My clothes aren't wearing out.... - YouLookFab Forum

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My clothes aren't wearing out....

Sal

Veteran

Hi All

I am not sure if it is the pandemic meaning I have got "dressed" less, or that I am buying better quality or that I am taking better care of my clothing, but in general I am finding my clothing and footwear is lasting longer.

I think that now as well as my size is consistent and I am buying more wisely, that I have a better functioning wardrobe, so I don't have lots of unworn pieces...

Most years I exit about 20-30 pieces and between 8 and 14 of those are from being worn out. The rest are donated or gifted or sold. I bring in about 30 pieces including gear each year, and over the last year my wardrobe has crept up in size by 10 items, mostly because my clothes aren't wearing out. Neither are my shoes...I seem to wear out about one pair a year (aside from running shoes). I did exit 9 pairs in 2019 when I got ruthless with worn and out of favour footwear, but that was an anomaly.

I have added in 12 new pieces so far in 2022 and exited 9 so the closet is still growing.

I don't want more stuff - and I am happy with my editing. I could be more drastic but I enjoy variety. So it probably means I need to be buying less..... or being stricter on the one in and one out rule.

I made a statement that I was moving to the one in and one out rule a few years ago, but haven't applied it, mostly because I was adjusting the balance of my wardrobe with adding more gear in 2021, and building a better work capsule in 2020. The timing was a bit premature.

However, for the rest of 2022 this will be my new goal - not adding anything new unless I am ready to part with something.

Is anyone else finding that their clothes or footwear are lasting longer? And anyone else doing one in and one out?

Thanks in advance
Sally

General

36 replies

Latest reply was from Sal

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’m frequently confused by how quickly people here say their clothes wear out. It might be due in part to lower standards on my part, but when I’ve asked people say things like that their jeans had holes worn in them. That wouldn’t be acceptable to me either. I can’t imagine that I’m easier on my clothing either. I’m pretty squirmy and jump around a lot. I do air dry everything, so that maybe explains some of the discrepancy, but I really don’t get it. Maybe it’s because I’m a homebody?

Star

Veteran

The more clothes you have, the less often you wear them, so they last longer. I have a huge number of clothes (accumulated over many years) and would much prefer a smaller wardrobe. I stopped buying for 2 years (during covid) and now that I am I plan to practice one in, two out. My clothes hardly ever wear out. I do only line dry too.

BlueJay

Veteran

Some things are lasting longer for me, while others are wearing out faster! It depends on the item. Items that are lasting longer are mostly workwear items: blazers, heels, skirts, etc, but that's because they're not being worn.

Things that are wearing out much faster are: bathingsuits, jeans, workout gear, and some handbags. The bathingsuits are wearing out because I'm swimming more in a chlorinated pool and the chlorine is really harsh. Jeans were a surprise, but since I wear one pair over-and-over while WFH, the seat wore out of one pair and where they wore out it was too short to cut them into jean shorts, unfortunately. I have found that some of my workout gear has deteriorated over the time it sat packed away during lockdown. It was probably on its way out anyway, but I found the spandex stretched out and misshapen, and elastic in waistbands were no more. Even some of my "vegan" bags haven't held up over time and I've had to toss them.

Sal

Veteran

StagFash - I think air drying helps, as does choice of fabric. I am surprised how well my things are lasting.

Star - we can support each other! And yes COVID changed a lot.

BlueJay- I agree re those categories. I too need a new swimsuit and I pulled out some leggings that were indecent after four or five months in storage. Interesting re the vegan handbags.

BlueJay

Veteran

Yes, I was surprised about the bags. They weren't great quality to begin with and they were old (10+ years), but the material was actually flaking away from the edges.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I tend to tire of clothes before they actually wear out, but I have a larger wardrobe and I hang a lot of things to dry. I do wear out things like tees and jeans, and also occasionally shoes, but I have a fairly low tolerance for visible wear. I don’t like it when things start looking faded, stretched, pilly, or the finish looks worn, even if there are no holes or tears yet. Sometimes an item gets discarded because it’s stained and I can’t fix it.

