Author Topic: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years  (Read 9274 times)

11ducks

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #50 on: December 27, 2017, 02:39:53 AM »
We have the option of business casual, or company-logoed work polos/ shirts that are available for sale, to wear at my workplace.
I've never bought any, but was given two free logo shirts  by a leaving coworker in 2015, and I wear them weekly. At the end of last year, someone else was giving away the older style work polos, and I snapped up two of them as well! They're a little big but will do, and will last for years!! I abhor spending money on work clothes, so this is perfect!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #51 on: December 27, 2017, 11:34:18 AM »
I am currently wearing a 20 year old vest. Acccording to my mome it is timeless. My shirt is also mamy years old.

Imma

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #52 on: December 27, 2017, 11:59:43 AM »
We have the option of business casual, or company-logoed work polos/ shirts that are available for sale, to wear at my workplace.
I've never bought any, but was given two free logo shirts  by a leaving coworker in 2015, and I wear them weekly. At the end of last year, someone else was giving away the older style work polos, and I snapped up two of them as well! They're a little big but will do, and will last for years!! I abhor spending money on work clothes, so this is perfect!

I think it's jaw dropping that people actually pay for company-logo clothing. I'd love a job where I could wear a uniform instead of my own clothes, but I'd never pay money for clothes that have company logos. My dad used to give clothes with company logo as Christmas gifts to the staff. Not everyone was happy with that, but I wouldn't mind free good quality outdoor gear with a company logo.

I have a corduroy skirt that I've had for about 10 years. I still love the skirt and the fabric is really durable, but the synthetic lining has ripped in several places and the elastic in the waist has lost its elasticity. I'm going to put in a new lining and elastic tomorrow (both from stash) and the skirt will be as good as new. Who knows, I might be able to get another 10 years of wear out of it.

I washed my Eastpak backpack today, I do that once a year, usually over Christmas so it can dry. I take it to work every day. Before that I took it to university, before that I took it to school. It still looks good and all the zippers are still working.

galliver

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #53 on: December 27, 2017, 02:15:19 PM »
Until recently my oldest item of clothing was a fleece I got for a family backcountry trip 16 years ago, at 13. And I'd worn it extensively every cold season/occasion for a while, camping, etc. Recently I'd only been using it occasionally on camping trips because it felt short in the torso and sleeves, so I lent it to a friend when we did a clothing swap, for an indefinite term. I also still have and use hiking boots purchased at the same time. My mom had to mend them twice in the first 2 years (replace shoelace eyelets that fell off) but they've held up perfectly since! I've generally found athletic/outdoors brands clothing seems to last a good long while, so I expect a lot of the smartwool, etc my bf and I have recently splurged on/collected (discounted, of course!)

I have a number of perfectly functional hoodies from college (~10 years), but some of them are a bit stained or have stretched cuffs so I don't like wearing them in public...still good for camping and at-home loungewear!

I'm pretty hard on the rest of my clothes, though...I think I max out at 5-7 years before I'm like "this is rags..." (t-shirts/tanks, yoga pants, thin cotton cardigans, undies and socks probably less). Jeans only last a year or two T_T due to the problem discussed below...and also the elastic in women's jeans fails and they look "bubbly". :/ >:(

That is badass, both for the frugality and for staying the same size.

I'm with you on this one.  I hate shopping and I mend stuff as much as I can.  Pants are a problem, even jeans, because they wear out on the inner thighs from the bike saddle (I bike a lot).  Once the material gets thin and starts to shred, there's not much I can do.
My favorite jeans are like this, and I keep googling, in vain, for a method to patch them.  I figure for now, people at work aren't going to notice???

Inner thigh holes are almost impossible to patch. You can sew them back together (using iron on interfacing and lots of straight stitches, like you'd mend a hole) but generally the fabric is too thin and worn out for that. The only other option is to iron on a very large patch of fabric on the inside of the leg and then mend it, but it's hard to attach that fabric securely and very often it also irritates the skin.

I'm at home and feeling ill right now, so I'm wearing an old, warm red fleece sweater. It's actually a children's size sweater (but a fairly large one) that used to belong to my little brother when he was about 11 and I took it after he grew out of it. Little brother is 23 now... I'm also still wearing his old jeans jacket from that period. I was a very frugal 16 year old, rescuing all my little brother's old clothes.

This is a huge problem for me. Here's what I've ended up doing (obviously, modify to your liking, wear pattern, etc!)

Method 1 (no sew/easy, less comfortable IMO, DO NOT if you have latex allergy): Get https://www.tearmender.com/ (it's the only fabric glue I've found that doesn't fall off in one wash--available at Amazon, Jo-Ann Fabrics, etc). Sacrifice one pair of soft/thin/stretchy jeans for patches; cut a roughly palm size (~3"x4-5"?) patch that spans the inner-thigh wear&tear area. Apply Tearmender in a thin, even layer to the patch (a sacrificial paintbrush helps), then quickly attach to problem area on inside of pants. (Alternately: do a bit at a time starting with one side/corner.)  CAREFUL to not get TearMender on other parts of pants, the clothes you're wearing, or wrinkle the fabric too much...start with a pair you care less about for practice.  Caveats: don't use thinner fabric for patches; the glue will soak through and it will be extra scratchy. It is a little stiff after, and smells like latex. But usable.

