When is an item worn out? - YouLookFab Forum

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When is an item worn out?

Keix

Veteran

It's been raining a lot recently in my normally drought-ridden area. One day I pulled an old raincoat out from the closet because I had to lend my umbrella to a friend for dinner, and a different friend complimented me on the coat. I was a bit embarrassed because to me the coat is "worn out"; it's a navy color that has visibly faded at the cuffs and seams.

Which made me think, maybe I have too-strict standards for when an item is worn out? The coat was still perfectly functional and didn't have holes or anything. But to my eye it looks "old" if the color is faded.

What is your standard for removing a "worn out" item from your wardrobe?

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

LaPed

Veteran

For rain coats, I keep them until the waterproof membrane delaminates (assuming it's a jacket that uses goretex type technology). If it's a water-resistant jacket, I wear them basically forever, reviving with a Nikwax spray as necessary.

I don't consider slight wear to be a problem. I actually feel a little bit self-conscious wearing clothes that look brand new, and tend to mix my brand-new items in with older ones, so I don't feel too ostentatious. I also buy things with an eye to what they'll look like in a year or two. Stuff that's intended to look very polished does not make good everyday wear for me. The bulk of my wardrobe needs to be able to tolerate a little roughing-up.

I was raised by Quakers in New England -- I don't know how to not be thrifty...

Anonymous

When it comes to coats, I prefer pristine condition for work and errands, but keep older coats for times when the weather is yucky or whatever. The ones that are still wearable and in decent condition get donated if I no longer have need for them, but I don't discard outerwear easily. I was raised by a very frugal mother who went through the Great Depression and World War II.

kkards

Veteran

depends on the item and the audience...for example, yesterday i wore a new blue pullover sweater that i bought to replace an other blue sweater that was pilled, so it moved to weekend only wear....

for knits, if they are misshapen or discolored...for shoes, if the heel can not be repaired or the leather can't be polished up. for coats, if they are stained or the feathers are "settling"

Diana

Veteran

Ha, for me it depends on how much I love the item. If I really love it, it's only worn out when it starts literally falling apart (ETA: or for shoes if they start causing pain/injury in a way that cannot be fixed). If I'm kind of meh about it, any signs of wear are an excuse to go buy a better one.

LaPed

Veteran

kkards -- there are some cleaning products formulated to care for down that do a good job reviving the loft of the feathers. I use this once a year in the spring on my older sleeping bags and puffers to keep them going: Nikwax Down Wash

Anonymous

Great question!
I would consider fading on a polished item "worn out".

There's a certain rattiness to knitwear that makes it worn out, although pilling per se doesn't mean it's worn out. For example, some things pill with easy-to-remove balls, and I'm ok with that. But other knitwear will have pills that when pulled on, will take the sweater with them. Pilling on thin knitwear would constitute being worn out to me, although a bit of pilling under the arms is ok.

I have a Marmot (gear) raincoat that looks great on the outside but the Waterproofing on the inside has yellowed. I consider that worn out, even though nobody can see the yellowing. I still wear it though

Jeans are worn out when they get too thin. Fortunately, my jeans have been going really strong because I line dry. This has tripled their life. It's almost like I wish they would wear out so I could update them.

Anonymous

For me, if I have to ask myself if an item is worn out, it probably is. But then I may downgrade the article of clothing to when I do yard work or walk the dog when the weather is nasty and don't care what happens to it after that.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Smittie--good answer! I'm watching this thread because it's something I have a problem with, too.

cindysmith

Veteran

There are varying degrees of 'worn out' to me. And it takes a lot for me to decide something must go because of wear&tear. I like shreddy gross looking things (like my Benenato sweaters), so unless those type of items are literally falling apart, they aren't worn out.

For my asymmetric tops, again, it takes a lot. I just replaced one that had faded and developed small holes, but I love the top so much that I relocated it to 'yardwork' (even though the replacement was the exact same shirt LOL).

Again, with my tendency towards very worn out looking items, it takes a lot for me to decide it must go. However, before I began indulging my dystopian bent, it went the moment it had the most microscopic flaw no matter how well concealed it was. Perhaps my dystopian Side is also frugal and eco-friendly, although not by design LOL

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think the answers suggest that it depends on whether your style is polished or RATE, and on how rugged you like to look.

I have a woollen coat that I consider "worn" (though not completely "worn out") because the weave on the cuffs and a few other places has become a bit thin and shiny. I am not giving it up yet because I happen to need this style of coat -- I will continue to look for a replacement and wear it less often in the meantime. My style is quite casual, but polished.

A lot of times others won't notice this type of wear and tear on an item -- you have to look pretty closely to see it. They will see instead the cut, fit, flattery of it.

Isabel

Veteran

For me, it comes down to it looking ratty and can't be fixed. I think that there is a difference between well worn and ratty. Many things look great well worn ( leather as an example ). Many new things are given that look too.