All in all, I’m more likely to retire items because of fit or flattery issues, a change in taste, or because something looks a little dated for my style or I’m simply tired of it for whatever reason. I have things that I love for years and others I love for a season or two, and I can’t always predict which category something will fall into, so that’s ok. I am getting better at being selective and buying for the long haul, so yeah, I need to be more careful about maintaining my one in-one or two out rule. I also think the pandemic has meant my clothes (other than my casual lounge stuff) haven’t been working as hard.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Even my workout gear tends to last a long time — I still have Lululemon running crops from when I started running over a decade ago! I think they were made better then. Under Armour running shirts that are easily as old. But again, I tend to hang dry even though I wash after every wear, and I have enough that I can rotate them so they wear out much slower. My favorite Athleta hiking pants are probably 7-8 years old now, and the style has been long discontinued and they’re starting to look a bit worse for the wear, but hey, they’re hiking pants so I’m wearing them until they actually give up the ghost.

Anonymous

The thing that wears out most for me is shoes, but I end up keeping them past their expiration date cause they're so hard to fit. Tops have a fairly high turnover rate too, cause they get stained. Skirts and jeans don't wear out ever.
By the end of the year it should work out to one in one out, but I don't have the time to really go through anything now.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Other than sneakers and tee-shirts, my clothes rarely wear out. (I hang most items to dry.) The last 2+ years of the pandemic has contributed to this, since I have been wearing gear much more than any other category of clothing. It does make me feel guilty when I purchase something new but can’t really retire anything due to wear.

I’ve also lost some weight since last year, and now rarely-worn clothes are too big, which contributes to my guilt as I contemplate whether to donate or store things until I am certain the weight loss is permanent.

Anonymous

Like others, my clothes rarely wear out in the sense of holes, rips, tears, broken zippers, and the like. Usually things get rotated out of my closet because of pilling that can't be remedied (I don't consider that "wearing out") or I just don't care for the style, color or fit anymore. Typically things like worn jeans and old tees will get rotated into my work clothes stack (for cleaning, working in the yard, and painting) so I get a little more use out of them.

RobinF

Veteran

I am another who is more likely to get rid of clothes because of fit or boredom issues rather than wearing out. I do get favorite items that I wear for years - probably too long - that end up with holes or stains but that is unusual for me. I don't buy higher quality items so that doesn't account for them wearing longer. I probably have enough items that it spreads the wear.

Kathie

Veteran

My shoes are wearing out at about the same pace, especially the ones I wear in the summer. I'm due for a clean-out of summer shoes because the heels on a few pairs are worn enough that they throw off my gait. Knitwear, too- I find that I can get two-three years out of most non-wool knit tops and then they start to stretch or fade. My wovens last a long time, except for a few pieces with polyester that start to pill.

cat2

Veteran

I definitely saw a reduction in wear when I stopped traveling so much for work. I also have not worn my dressier things as much. However, we are going out more so I expect that to shift back. So I will stick with wearing out being the only reason why things leave my closet.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Sal, I've faced a similar trajectory. I retire and purchase approximately the same number of items as you each year. But I have a bigger wardrobe overall. And the main reason it's bigger is that I wasn't able to follow the one-in-one-out rule with beloved yet not-yet-worn out items as I built my wardrobe. Thank goodness I have storage space.

I do wear certain items out, though, despite having a larger wardrobe. Even during the pandemic, some things wore out. I wash most of my stuff in delicate and air dry everything but even so, some of my gear tops get holes, some of my knits get irredeemably pilled and/or thinned, my jeans regularly wear out in a season or two if they are favourite pairs, my footwear definitely wears out (I go through at least one pair of sandals, one pair of sneakers, and one boot per year -- usually the ones I wear most often for walking),

During the pandemic, my "good" clothes got worn hardly at all. It just wasn't practical for me to dress as if I were going out in the world, so I tended to wear my gear a lot. It wore out. The blazers and silk blouses and dresses did not wear out. But I kept almost all because I still love them and they still work for me.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Interesting point. Thinking it over, I realize that this is why I don’t mind investing in the right shoes, bags and underpinnings. Things that get a lot of heavy wear get worn out pretty quickly in my universe. This is another argument for the printed tees, which seem to age quite well over multiple washing cycles. I find lower end knitwear pills or goes into holes quite quickly. Some of the higher end stuff seems to be indestructible.

