I cannot be counted on to maintain my clothing :-( - YouLookFab Forum

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I cannot be counted on to maintain my clothing :-(

crazyone

Veteran

Today I noticed that the back of this new Banana Republic dress (worn twice, never washed) was pilling quite badly and warped from threads missing. This was a complete WTF for me, especially as it is a WOVEN dress, though polyester of course. Then I realized that the last time I wore it I went to a barbecue in the evening...and spent several hours sitting on patio furniture made of metal wicker. This is not even something I thought to consider...I'm mad at Banana Republic for making something so not durable, and at myself for not babying my clothes better.

This seems to be common theme with me :-(. I ruined a handbag by carrying it during my Korea/Japan trip and constantly sweating on it because it was so hot and humid. It was new and now looks terrible.

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Banana Republic

Floral Flutter-Sleeve Dress

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28 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

Roxanna

Veteran

Oh, I HATE that. But, @C1, I maintain that this is not your fault but BR's. It's summer! You can't sit in a chair for fear of ruining your clothes?!? rubbish!

I did the same thing this past week - wore my beloved taupe suede cage sandals, that I get comliments on everywhere I go - and the egde of the escalator came up and literally screaped the suede away from the shoe. I am so sad

Runcarla

Veteran

Having been able to get both wine and spaghetti sauce off my white crops gave me a sense of invincibility. However a drop of juice from a peach has done them in. I can still wear them with shirt dresses/long tunics, but not t-shirts or shorter tops. *cry*

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AviaMariah

Veteran

You should be able to sit on whatever chair you want. Your clothes are supposed to work for you not the other way around. Can you try to return it?

Isabel

Veteran

NO, it is a common theme with quality today !!! I keep reading about this over and over. I was so disappointed last year when I bought some cashmere sweaters for my winter capsule and they looked horrible by the end of the season. And I took really good care of them. You have to live your life in them and if they cannot keep up, then it is the quality, no you.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

A $150 dress from BR should NOT do this, no matter where you sit. It's really frustrating, but it's definitely not your fault.

Thirkellgirl

Veteran

Runcarla, since you think it's impossible anyhow, I suggest you try what I use for spot-treating my white duck slipcovers. Just a drop or two of Woolite Oxy Rug Cleaner usually does the trick for me, even when Oxyclean solution or anything else doesn't.

Traci

Veteran

I'm very hard on my clothes and I try to take that into consideration when I decide what to invest in. Oil spots on knitwear are my specialty.

Peri

Veteran

I'm always afraid to wear something new or favorite out to dinner for fear I may spill something on it. And yet, out to dinner is exactly where I would want to wear something new or favorite. I feel your pain!

LaPed

Veteran

Totally not your fault! Planned obsolescence and the cheapening of garment manufacturing.

I don't know what kind of warranty -- if any -- BR offers, but I'd take it back to the store and at least show them and see what they say, and probably write a review on the website too. Good feedback for their buyers and designers.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh no! I understand. I trashed my new-ish Brooks sneakers -- not workout shoes but casual wear sneaks -- on my PNW trip by wearing them when I needed a break from my hiking boots. Bad mistake. Salt water + suede and nylon color blocked sneakers is not a good combination. However, I looked up a cleaning technique when I got home and have managed to salvage them! They don't look like new, but good enough to save them and continue wearing.

However, I agree that a dress in that price range from BR should not do this so easily. That just seems too delicate.

catgirl

Veteran

I have the shorts of that same fabric and haven't worn them yet. I feel sad for you! I am the same way and am especially hard on shoes. It's not you - life happens.

Anonymous

I am so sorry to hear this. It must be incredibly frustrating. I don't believe it is you though. I feel that overall quality has dropped significantly. I would suggest going back to the store with your explanation.

Jules

Veteran

I wonder if some type of leather conditioner might help with your purse?