The "wear" on your coat sounds rather symmetrical and may look like it is part of the style. And obviously someone liked it that way.

: )

Sal

Veteran

It depends on a lot of factors, and my love/dislike for an item can over-ride at times.

- Jeans, usually when the holes are in the wrong place or they lose their shape. I line dry jeans so this can take a very long time.

- knitwear, when it is mis-shapen or holey.

- wovens - holes, shiny-ness

- footwear - no longer worth repairing

I demote some items to home/winter sport wear or layering items. eg knitwear to wear under a puffer.

My main issue is stains, I will always try and remove them but if unsuccessful I do discard the item. I am happy to look worn/used/wrinkled but I do not want to look dirty.

I actually love the worn English country look - where tweeds are supposed to be slightly faded, and I also love this in home decor too.

Liz

Veteran

As others have said, it depends on the item and where I wear it. If that raincoat were my professional one, that I wore to work and meetings and needed to feel polished, I'd probably consider it worn out. As a coat to wear once every year or two in a non-polished setting, I'd probably be fine with it.

Style Fan

Veteran

I don't mind clothes that look slightly worn. Actually I prefer that look. Most of my wardrobe is slightly worn and some pieces are probably on the ratty side.

Keix

Veteran

Lots of different approaches here! FWIW, I was also raised in a very frugal family; but my mother's style is *not* polished and perhaps as a result I am rebelling from that. I do want to look more polished despite being in a very casual environment, so that may explain my discomfort with a well-worn item.

JAileen

Veteran

For work I wanted to look more polished and professional. For casual and for hiking and birding I don't mind letting stuff get worn. But the usual factor of whether I keep something or not is if it still fits.

My parents were children of the Depression, too. But my father's professional clothes were always immaculate. When my mother went out she always looked very nice, too.

bella

(website)

Veteran

I am with Diana on this one. If I love it, then I don't even notice that it is worn out, until it is falling apart.
In fact, I found a thread that I started about this a few years ago:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ems-i-love

This happened to me again at the beginning of the winter season. I found pieces of pleather on my neck and realized that the pleather piping on a beloved shirt had shredded to pieces! How did I not notice that?!?

Tisa

I consider clothing worn out when I notice it's becoming a bit shabby. It doesn't really matter what's wrong with it, the fact that there is an issue is enough for me. The item either needs to be fixed or I start looking for a replacement.

I simply feel better in clothing that looks like new or only slightly worn.
To me wearing a bit scruffy clothes feels like walking around with greasy hair or staying in a cluttered room. I can do it without a problem if I need to, but I'm not a fan and it doesn't make me feel particularly good.

My only exception are shoes. That is because only completely new shoes show no signs of wear, and secondly because I'm quite picky when it comes to footwear. It might take quite a long time before I actualy find a suitable replacement for my favourite pair of the season, which in practice means that I almost always throw a pair of shoes away only when it's already worn out.

DonnaF

Veteran

I don't buy jeans with holes/tears, but a couple of pairs of my newest ones are quite frayed at the pocket edges; they came that way. Normally, I would consider this a sign that they were worn out. Now, I guess, I'll never consider any of my jeans worn out.

April

Veteran

I think this varies A LOT from person to person. And by gender -- remember Jerry Seinfeld talking about how men wear their underwear until it "barely retains the properties of a solid"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka282wza9Dg

When I find that something is seeming just plain sad (pilled, stained, faded, yellowed) I know it's time to get rid of it.

When it's not really sad but it just looks a bit past its prime, I demote it to a lower wardrobe pay grade. Maybe it goes from "Date Night at a Great Restaurant" to "Hanging Around at Home Waiting for the Cable Guy".

Anonymous

I honestly believe YOU are the decider of when something is worn out. If you feel it is worn, IT IS WORN.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I can totally relate to what Diana said -- it depends on how much I love the item in question! It also kind of depends on the item. Leather, in my opinion, tends to look better after it has been worn in a bit. This is true of leather on coats, handbags, shoes -- even iPhone cases! I don't think leather looks bad until it's really wrecked.

Athletic shoes, Converse and other very casual canvas shoes look much BETTER to my eye when they're no longer pristine. I've always taken new Cons out into some mud to "fix" the glaring white rubber toe (Angie would die). But to me, casual and athletic shoes look somehow inauthentic when they're brand spanking new.

While I have a high level of tolerance for distressing on some things, I don't like items that pill. I discard sweaters and tops quickly if they become pilled and I can't get the pills off. I also generally discard something once it has holes.

Generally speaking, I'm OK with items that look "lived in" as long as they look clean. (Stains make me twitch). My style is more on the RATE side, of course, so what I think look "well loved" may seem scruffy or shabby to others.