Long-lasting clothes

Penelope_Penguin

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belfastgirl23

Don't forget too that how you care for your clothes makes a big difference. I must admit to being a bit lazy about stuff like this, whereas DH is a real stickler for hanging things up etc. And his clothes last a lot longer than mine!

pjk_3

I like Ralph Lauren polo shirts and won't buy anything else as they last for ages and keep their shape. I only buy them in outlet stores though as they are a silly price otherwise. I've tried plenty of other brands over the years and nothing comes close.

Costco (if you have access to one) has an own brand that seems to be pretty decent and good value - I've had a few of their cashmere jumpers and been pleased.

It's worth remembering that tumble drying is hard on clothes - the heat and the abrasion is bad. Not that a money-saver would use a tumble dryer anyway... I take my polo shirts out of the washing machine and hang them straight up somewhere warm and they don't even need ironing (it has to be said that they wouldn't get it even if they needed it).

BitterAndTwisted

Tumble dryers and washing-machines are very hard on clothing. I never wash dark clothes in heated water, always in cold to prevent fading. I also do up all buttons and fastenings and wash clothes inside-out so the wear is on the inside but as BelfastGirl said it's how you look after clothes that makes a huge difference: everything I own is always hung up, brushed with a clothes-brush and aired before it goes back in the wardrobe. Anything not worn next to my skin is worn a fair few times before being laundered.

I think the key is to buy the very best quality you can afford and look after clothes like you'll never be able afford any more. Natural fabrics wear much better than synthetics or blends in my opinion.

jenniewb

in a nutshell, natural fabrics and fibers live better then man made stuff- even when natural stuff becomes very worn, it still looks good and is generally easier to repair then man made.

Having said that, there are good and bad types of natural fabrics: for an example (and am about to get quite technical here!) when you make something from a fabric, you make it up from lots and lots of strands of the stuff. These long strands weather it be wool or cotton or silk or cashmere or linen, are themselves made up from lots of smaller fibers sort of rolled together to make one long strand which you then knot or weave or felt with.
If these long strands are made up from lots of very short fibers, you can get lots of 'pilling' which is where the clothes get bobbles. If you heat clothes too much in the wash or tumble dryer, you can destroy the little fibers which had been nicely rolled together to give an even look and again get pilling. And at worse, the fabric loses its shape, gets holes or falls apart all because the quality is poor and cannot stand up to the heat created when you clean them.

Just the same, there are some very good quality man made fabrics. I'd say these are in short supply or very expensive, but I'd also say that they just don't age as well as natural stuff - maybe I'm just to see with what I like but unless its for sports clothes where you need sweat to be 'wicked away' or shoes you need to be waterproof, I'd stick with the safe bet and go with natural stuff!

I do though think that some natural fabrics can feel quite scratchy- its natural, it depends on the animal/plant/country/what the thing producing it ate or lived on. But to see if its likely to irritate me, I place a small part of the clothes along my jaw line or if your really brave the skin near to your outer eye (N/b do NOT wear makeup!) you can normally tell from there.


@Emmilou- my Uggs are just over 5 years old now! Still going strong, the only replacement is the sheepskin insole!

Bronnie

Scout around the charity shops for quality classic items.

Try to plan ahead a little, so that whether you're interested in fashion or not, you have clothes adaptable for different eventualities depending on lifestyle of course. This way, clothes don't become too much of a hassle when an occasion or event comes up.

You sound as though you prefer to dress quite casually and for comfort, so maybe you don't have to be so concerned about long lasting-wearability where occasional clothes are concerned; more careful planning to decide on a couple of flexible pieces that will see you through more formal occasions.

poppyolivia

fat face stuff lasts for years!

*Vikki*

I too have wanted to know the answer to this question too, so thanks op!

BitterAndTwisted

Bronnie wrote: »

Scout around the charity shops for quality classic items.

Yep! I went to stay with my sister over Christmas in a much, much swankier area than where I live and went for a trawl of the charity shops yesterday afternoon by myself because dear sis wouldn't be seen dead in one but I have no such scruples. I snagged a Planet trouser-suit which had become separated for less than £14! It's a barely-worn beauty which fits like a glove and I'm so very pleased. Now, all I need is a job to wear it to.

BlondeHeadOn

Does anyone remember crimplene? You don't see it now except in charity shops, but God that stuff was indestructible. I used to have an awful crimplene dress that my mum bought me when I was about 9 years old, and I spent months trying to tear it, rub holes in it, wear it out.... (it was horrible, I hated it!) In the end I 'lost' it by stuffing it behind a splintery old wardrobe.

We found it 11 years later when we moved house, and it still looked like new. Luckily I'd grown out of it by then though...

:rotfl:

Dreadful stuff crimplene .... but boy it did last!