Weird Fashion Superstitions and Rituals (and Where the Heck They Came From)

A hat on the bed foretells a death.

Yikes. Theories for the start of this one abound, but we're particularly intrigued by the idea that ailing cowboys would have their earthly possessions nearby when they were on their deathbed, creating a link between the hat placement and a soon-to-be passing. Also intriguing? A time when evil spirits were thought to live in the hair, making the hat a dangerous item to have close to where you innocently sleep.

Throwing shoes at someone is good luck.

Historically, the removal of a shoe was part of marriage negotiations, though in more modern times it translated into wishing someone good luck. Check out this verse from English poet John Heywood: "And home again hitherward quick as a bee / now for good luck, cast an old shoe at me."

Putting your pants on while standing means you'll be poor.

Sit down to pull on your jeans: Tugging them on while standing is related to poverty.

Specially arranged shoes can reveal your future husband.

Love and shoes? Kind of sounds like the perfect combination. An old tale says if you arrange your shoes in a T-shape, with the heel of one touching the instep of the other while saying "Hoping this night, my true love to see, I place my shoe in the form of a T," you'll see the person you'll marry in that night's dreams.

It's bad luck to pick up a glove you've dropped.

If one of yours falls, ask someone else to grab it in order avoid bad luck (it's thought to go back to women dropping gloves in hopes a prospective love match would pick it up).

To avoid falling, put your clothes on the floor before you wear them.

This one is adopted from superstitious racing jockeys who throw new uniforms on the floor and stomp on them before wearing. The idea is that since the garment has violently hit the floor, the rider won't.

Don't buy shoes at the start of a new year.

The word for "shoes" sounds similar to that for "rough" in Chinese, leading to a belief that buying new kicks at the beginning of a fresh year will result in 365 not-so-smooth days.