Wow, Angie! Another great idea for making the world a better place. Imagine if we weren’t forced to look at people wearing acid-washed, pleated mom jeans circa 1991? “Sorry lady, those jeans expired in 1993. You’ll have to turn them in for recycling.” That would be blissful

Another fashion labeling chuckle: Since having kids, I’ve found it humorous that you buy their clothes based on the kid’s weight (or “by the pound,” as I like to call it). So a size 3T is 30-35 pounds, or whatever.

Imagine if women had their clothing sizes labeled “by the pound.” They wouldn’t sell a single garment!

Sometime I eat and drink expired foods, if still smell good and taste good. I would ignore the expiration dates on my clothes. I’ll keep wearing them if still fit right & look good. Most definitely buy those with the longest fashion life.

LOL, Angie! This is genius! I was just thinking that I need to learn to give up my favorite pieces on time. I sometimes love things so much that I insist on sneaking in faded t-shirts, etc. in my outfits. In any case, I hope they wouldn’t put expiration dates on handbags and shoes!

i think expiration dates are a wonderful metaphor for a phenomenon we all know. We stand in front of our wardrobe and “sniff” the clothes as if they were milk in the fridge. Actually, there is something like an expiration date on clothes. Isn´t that part of fashion – items that are “fresh” and others that we “forgot in the fridge” and that we are just not comfortable any more to eat? (OK, I´ll let go of this metaphor now…;))
designers and retailers need expiration dates on fashion – otherwise we could just wear the same outfit until it´s shabby. Maybe it would be actually helpful to have such a date printed on the labels. It would be easier to manage our closet – and still we could be “bad” girls and wear something that has expired without anyone noticing….;)

Laura, I thought kids clothes are usually by age. 3T for 3 yrs old. Wonder what would be worst, labeled “ by the pound” or “ by the age”?

What I want to know is who would get to control the expiration dates? It seems to me like you’d need to be able to tell the future to determine such things. I mean what if one designer gave skinny jeans an expiration of 1 year and another designer gave the expiration 10 or 20 years, someone would just be plain wrong and then the consumer with the first pair jeans would feel cheated when they threw out their jeans prematurely.

In addition to getting people to buy more,it seems like this would also allow for trend manipulation. I mean what if some designer produced latex leggings with an expiration date of 20 years? Would everyone rush out to buy them, convinced that it was a lasting trend?

Agree w/ Patience. Who would be able to control the expiration dates? I can see the industry putting a one season or 3 mo. expiration date on everything and recommend consumer to purchase all new clothes every seasons. LOL

Would the dates also tell me if an item was too worn out? I’m always tempted to hang onto things even after I’ve bought replacements. If the worn ones smelled like sour milk I’d know to just go ahead and toss.

A great idea but there are some that wouldn’t pay attention to that no matter what. I’ve actually had the following conversation with my sister:
She: Do you think I should keep this…it still fits and looks ok.
Me: You’ve had that top since JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL and you are now pushing 40!!

Laura, now THAT is hilarious. Can you imagine if women’s clothes were sized in poundage ? Good bye retail industry. In Europe, kids clothes are sometimes sized by height. That sort of makes sense I think. Does it?

It’s the million dollar question as to who would control the information of the expiration dates. Who controls trends today? I can’t get to the bottom of it and I’ve been immersed in the international fashion game for 17 years! It’s another mystery.

Kristers, you always crack me up. Is that a true conversation?

That may be more neccessary for men than for women. My dear husband has no clue what is way out of style. I have just convinced him that the shorter shorts in his closet are past their expiration date and only good for yard work. I did this by pointing out a man in public with short shorts on. I said, “Now do you see why I want you to wear the longer shorts?” His reply, “So I won’t look like a dork?”
Hmmm, expiration dates for men’s clothing. Brilliant!

I think expiration date on clothes is a wonderful idea for a comedy routine. Aside from that, I think it would be awful if such a thing existed. We would all look uniform, and that would be boring, sad and unimaginative.

Ah, now see, this could be an opportunity to get our geeky husbands into fashion.

What we could do is sew RFID tags into the clothes. Occasionally, the fashion powers that be would send out a broadcast to all the clothes updating the style quotient of the items in question. We could read the status on little LED displays sewn into the labels. The fashion powers could even come up with different levels.

For example…
-trendy
-stylish
-classic
-tired
-expired

In this way, they wouldn’t have to guess when something would expire. It would be obvious, and those stylishly clueless among us would know right away!

m!