Method 2 (more difficult/time consuming, but longer-lasting and more comfortable):
Materials: Denim/pants-colored thread; thin backing fabric (I use BF's old PJ's, folded double); pinking shears; sewing machine
Process: Cut palm-size (3"x4-5") piece of backing fabric with pinking shears. Place/pin over the problem area (I mostly get wear on the two back pieces, so on each side I put a patch into the "corner" where 4 seams meet in the crotch, and it extends far enough down the thigh.) Stitch on a machine in zig zag pattern up and down across the entire weakened area/patch, overlapping edges of each stitched row slightly. It takes time... When you're done, the stitching should blend reasonably well with the original fabric and reinforce it. Caveats: You *do* need the backing fabric; color match it at least roughly--eg you don't want pink or red. It's a little scratchy but not as bad as glued patches; I get used to it quickly...and/or it gets worn in.

Obviously, neither process gives you perfect pants, but it stands up to casual scrutiny (not afraid to flash someone!)...Method 2 in particular is only obvious if you're seriously spreading your knees and/or someone is examining your inner thighs up close (???)  I've worn freshly "Method2'd" pants to a social gathering and my friend said "I like those jeans" so I don't think the patch job jumped out at her. :) Generally I keep a nice pair of jeans for outings and wear the patched ones for everyday purposes when I care less.

LiveLean

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #54 on: December 27, 2017, 03:23:34 PM »
I'd be on board with this, but I went to college from 1987-1991 and for some God-only-knows reason, everyone in that era thought it looked great to wear clothes four sizes too large. I'm the same size now as I was then -- 5'10, 160 pounds (male) -- but I was buying XL T-shirts and sweatshirts and Large dress shirts. The baggy look was even worse on women. Sadly, this fashion trend lasted until well into the '90s.

My 5-foot-2, 120-pound wife has kept a few T-shirts and sweatshirts (XL, of course) for sentimental reasons and every so often wears them around the house. What the hell were we thinking? It's one thing to look back at fashion trends and gasp, but wearing the wrong size? Ugh.

TomTX

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #55 on: December 28, 2017, 09:19:02 AM »
Inner thigh holes are almost impossible to patch. You can sew them back together (using iron on interfacing and lots of straight stitches, like you'd mend a hole) but generally the fabric is too thin and worn out for that. The only other option is to iron on a very large patch of fabric on the inside of the leg and then mend it, but it's hard to attach that fabric securely and very often it also irritates the skin.

Wife has been using the inside iron-on patch method for my "field project" jeans. Works reasonably well, not great.

I'm a bit befuddled when I read here about 10 year old clothes being "old" - the majority of my clothes are older than 10 years.  One jacket is around 50 years old. I need to donate some (cheap) suits from circa 1989. Socks and underwear are most of the newer fraction.

As one person posted above, I too still wear the work shirt pictured on my badge, taken in 2005. However, the shirt was already 8-10 years old. As a side benefit, it is a green shirt - so I'm always covered for St. Patrick's Day if I wear my badge to work. ;)

Chuck Ditallin

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #56 on: December 28, 2017, 09:23:41 AM »
I am so glad it's not just us!

My DW bought me a fleece as a Christmas present back in 2001 from British Home Stores. Our local branch closed in 2010 and the whole chain disappeared in 2016 (though there is now an online company using the name)... the fleece has comfortably outlasted the shop.

She owns a tennis dress which was given to her (BNWT) when a colleague's daughter cleared out her wardrobe, sometime before first met. The dress comes out every summer, despite being 20+ years old.

Imma

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #57 on: December 28, 2017, 10:35:43 AM »
Inner thigh holes are almost impossible to patch. You can sew them back together (using iron on interfacing and lots of straight stitches, like you'd mend a hole) but generally the fabric is too thin and worn out for that. The only other option is to iron on a very large patch of fabric on the inside of the leg and then mend it, but it's hard to attach that fabric securely and very often it also irritates the skin.

Wife has been using the inside iron-on patch method for my "field project" jeans. Works reasonably well, not great.

I'm a bit befuddled when I read here about 10 year old clothes being "old" - the majority of my clothes are older than 10 years.  One jacket is around 50 years old. I need to donate some (cheap) suits from circa 1989. Socks and underwear are most of the newer fraction.

As one person posted above, I too still wear the work shirt pictured on my badge, taken in 2005. However, the shirt was already 8-10 years old. As a side benefit, it is a green shirt - so I'm always covered for St. Patrick's Day if I wear my badge to work. ;)

Well, I'm 27, so any clothes I already had in highschool are old to me. Most of my work clothing is fairly new because I didn't need professional clothing in school. I do have a few dresses from the early 1970s, but they used to belong to my mum.

