwear brand that prioritizes comfort over appearance. Birkenstocks are also the ideal footwear for a mom who plans on spending a lot of time on her feet.

For a 2016 "Build Series" interview, Joanna Gaines wore a white sweater, tan suede pumps, and a pleated full skirt in pine green. While suede heels with pointed toes would have had pride of place on a fashion girlie's shoe rack in the aughts, Gaines' skirt style was one that Princess Diana rocked often in the early '90s. And you best believe that any article of clothing worn by the royal was going to become popular among 20- and 30-something women of that era.

Kate Middleton likes to give Diana obvious sartorial nods, and she's also stepped out in pleated maxi skirts. However, hers just don't seem to have the fashion impact that they did back in the day. The passé garments now bring to mind something a middle school biology teacher might have worn during Diana's reign as a royal trendsetter. They also resemble the flimsy blinds found on the windows of family vans in the '90s, as well as hotel lampshades.

Another member of the royal family, Meghan Markle, is seemingly copying Gaines with her lifestyle brand, so perhaps she should give the style a spin to see if she can successfully bring it back — it would be a way to pay homage to both the Magnolia mogul and her husband's beloved late mother.

Remember when Winona Ryder dated Johnny Depp? Joanna Gaines channeled the "Stranger Things" actor from that era while promoting her memoir "The Stories We Tell" in 2022. "I may have carried my book around like it was a little baby and got pics with it all over town," she captioned an Instagram carousel of photos snapped all over NYC. The former HGTV star's witchy black tights and matching booties combo looked like something Ryder would have worn for a night out with her "Edward Scissorhands" leading man around the time that their 1990 Tim Burton movie hit theaters.

However, from the thighs up, Gaines was giving a different style star. Her tweed wrap mini skirt was similar to the skirt that Anne Hathaway's character, Andy, wears after undergoing a major style makeover in "The Devil Wears Prada." Because it's her first sartorial serve in the movie, it's definitely her most memorable. Gaines' black sweater also seems like something Andy or her work rival (Emily Blunt) might wear, but the short puff sleeves (a style that's come in and out of fashion since the '30s) combined with the scrawny silk bow at the neck also make it feel like a relic — it could be a more low-effort "Gossip Girl" outfit. Sadly, while "The Devil Wears Prada" is a cinematic classic, its lewks that were fashion-forward for 2006 wouldn't make much of a splash on the runway now.

While Joanna Gaines managed to transform grain silos into a hot tourist destination, she couldn't make skinny overalls look stylish. In 2016, she posted a photo of a real fixer-upper of an outfit. Expertly executing the modern farmhouse aesthetic is her forte when it comes to transforming homes, but her self-described "farm life fashion" was shabby without the chic.

Gaines was trying on clothing when she found a pair of overalls she just had to have. They had front patch pockets and a design element that Zoomers have eliminated from their wardrobes: skinny legs. Unfortunately, this silhouette on overalls creates a weird drop-crotch situation. It might just be time to stop the cycle of the functional work garment coming back in style every few years. 

Combined with her brown ankle boots, the slim-cut legs of Gaines' overalls were also giving Christian girl autumn from 10 seasons ago. Meanwhile, a long-sleeved, heather gray shirt certainly wasn't doing anything to save her 'fit from looking outmoded. However, the worst fashion throwback of all was her mesh-backed snapback — it's probably giving those who survived "The Simple Life" and "Punk'd" era flashbacks to Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher making trucker hats a ubiquitous trend. Gaines might know her way around a farm, but her outfit just made her look like she was cosplaying as a farmer.