Gosh! I’d be in trouble, all those LEDs flashing all over the stage! There would have to be a way to remove them, so you could repurpose the clothing. Billy Mays would be selling the tool for that for 19.95 on those infomercials, but wait, if you call right now, ’cause we can’t do this all day – you get two tools for the same price!
I wouldn’t like the poundage – yikes! who wants to really admit…though the “sniffing” the closet sounds sort of interesting. This topic is fun to think about. I think I’ll bring it up at work, see what the crazy costume people come up with!

FUNNY!

I like thinking of the closet/refrigerator analogy…opening the door to find those things pushed to the back that smell and are no longer appetizing, those expensive things that were bought for a party and then not worn/consumed, the essentials that are front and center because they are used daily and need to be replaced often, the things bought with someone else in mind but not really something you like, items you were gifted with years ago, the things that are good for you but not exciting….Maybe we need a push to know when something has “expired”.
As ridiculous as expiration dates for clothing are, I would like to be able to see into the future to see what will still be stylish. For example, I love clamdiggers and think of stocking up during August sales for next summer. Then I wonder if there will be a new style that’s more modern and that I’d rather have by the time almost a year rolls around. Will clamdiggers expire to be replaced with something else?!

I imagine that in the future, some government agency of the fashion industry might tell us when we can no longer wear certain items of clothing. It really makes the most sense to me: if each designer could decide, there would have to be some sort of “standardization” process and guidelines for creating expiration dates, so naturally a government would get involved.

There will be microchips installed in the labels, which will set off an alarm to save you from losing any dignity if you try to leave your house (much like security systems in stores). You might also get expiration reminders sent to your cell phone or home computer. Your calendar will have an automatic appointment set up to remind you to pick up new items, or perhaps you can shop online for what you need so it arrives before your current wardrobe expires. Perhaps there can be different types of labels: boots can be worn at certain times of the year for __ years. The infamous “Christmas” sweaters can only be worn at Christmas.

Of course, there would be huge problems trying to get a global system set up – there are so many differences in technology, cultural expectations, and styles across each nation and the globe that there may be different “expiration” dates depending on where you live!

Whew! That was FUN! Now, about labeling items based on weight: fortunately there are so many discrepancies in sizes based on height: so a 150 lb woman who is 6′ will not wear the same size as a woman with the same weight who is 5′.

If this ever happens, I would start a company that makes clothes that do not expire for at least 5 years. Personally, I think that all clothes can and should last at least 2 years. It is the height of consumerism and waste if we wear clothes that only last a few months in our closets. I do indulge in of-the-moment accessories (pins, necklaces, earrings, etc). Those take less space and can stay there till the style comes back or can be used in interesting ways to look current.

If clothes did have expiration dates, people who don’t have all the spending money in the world would be left feeling frumpy constantly. I think it’s impossible to ask all people to dress up to date as everyone has a different personal situation. Honestly, I think if someone is struggling to get food on the table, it is okay if they are wearing something that they picked up at the thrift store and is past its expiration date. I think it really depends on everyone’s unique situation. I volunteered at a resale shop for women who had fled domestic violence situations once and I can safely say that all the clothes at the shop were past their expiration date… but what matters more? Having at least SOMETHING to wear or nothing at all? I feel that clothing expiration dates would put a huge burden and weight on those who are not able to constantly update and upgrade their wardrobe. Just my two cents.

On the other hand, when I met my boyfriend his closet was a complete nightmare and I had to restyle him right away! If a person has the financial means to dress better and they are just being stingy or lazy, then an expiration date could be in order!

The wear-by date should have some sort of sensor that lets me know that after I’ve worn my favorite charcoal gray long cardigan about 100 times it is probably pilly and has a hole in the sleeve, so that even though I’ve only had it about a year, it has defintitely expired.

The expiration tag would have been handier than figuring all this out in the ladies room mirror about an hour ago.

Banana Republic has the season/date of purchase (i.e., Fall 2009) on a tag inside the clothing that I find very helpful when I’m editing my closet. I buy a lot of wool suits there. They tend to last a long time (we’re talking years — not months) but there’s a certain point when no matter how classic the styling, the suit is going to look out of date. I can see the difference when I compare the fit of old to new, but it helps to be able to look at the tag, see it was purchased in 2004 and think maybe (even though the suit is still in good condition) it’s time to stop wearing it. This works with other items of clothing also although they usually have a shorter “shelf life” to begin with.

