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Noisy clothes?

Runcarla

Veteran

I once passed along a set of percale sheets because they were noisy. Well, now I’ve donated a 100% cotton dress - poplin, I think - for the same reason! There was so much I loved about this relatively new dress, but it was so ‘loud’! Even after several washes, its crispness made it a physically noisy garment. I couldn’t stand it.

DH says I can hear a flea fart…and I am sensitive to noise…so it could be me. I con’t remember ever discarding a garment due to its being noisy (until now) but I have donated squeaky footwear.

Have you ever run into this phenomena?

General

26 replies

Latest reply was from Cardiff girl

Star

Veteran

Haha Carla that is kind of funny I also can probably hear fleas fart but have never had clothes that were too noisy. Was it a dress that you thrifted, and if so, I wonder if the previous owner donated it for the same reason? Sometimes when I thrift a piece, even with thorough checking in-store, only afterwards it comes to light probably why it was passed on.

Jenny H

Veteran

I have an Eddie Bauer winter coat that is so loud I have trouble holding a conversation with anybody walking next to me. I love the way it looks, but it sure is loud. I've got it stored away at the moment because it's also not a great size for me at the moment but now that I think about it, this could be a good reason to get rid of it.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ Star - no, but it was on sale at Nordstrom Rack.

Glory

Veteran

I can completely relate to this. I feel it’s not something I typically am looking for if I’m in the dressing room. I usually try to remember to do the sit test, but have also added the swish test. My dd recently added a pair of pants that are driving me mad.

Bonnie

Veteran

I donated a pair of shoes that were too squeaky.

JAileen

Veteran

I have excellent hearing, too. People say it’s a blessing, but actually, it might be a curse.

Jenny H, I had heard that about Eddie Bauer coats before. We were in the Rio Grande Valley back in February, and went on an owl trip in the late evening/early night. We were told to wear quiet clothes. I wore my Patagonia Nanopuff (because it was all I had) and it turned out it made noise. It was very slight, but still. I had never noticed it before. I think crispness versus softness is the key factor.

delurked

Veteran

I’m with Bonnie. I will not wear loud shoes. And I’m with you, that I once gave away sheets for being too loud. So if I had clothing that bothered me, I wouldn’t want that either.

Laurie

Veteran

I'd have to echo the noisy jacket comments. Goretex and similar fabric rainproof jackets are so crunchy! I hate when I have the hood up. I can't even hear what's playing in my airpods!

That must be one crisp poplin to rustle like that! You would have hated the antebellum era with those hoop skirts and petticoats!

Dee

Veteran

Haha, that’s funny, reminds of me of the Seinfeld episode with George Constanza’s noisy new suit. Shame about the cotton dress being too loud, I find a lot of rainwear jackets too noisy as well.

ophelia

Veteran

In my experience, poplin will soften into silence after enough washing, & ideally drying in a hot dryer. But some poplins take longer than others.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I think I have only had this experience with shoes, and have managed to tame them at least once, but sorry to hear (ha!) this.

Jenny H

Veteran

JAileen, that's funny because I did wear that coat to a birding event at which we were looking for owls. It was before 6 am in December in Wisconsin and so cold I had to wear my hood up. I remember putting my hood down repeatedly so I could hear the Great Horned Owls singing their duet.

Joy

Veteran

I am with you. My grief started with a rain proof coat from REI I am too small for it and gave it to DIL. When I went to replace it I could not find one that did not crunch. The SA found something in black which is less noisy. So I got it but I am still looking. Squeeky shoes drive me crazy. DH does not understand the problem.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh, what a shame! Which dress was it, Carla!

My hearing is (sadly) diminished but even so I have rejected goretex and similar rainwear for exactly this reason. I don't like the *feel* of overly crinkly plastic-y garments either. But if they also make noises, ti's a deal-breaker.

I sometimes wonder about how women managed when they wore hoop skirts. All that wire and whalebone and whatever else they used, and then the crinolines. Crunchy, clackety, ugh!! And hard to move in.

Runcarla

Veteran

LOL! Come to think of it, I’ve sometimes heard my underwire creak! However, it’s not frequent enough to be a deal breaker.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Me, too re the underwire!

I must admit, this Columbia raincoat (gear) is more crinkly than I could wish. That is why I really only wear it for very specific situations -- walking/ hiking in an absolute downpou in a very casual situation. This is why I could not bear to take it with me to the UK. Though it doesn't pack into its own sack, it does fold down very neatly and would have been easy enough to travel with. So while it looks a bit sporty for my taste to be a perfect fit for urban adventures, it truly would have been just fine to wear for the few days or rain we had on our trip and I probably would have simply gone with it- had it not presented this sound barrier in addition.

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Cee

Veteran

I stopped wearing bell bottoms until I realised all I had to do was remove the clanger.

...and I'll see myself out !

Sisi

Veteran

Your husband is hilarious! I stopped buying corduroy pants because of the "swish-swosh" noise they do when you walk. And on a side note I have a nice set of fine china plates but I'm disturbed by the "ding ding" noise they make when the cutlery touches them.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I have one skirt that is noisy. I have to be in the right mood to wear it — it’s a bit of a statement besides — but it’s fun and I love the drama and the print, so sometimes I live with the swoosh!

I think it would be much more annoying if it were a garment like a jacket that was closer to my ears.

Suntiger

Crinkly fabrics and corderoy bug me a little as far as noise, but I don't have any of either now.

The worst by far is shoes though. I hate going down steps and hearing my shoes clunk :/ Luckily most of the buildings here are only 1 floor.

When I was in my early 20s, I liked to wear an ankle bracelet with bells. My coworker said it annoyed her, so I had to stop wearing it at work.

Joy

Veteran

I wondered why I did not like corduroy. It is noisy.

RobinF

Veteran

I don't mind a slight noise but can't stand anything too noisy - swishy raincoats, shoes that squeak, rubbing pants (I do put up with corduroy because I love it), etc. Cotton can be bad I agree and I have gotten rid of shirts that didn't soften up after washing. I don't mind crisp sheets, at least not enough to get rid of, and they seem to soften with time.

Ginger

Veteran

Weighing in on the question of antebellum clothing - it's very quiet, with one exception! Whalebone (baleen) is functionally a natural plastic and I've never heard it make noise. Same for the steel of the hoops. They're not bare metal, and they were usually very thin (1/16" - 1/8" wide) and very flexible. Petticoats lay smoothly over the hoop and don't really move unless you're doing vigorous dancing or something. They can be heavily starched and could rustle in that situation.

The exception would be a silk gown. Silk taffeta has a rather beautiful soft swishing rustle. "Scroop" is the technical word for it. It's softer than synthetic taffetas; no comparison to 80s prom dresses.

The absolute loudest part is leather heels on wooden floors. That's not something that's passed away with fashion.

To keep this modern, I am also bothered by the scrape of corduroy on itself. I remember it annoying me even a small child. It doesn't always keep me from wearing them but I do think about it.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ Ginger - thanks for the intel on historical garments! I agree that the soft ‘swoosh’ of fine silk taffeta is a nice sound vs the crunchier synthetic stuff.

April

Veteran

Have passed along many items that were just too noisy - I too have crazy sensitive hearing.

I also thought of a Seinfeld episode but mine was The Dinner Party, the one where George gets a Gore-Tex parka. Not only does he look like a dirigible, when he wears it the arms rub the body in a horribly loud way.

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Cardiff girl

Veteran

Oh yes,l remember buying a not inexpensive pair of trousers that l had to give away because they rustled when l walked.It was extremely annoying and l was also worried people might think it was my underwear rustling and start to wonder what l had on underneath!