Does everyone have this amount of clothes?

Gloomendoom

splitinfinity wrote: »

Now: hmmm, do I need it, is it made of natural fibres, does it go with my wardrobe, I'll pass...

I must admit that Mrs G might add "Do I really want it?" to the list. She also tends to choose fabrics, natural or man made, that are appropriate for the garment. Woollen bathing suits went out of fashion for a reason.

missbiggles1

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I have 10 dresses, 5 summer, 5 winter.
1 smart jacket, 1 evening jacket, 3 cardigans.
These are all in one wardrobe, I have 3 drawers, one containing underwear, one containing scarves etc, one containing play clothes (corsets, pvc, leather etc).
I've just bought 2 pairs of shoes & thrown 2 pairs away that were worn out, I have one pair of boots & 1 pair of trainers.

No skirts, trousers, tops etc?

missbiggles1

splitinfinity wrote: »

Yup, money saving sometimes requires curbing your wants. And it doesn't come easy to everyone, I suppose. I've learnt it and now the wife is too.

There's something really spooky about this post, particularly following on from your earlier ones.:eek:

splitinfinity

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I must admit that Mrs G might add "Do I really want it?" to the list. She also tends to choose fabrics, natural or man made, that are appropriate for the garment. Woollen bathing suits went out of fashion for a reason.

Yeah, I'm not suggesting that everything has to be wool, raincoats, ski jackets or bathing suits or elastane/nylon in socks for example. But the idea is that for most clothing natural fibres are more comfortable, durable, breathable and so on.

Man made synthetic fibres are usually added to 'cheapen' the manufacturing process. i.e. 100% cotton shirts are generally more expensive to produce than a 50/50 cotton/poly mix shirt. And as you can imagine, your sweat pores on your body need to release sweat and oils, and ideally you would want your clothing to wick that away from your skin to the surface where it evaporates on contact with air. Having a polyester shirt on makes this process difficult (not impossible), as polyester cannot soak liquids too well. Hence my disposition towards natural fibers.

Also, I find that manufacturers that go way out to source natural fibres also take care in the construction of your garments, and this is usually reflected in the price of the item. Manufacturers who want to mass produce cheap clothing will source poly/viscose materials, and will also usually look at ways to cut corners in making a garment (i.e. weak stitching, badly done seams, loose buttons).

For me it is a case of buy cheap, buy twice. Pay a bit more and it lasts a lot longer, while also looking good on you for the next few years. I've had a few shirts of the cheaper sort, and the plasticky sheen they have, the almost see through fabric, loose buttons - everytime you put it on, it just looks cheap (£8 from matalan and £10 from next). A higher quality garment may cost 3 times more, but will look better and last 3 times as long.

I do perhaps tend to put too much thought into my wardrobe, but I assure you this is not a form of snobbery (I'm frugal and I browse MSE). I do my research, make up my mind on the level of quality and price I am willing to pay, and then live and learn from my mistakes. Being informed and willing to learn, is the best a man can do.

Tthese are some articles I've found recently that may help explain what to look out for in clothing:
https://caftansandmalbec.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/8-ways-to-recognize-low-and-high-quality-garments-when-you-see-them/

http://propercloth.com/reference/high-quality-dress-shirt/

splitinfinity

missbiggles1 wrote: »

There's something really spooky about this post, particularly following on from your earlier ones.:eek:

I have to apologise, I just don't see it. Can you please explain what is spooking you out so much about a couple who don't keep up with the jonses and dont have the need to buy clothing at each and every sales event?

splitinfinity

missbiggles1 wrote: »

There's something really spooky about this post, particularly following on from your earlier ones.:eek:

Heres another one that will chill you down to the bone: We used to have 2 cars, but sold one of them, as it didnt get used. We now make do with just the single car, but we are about £1200 a year better off in motoring costs (not to mention that we sold it for £3500, which went into a cash ISA).

How eerie is that? We are happy that we got rid of something. And we are financially better off. Could we buy a second car on a whim, perhaps, do we need it, perhaps not. We have learnt to curb our 'want' of a second car.

missbiggles1

splitinfinity wrote: »

I have to apologise, I just don't see it. Can you please explain what is spooking you out so much about a couple who don't keep up with the jonses and dont have the need to buy clothing at each and every sales event?

Nothing to do with your attitude to clothes, everything to do with the way you speak of your wife.:(

splitinfinity

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Nothing to do with your attitude to clothes, everything to do with the way you speak of your wife.:(

I still don't see it. Have I humiliated her or spoken in a way that makes it look like I'm above her?

As a couple we work together, so I don't go behind her back and throw away her clothing. Most of our decisions are mutual and if we both have a clear goal - (i.e. cut fuel costs, downsize our wardrobes, eat out less) - we work together towards them. I assure you, she is not locked in a dungeon and not on a bread and water diet.

Furthermore, I said "she is learning to curb her wants", if you care to read a few more of my posts you'll see that I too admit that I am learning and still could lessen my wardrobe. So apologies if in your eyes my OH was offended/humiliated.

We are both human beings and not perfect. Life is a journey of learning etc etc You get the idea.

Pollycat

splitinfinity wrote: »

I have to apologise, I just don't see it. Can you please explain what is spooking you out so much about a couple who don't keep up with the jonses and dont have the need to buy clothing at each and every sales event?

As I said earlier:

Pollycat wrote: »

'need' & 'want' are very different things.

I'm with missbiggles.

It may just be the way you write but I get the impression - and I may well be wrong - that you decided to reduce your wardrobe and cars and 'curb your wants' and your wife doesn't have much of a choice on the matter.

splitinfinity

Pollycat wrote: »

As I said earlier:

I'm with missbiggles.

It may just be the way you write but I get the impression - and I may well be wrong - that you decided to reduce your wardrobe and cars and 'curb your wants' and your wife doesn't have much of a choice on the matter.

Maybe it is the way I write, but I'm not sure how many times I can add words like 'mutual' and 'consensual' into my posts and still sound like the sole decision maker. Like I said in a post above, its a question of how you bring about a subject with your OH - if you point out some advantages, it usually works; mine seems pretty happy to join me in some of my completely mad endeavors like giving some of our unused/duplicated clothing away to the charity shop.