HATE Polyester - YouLookFab Forum

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HATE Polyester

ladylion

Member

In the past 5 years or so, after having an allergic reaction to medication, I've found I cannot wear (most) polyester. I don't even have to look at the label, esp. on jeans......I can feel it and have to rip them off ASAP!
I believe jean makes use Polyester to help with bagginess, but honestly some of my fav pairs are 99% cotton, 1% lycra and never, ever bag. I'm now seeking another pair and am having such trouble that I'm thinking of starting a clothing company to feature fashionable clothing in soft fabrics, mostly cotton. Does anyone else feel this way?

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from tulle

Anonymous

You are really right mam. I too hate polyester. It is very hot indeed as well as uncomfortable

Eva

I definitely agree! I don't like the way synthetic fabrics feel on my skin. Acrylic especially gives me the shudders when I touch it, and my skin doesn't breathe as well under any synthetics, so I steer clear and wear only natural fibres - cotton, linen, viscose etc. Sometimes these are a little harder to find (although not now I'm used to it) but well worth the effort!

always trying

Veteran

Polyester is absolutely awful when it is hot. I search for 100% cotton in pants and t's. Have been lucky enough to find quite a bit last summer, and a pair of linen pants in late summer. My best jeans are 99% cotton and 1% spandex. hard to find more, but I am always looking for them. Too much polyester and even 2% spandex in jeans makes them feel like wearing saran wrap my legs in hot weather.

If you start the company I will be one of your biggest customers..someone sure should start making the old 100% cotton jeans. My last pair of old Levis did a big split last spring.

Diana

Veteran

Me too! I particularly hate the stretch type (like in jeans or leggings) - it always makes me feel like I have bugs crawling all over my legs.

Woven poly doesn't make me itch, but it's so staticky.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I love linen cotton and silk only my clothing budget does not. Lol but that is part of the reason why I thrift someone always donating the good stuff. But really I understand and they do have some companies that have "pure" items but to me they are not to good looking or not my style.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I REALLY don't like polyester in jeans. I avoid that like the plague.

I do wear polyester and cotton-poly blend tops though. Polyester is a much more stable and durable fibre than cotton, so it has its place. (If you're not allergic, of course).

stainedglass

Poly in any shape or form makes me itch I've had trouble finding jeans without polyester. When I manage to find a pair that works, I always duplicate.

Dee

Veteran

I'm not allergic but I do overheat easily, so I have stopped buying polyester clothing. This has seriously limited my options for tops and dresses! I wish there were better options out there in natural fabrics.

Thistle

Veteran

For me, it depends on the poly. Some of it is horrible against my skin, and others not so. Some of it washes and dries well, others look like a ratty mess. No idea why, but there it is.

In the summer, especially, though, I avoid poly as it doesn't breathe like cotton.

Anonymous

Totally agree. If you start the company, let me know.

Iron Ethel Flint

Sometimes I have to suck it up and wear it, but I avoid it whenever possible.

Today's 50/50 blends aren't anywhere near as awful as the double knits and permanent press of my childhood, but I'd still much, much rather cut corners somewhere else so we can wear natural fibres, especially the babies and small children in the family.

lmk if you start the company too.

barbaraq

As a sewer of most of my own clothes, I am finding it more and more difficult to buy fabric without a significant amount of polyester in its makeup. I also hate wearing it and is horrible to sew with. It does not take to pressing or shaping at all. It's also a stain magnet of the first order.

Interestingly, at least to me, here in Seattle the city trash pickup people are asking that all textiles, both fabric scraps and unwearable clothing, be kept out of the trash and instead be taken to Goodwill-type donation centers. I suspect polyester is a big culprit here because it NEVER decomposes in a landfill.

Nebraskim

Veteran

Polyester in jeans is horrid. Makes them bag and also attracts lint. I wear a lot of full on poly though in the form of running gear and athletic wear as it's the wicking fabric in stuff like Dri-weave. Some fabrications are better than others. But I will not buy it in jeans.

Anonymous

I'm a poly blend fan but not in jeans and not in the heat.

Gigi

Veteran

Count me in for the Polyester Haters Anonymous club...although I really don't care if I remain anonymous or not. Polyester feels scratchy to me, and it makes me sweat bullets. My particular pet peeve is how it's almost impossible to find socks that aren't loaded with the stuff. Who thought of the brilliant idea to use sweat-inducing fabric to make socks?

The only time I wear polyester is for maxi skirts that are loose-fitting. I also have one pair of loose shorts that have some polyester content. Everything else I have that has more than about 10% polyester or nylon pills, looks worn right away, and is hot. I have a terrible time finding clothes, because besides being a very hard-to-find size, I also refuse to buy anything with more than a modicum or polyester, acrylic, or nylon.

Echo

Veteran

I'll be the odd one out. I don't mind polyester most of the time, except in jeans. It generally makes for a more durable, washable and more shrink-resistant garment. Additionally, I find that linen wrinkles too much for my taste and light cottons show perspiration far too easily. Many garments made completely of natural fibers shrink and/or bleed, too. Because I do a LOT of laundry, I am sometimes not as careful as I should be about hanging things to dry (and sometimes despite that they shrink anyway).

Synthetic fabrics actually hold less moisture than does cotton, and the newest fabrics for keeping athletes cool are made from moisture-wicking polyester blends.

Basically, not all polyesters are created equally. Yes, there are those polyester fabrics which pill and feel hot, but most of the polyester or poly blend clothing now isn't the same as it was years ago.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You're not the odd one out, Echo. Did you see my comment?

Marilyn

Veteran

I'm open about poly. I have some poly tops that feel quite nice and have a lovely drape. It really depends on the item. I would love to buy more silk tops if they were not mostly dry clean only. Silk was around long before dry cleaning and if treated properly before sewing should be washable.

dakotacheryl

Veteran

Not all poly fabrics are created equal. I particularly love a Canadian clothing brand called Sympli. I own loads of their T's and tanks in a variety of colors.

They wear like iron, and don't make me sweat even in the warmest weather...and with my hot flashes, that's saying something. I machine wash them on the delicate cycle and hang to dry.

Also, my Vince Camuto faux wrap tops that I bought last summer don't make me sweat either, and are very comfy against my skin.

It's trial and error sometimes.

Echo

Veteran

Angie, I need to read more carefully! I just skimmed the comments and everything I saw said they hated poly fabrics.

Nebraskim

Veteran

Poly in socks helps with the wicking and sweat control. I find it superior to cotton for athletic gear purposes.

Summer

Veteran

I don't mind poly blends for tops, although I generally prefer natural fibres. In very warm weather, only cotton or linen will do for me.

Jeweled

Veteran

I've had only one pair of jeans with polyester. They were a blend of 65% cotton / 35% polyester.

They did stretch comfortably at first - but they kept on stretching more and more throughout the day, till they were loose and baggy all over by the end of the day.

They ended up looking SO unflattering that I couldn't put them in the donation bag fast enough when I got home!

I understand about fabric allergies - I can't wear acrylic. It makes me itch terribly and gives me a rash wherever it touches my skin.

tulle

Veteran

I'm with you! I really detest polyester for most things; it makes me feel hot and sticky. Pure cotton or linen sheets, and cotton, linen, silk or woolen clothing just feels so much better. It isn't easy to buy polyester-free stuff these days, when even expensive designer pieces contain it, but if you hunt around, you CAN find things made with natural fibers. This year, I even found 3 jackets lined with silk, instead of nasty acetate. Second-hand shops can be a boon, as fabric quality was much higher 5 or 10 years ago. Good luck!