If clothes had expiration dates, we could more easily create budgets for our purchases based on a strict mathematical formula. EG. Let’s say I decided that my personal formula was to pay up to $100/ year of wear. So, if a wonderful blazer weren’t going to expire and would look good for 5 years, I’d happily pay $500 for them but if a jacket were a trendy cut and style that would only really “work” for the next 9 months, I’d tell myself I could only spend a maximum of $75 on it.

Hah! I love it. I’m a total rule follower, but I’ve gotta say this concept scares me. I LOVE thrifting, and do think it would make that entire industry/practice obsolete. Plus, so confining! Certain items can wiggle around through trends and fashionability and still be viable … but with hard and fast expiry dates? No way.

Hilarious idea. Realistically though, I’m glad that clothes do not really have expiration dates. I don’t want anybody telling me that I have to throw out my clothes and buy new ones; I want to be a judge of when it’s time to move on. I would ignore the dates anyway. If I love the way something looks on me I wear it until it’s worn out. Danja and Sri put it the best. I agree with every word of their comments. Marianna has a good point too. Speaking as someone who can only afford essentials, expirations dates on clothes seem like a wasteful nightmare to me.

Love the quote!

I think this would be great for men’s clothes as some others have mentioned. I have to gently nudge my husband when something needs to be replaced and convince him that it’s either dated or not flattering anymore. He’s pretty good about it but sometimes I get a very puzzled expression. Thankfully he trusts my judgement, but if there was an expiration date, I could just point that out and avoid the whole discussion.

OH! Also! I’d like to see men’s clothing have tags like “For Gym Use Only” on things like white sneakers.

This idea needs to carry over to hair styles too. Just last week I saw a woman sporting a mullet. Gadzooks!

Don’t designers do this more or less.
Each new season, out with the old and in with the new. That cropped jacket you bought last year has expired, the new and improved boyfriend jacket is in for fall, and it will be good until it expires next fall when jacket shape, lapel and length wil probably change yet again:).

I have a better idea. make all the clothings with organic natural fabrics materilas, so we can see and FEEL which is old and which is fresh. And it will also make it impossible to wear rotten clothes just like food even within the espiery date if you do not care it properly. In that case unlike these days people who lives in hot climate will have tp pay for more on clothings.

You are very clever! I loved reading this!

I don’t like the idea of an expiration date on clothing. What if I like something so much and it looks good on me? I wouldn’t want to throw it out even if it’s out of season! I say that we should just let the consumer decides what is in and what is out based on their taste. Usually when my clothing has reach the “new” to “old” by the look of it, I usually throw them out.

Guilty as charged for “overwearing” a lot of my clothes. It just isn’t practical for me to throw out knits every season! I don’t think they look that bad, frankly. I guess as long as I’m ignoring expiration dates now, putting them on the label isn’t going to make a huge difference!

Let me finish my idea of eco-friendly clothing idea.
I do not shop grocery shop until the refregerator is almost empty. I hate throwing away food it is not only guilty but also unpleasant, doesnt’ it?
If we can have to face same thing with our clothings we would have to stop shopholic type shopping. Our clothings just like the animals in natural habitat will go into the circle of life. Just think about the ever fresh nylon fabrics in the soil fresh enough to disturb the life cycle.

Hmm will this make clothes cheaper? But I don’t like the idea, I love thrifting so much.

Despite all the problems with this concept, it would be fabulous for me if there was a mechanism that told me that (1) an article of clothing no longer fits, (2) the article of clothing is too worn out, or (3) an article of clothing is too out of style to wear. In a perfect world this would help me soo much!!

It’s an interesting concept, but I don’t think that items of clothing ever really expire. Rather, they just go out of circulation for a few years and then come back as a “new” trend. Thus cigarette pants become skinny jeans, bell bottoms become flares, etc.

A hilarious idea, and I love the fact that it stems from a quote from Garry Shandling!

I would LOVE to see expiration dates on all my makeup. I know the shelf-life of certain products but it’s easy to forget when I bought something and sometimes I have a hard time letting go of those pretty little containers!

Imagine a world where we didn’t judge people on pathetically shallow things like fashion. Or where we didn’t follow along like sheep to all the marketers of cool who work so hard to separate us from our cash and convince us that perfectly good items are no longer “acceptable” because some “fashion” pinhead in New York or Paris or Hollywood says so.

Maybe at the expiration date they could begin to disintegrate and disappear from one’s closet all together.