A friend emailed this quote to me last week and I spilled my tea I laughed so hard:

“They should put expiration dates on clothes so we men know when they go out of style” – Garry Shandling

Imagine if all clothes, not just those for men, had an expiration date sewn into the label. Who would decide when clothing had gone off? Who would actually adhere to the dates provided? It is fun to think about.

At one extreme you’d have some people scouring the shelves for dates as far into the future as possible. That way they would get the biggest bang for their fashion buck. Would there be some way that that people could “freeze” their clothes to make them last even longer?

On the other hand there would be people who would prefer to keep it fresh, only purchasing items with expiration dates of up to a few months. That way, they’d have a completely new wardrobe every season.

In reality a lot of people would probably love to have the guidance. Stick to the recommended expiration dates and you’ll stay in style. Wear something past the date and it’s a fashion faux pas. Easy! It’s there in black and white on the label.

I bet retailers would be ecstatic. More shopping all round. But what would happen to the expired clothing? It would have to be magically recycled into the next batch of fresh items.

Would this mean no thrifting? No passing down of clothes? No vintage fashion? Or would some items be like fine wines that last for decades and get even better with age.

Any more Friday thoughts on clothing expiration dates? Let your imagination run wild.