JAileen

Veteran

Since I started wearing my nylon hiking pants as everyday wear, I haven’t worn out any jeans. But when I wore jeans everyday, I did indeed wear them out. As for tops, they fade, stain, stretch out, etc., and need to be donated. Unless I’m gardening, I don’t like to wear stained or holey clothes.

I just washed one of my vintage Coach bags. It’s around forty years old, and still going strong. I was slathering in leather conditioner and admiring the quality of the leather and the workmanship. I compare it to new bags and there isn’t any comparison. I had a navy Sak and the corners wore out in just a few years, and I donated it.

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Minaminu

Veteran

I think it depends very much on the size of the wardrobe as well as the changes in lifestyle. I have a small wardrobe and have noticed that my workout pieces need to be replaced more often than I should have.

I am still trying to figure out how to balance the new lifestyle and which pieces to replace to better fit this new phase. I have a feeling I am still trying to catch up on this whilst everyone else is already set for life after the pandemic!

Brooklyn

Veteran

My clothes tend to wear out (or not) by category. Jeans, tees, layering tops, shorts and everyday shoes wear out. Jackets, coats, dressier pants and dresses never. Skirts sometimes (everyday wear skirts do, more occasional wear don’t). Heels don’t anymore (they used to sometimes when I worked in the city). Knitwear is variable.

In general, the more suited an item is to wearing everyday, the more likely it is to wear out. Seasons also play a role. Summer items are much more likely to wear out than cold weather items (because of the relative length of Summer to Winter, the intensity of the sun and the frequency of washing in warm weather).

I’m trying to focus my purchases on things that I’m able to wear everyday but I do still purchase some dressier, occasional wear items that I don’t expect to wear out. I don’t have a strict limit on the latter category but I try to keep it tight. I have a one in one out (sometimes two out) for coats and jackets and dressier shoes because I’m well stocked. I have way too much knitwear and am trying to reduce that category too. I have very few blouses, shirts, dresses and pants, and I would be reluctant to add more because I don’t wear them frequently. I do have lots of tees (hello, tie dye!) but I’m not as concerned about that as I can wear them everyday and for about 8 months of the year (and at home as lounge wear during the winter as our house is well heated).

For me the last few years has been a huge lifestyle adjustment and I am still working through getting my wardrobe to a happy balance between everyday and special that suits my sustainability/slow fashion goals and still gives me variety and joy.

rachylou

Veteran

Two types of clothes wear out for me - things worn to the bakery and sweaters. Sweaters simply unravel sitting quietly folded. That’s probably modern ‘quality.’ All else in my closet is apparently immortal. I don’t truly have motivation to make any changes… I’d like, tho, a little bit of evolution… if only something would speak to me…

The Cat

Veteran

Lots of my footwear have worn out. So have some knitwear and some items of knit fabric. This is quite normal. What has changed during the pandemic, however, is that I have purchased fewer items than I used to. Reasons for this are lack of time, lack of place and lack of possibilities. (In order to care for my old, ailing parents, I have had to move to their small house--and consequently have had to simplify my wardrobe as well as many other areas of my life.)

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Despite my very large wardrobe, a few things wear out on me - shoes (because I have my favorites and my special mood shoes and the former do wear out), jeans (same as shoes), and house clothes like tees (bleach stains as well as wear). Overall, if I have something precious to me, I do intentionally moderate its use. I am constantly rotating my active closet - but I have a large archive out of sight.

Runcarla

Veteran

Points of wear for me are elbows and the rear of pants. Sometimes it’s holes, and sometimes its a shiny or bald spot that can’t be ignored. The patina of wear is acceptable on some items (like jeans or leather), but not on others.