I feel your pain - I'm much more "RATE" (rough around the edges) than "polished" by nature, and adding white to my wardrobe AT ALL was a leap of faith. Bleach certainly helps but based on experience I would never choose white outerwear or anything that I don't want to wash with every wear. I did get a white FOSSIL purse that I love - and the first time I wore it I got pen ink on it. I'm just messy like that! I caught it quickly and did manage to get it off (I think I was on a plane and used some hand lotion in the process?). It may also have helped that I used a leather protector on the bag before wearing, because I had it around due to Danier making me buy it!
Speaking of which, there's a few marks on my blush moto as well, that won't come off despite the leather protector. Sigh.

Mochi

Veteran

Sorry to hear it, but we've all (or maybe it's just me) mistreated our poor new items. Don't mull over it too much. Sounds like the quality was not that great to start with.

Jazzy Dance

Oh man. That us a bummer. I don't like feeling like I have to babysit my clothes, but I also have been bummed to find items I love damaged by everyday wear. I accidentally trashed a bathing suit one year by sitting on the edge of an indoor pool. I think in that case and probably yours, the issue is that clothing isn't made to be appropriately durable.

rachylou

Veteran

Whoa! Evil chair. I had some kitchen cabinet handles that liked to attack like that. Slaughtered one of my best summer dresses ever - a white eyelet.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

That's why I don't do straw bags in summer. All the little poky bits trash whatever they touch.

JAileen

Veteran

I wreck stuff left and right. I'm sorry about your dress. I think you shoukd go to BR and return it. If they give you a hard time explain in a calm voice how you only wore it two times etc. if they explain that's not their policy, ask for the manager and explain again and again how their product should have lasted more than two wears. Good luck!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So frustrating. It shouldn't happen after only one wear -- even on patio furniture. I agree with LaPed that it's good to leave a review, and maybe write to BR, too.

crazyone

Veteran

thanks for the advice, everyone--I will probably try to contact BR online to start off with. I don't think I can still write a review given that the dress is now out of stock. Fortunately I didn't pay $150 but I still paid too much given how long it lasted :-/

Rachy: speaking of eyelet, I was wearing an eyelet dress last week and walking through Whole foods, and got the sleeve of the dress stuck on one of those metal wire frames on which they hang dried mushroom pouches, etc. I actually got stuck myself and had to extract myself. The dress actually tore a little but I don't blame construction for this--after all, it got stuck on a sharp stick of metal. And it actually could be mended pretty easily and no one would be the wiser. But the BR dress is beyond repair.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one with stories like this!

JAileen

Veteran

Do you have one of those battery operated sweater shavers? I'd probably try it just to see what happens. After you talk to BR.

Gaylene

Veteran

I'd say the blame might be as much with the chair as with the dress. If you decide to contact BR, you might want to have pictures of the chair to prove the metal wicker didn't have jagged edges. I recently took the skin off an elbow sitting in a resin wicker chair. The surface was like rough sandpaper with sharp bits poking up! Furniture shouldn't hurt you or wreck your clothing.

Runs With Scissors

Veteran

I feel your pain -- and it should not be that easy to destroy dress fabric! Hopefully BR comes though. But I hope this doesn't make you think twice about wearing your "nice" things when you want to. I struggle with that impulse myself, even though these days my closet runneth over and there is absolutely no reason to.

skylurker

Veteran

Bummer.
I'd blame the patio furniture, not you.

MrsK

So sorry about your dress and your purse!

Hopefully BR takes it back. I find that online SAs are often much more responsive and helpful than in-store, so hopefully that works out.

As for the purse, definitely try to restore it. My beautiful cognac bag was in dire shape and I used this leather kit - it worked great! And it's inexpensive, so definitely worth a try to save a lovely bag.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....#038;psc=1

Colette

Veteran

Bummer! I ruined an expensive pair of yoga pants by sitting on a concrete sidewalk to play with my neighbor's dog. I guess yoga pants are for doing yoga, not sitting. But a dress is another matter.

elpgal

Veteran

Ugh! I feel your pain. I ruined a silk dress by sitting at the cement edge of a pool at a pool party. Who wears a silk dress to a kid's pool party, right?!

elpgal

Veteran

Yes, Collette. Guilty of the same. It's only cotton blend yoga pants for the playground now.