Three items have been edited from my closet since the start of the year. Footwear x2 that indeed ‘wore out’ and went in the trash. The third item - a pair of brown plaid pants I thrifted in 2020 and wore 45 times before editing due to visible wear. I’ve got two coats on probation due to shabbiness, but won’t edit until I have replacements. They are both 7 yo.

Garments I’ve acquired since I started line drying almost everything 18 months ago are in way better shape than those that have been put through the dryer. Year old t-shirts with 30 wears look pristine, and jeans with 60 wears are just starting to show some fading, but haven’t lost their form.

I’ve acquired 15 items so far this year, but half are for my summer capsule, which has been chronically under stocked.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I just don’t know how to “get rid” of clothes at all anymore, now that we know so much more about how many secondhand clothes end up in the trash. I feel like it’s my personal responsibility to wear out my clothes—- but I also like to buy new stuff as a hobby or interest, so….. yeah, I have too much stuff

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I have thought many of my clothes lasted a very long time for years actually. I think it is because I had so many, a good 200 items or more when I started here January 2017.
Some do get shabby and I tend to donate them at that point. I try for that to be over 30 wears to feel that I did get good use from them in terms of what it cost the environment ( not just my dollars) for them to be made. Even then I worry like Jessikams as to whether they will end up in landfill unnecessarily. I suppose I feel I am trying and it’s better than the average 7 wears clothes are said to be worn before being edited out. I donated a 2018 crochet jumper recently at 36 wears because the neck was all floppy, and the same with my only one year old “autumn animal” top with 38 wears. I was irritated by that actually- it was linen and seemed to get a floppy neck sooner, I am happy it was on sale for $35 so just under $1 per wear before donating. I donated the 2018 bronze boots last year because the bronzing was wearing off showing green underneath. I feel some other people would happily wear these things still where I prefer to have things in a more pristine condition.
It is mainly by buying less than I am gradually reducing my numbers, but also by donating less-than-pristine items. In 2020 I managed to only acquire 12 items and to donate 24, so that year was 1 in 2 out. And last year was 14 in 23 out. Acquiring less is hard. Like even recently buying the new shoes I meant to buy one pair but ended up buying two.

anne

Veteran

I'm not sure the pandemic made much difference to me. Most of my clothes last a long time, with the exception of shoes and knickers, which I wear to the ground. Knits don't last as long in good condition, and I'm also disappointed in some items in polyester, which seems to catch very easily

Mary

I’m trying to make my tried and true older clothes mix with new pieces. I too have been buying much less.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Interesting responses.l have a larger wardrobe so l think that helps lessen the wear on individual items.l think that tumble drying puts a lot of wear on clothes and l air dry mine. some lifestyles must be harder on clothes than others and then the quality of the clothing makes a big difference too so l suspect there are many factors that influence how long a piece of clothing lasts.l have to say l feel satisfaction if l manage to wear a piece of clothing out!

Beth Ann

Veteran

I'm trying to be more proactive about all those modal knit tops that sprout holes like weeds i a garden! I have a full crop black tops with tiny holes that don't really show, unless worn over white. I've moved them into the "gardening and hiking" pile, but I'm getting a little tired of holding them up to the light to make sure I've got the right top for the right occasion, lol!

I find it hard to let go of things that are just starting to wear.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks all for your insights. I do agree live drying helps - I mostly do this and always for denim, silks and viscoses. I use a dryer occasionally for gear or for tees when we get a long wet period.

I do also agree summer pieces wear out more quickly - knit tees in particular. I think a lot of this is the frequent washing and the hard use they get.

I used to wear out shoes - but whilst I only have 3 more pairs than previous they are all every day shoes. I also used to walk more to and from school whereas that’s not part of my needs any more.

I think I need to be more conscious about this when shopping - I do think about 30 wears and that being my goal - except for very specific pieces.

Our lives do flux - The Cat living with parents to support them brings different challenges, Brooklyn working from home now, Suz moving etc.

I will still edit out pieces that don’t serve me, and I am prone to coffee stains from clumsiness. I am pleased that my choices are lasting longer - but I used to wear out pieces as I tired of them. That’s not happening as much which may mean an attitude adjustment.

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