I do notice that my clothing sometimes wears out relatively fast because I don't have a lot of clothing. That work shirt you've had for 20 years, have you worn it 2 times a week for 20 years? Or do you only wear it now and then? If the former is the case,  then the shirt must have been excellent quality. In work clothes I wear through the elbows at some point, or get pencil / ink stains on the sleeves that after a while don't wash out anymore. They're not worn out, but not good enough for work anymore after some years.

AmyS

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #58 on: December 28, 2017, 04:13:21 PM »
I'd be on board with this, but I went to college from 1987-1991 and for some God-only-knows reason, everyone in that era thought it looked great to wear clothes four sizes too large. I'm the same size now as I was then -- 5'10, 160 pounds (male) -- but I was buying XL T-shirts and sweatshirts and Large dress shirts. The baggy look was even worse on women. Sadly, this fashion trend lasted until well into the '90s.

My 5-foot-2, 120-pound wife has kept a few T-shirts and sweatshirts (XL, of course) for sentimental reasons and every so often wears them around the house. What the hell were we thinking? It's one thing to look back at fashion trends and gasp, but wearing the wrong size? Ugh.

Ha - I was thinking about this thread today, as I recalled my late 80s college-wear. I don't have any thirty-year-old clothing. I do expect 5-10 years of wear out of everything I buy though. And your post reminded me that back in the day (a phrase we, like, never, like, used, like, back in the day), I had a friend who used to tell me to stop wearing my brother's clothes. Ha!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #59 on: December 28, 2017, 05:29:52 PM »
I've noticed that with my old travel photos! I have certain pieces that are just PERFECT for travel - comfortable, classy, light, quick drying, impossible to wrinkle, and they fold up (or squish) super tiny. I have one shirt (which I'm coincidentally wearing to work today) that's been to literally 22 countries so far, with no end in sight.

Oh yes. I have some highly international underwear, haha.

I skimmed that as highly intentional underwear and thought, go Bracken!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #60 on: December 28, 2017, 05:37:26 PM »
I still have (and still wear) the boxer shorts I made at school when I was 12, the ballet school hoodie I've been wearing since I was 13, and the cowboy boots I've been wearing since I was 18.

@marty998, your time to shine, champ.

meghan88

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #61 on: December 28, 2017, 05:42:11 PM »
Seeing as it is colder in some parts of Canada than it is on the planet MARS, FFS, here's what I've been wearing this week:

- Danier leather 3/4 length coat - bought for $200 on sale 20 years ago - amazing thick leather exterior that is fading in places but the lining on the inside back is completely shredded at belt level from years of carrying a heavy backpack.  And the lining at the ends of the sleeves is also shredded pretty badly.  Still ... it's such a nice warm coat, and I am trying to think about how to restore it because it's my only "good" (i.e., non-biking) winter coat.  I am thinking that I can restore the exterior with shoe polish, but the lining might need a tailor.
- Keen Targhee booties that are 10 years old and have logged countless miles.  Bought on sale for about $100.  Good deal in Canada at the time.
- REI gore-tex jacket on commuting days, bought on eBay for $30 five years ago.  It's totally shot in so many ways; I wear this with two more layers underneath when I bike or walk to work.

Waiting in the wings:
- A Mountain Warehouse Extreme jacket I scooped for $35 (reg. price $180).  Can't bear to wear it just yet.  It is my new "good" (i.e., presentable) coat.
- Keen Koven booties that I got online from MEC for $90.  Just waiting until the lack of waterproofing in the old Targhees becomes unbearable on slushy days.

marty998

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #62 on: December 29, 2017, 12:23:53 AM »
I still have (and still wear) the boxer shorts I made at school when I was 12, the ballet school hoodie I've been wearing since I was 13, and the cowboy boots I've been wearing since I was 18.

@marty998, your time to shine, champ.

@mustachepungoeshere I am not that bad! Most of my clothes are from this side of 2010 lol.

I do, however, occasionally still wear a Manchester United jersey from 1994 (sponsored at the time by Sharp Viewcam!) I was 8 years old when I got that jersey, damn thing was around my knees when I put it on.

I also have a soccer premiers shirt from 1998 that I put on every now and again.

Socks... perhaps some of my white sports socks are from pre 2000. granted also a couple of pyjama sets are pushing 17-18 years old now too. Can't bear to part with them.

Aelias

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #63 on: December 29, 2017, 04:06:26 PM »
Currently wearing a scarf that I pined for when it was in the lost and found at YMCA where I worked in college.  They let me take it as a going away present.  That was 15 years ago.  Still love it.

MJseast

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #64 on: January 01, 2018, 06:43:21 PM »
For the inner thigh rips in denim, if they are really nice jeans, it may be worth to get them professionally repaired. I guess it would be better to DIY, but I simply don't have the skills or equipment and would most certainly screw it up. So I sent my fancy jeans with holes to Denim Therapy and they turned out really great! They almost exactly matched the denim and it's not that noticeable. I think they have some before/after photos on their website. Definitely took the sting out of my (too expensive) fancy jeans getting holes after only a few years. Here's a referral link for 15% off and I will get % off my next order if I get more holes :) - http://denimtherapy.com/?dtref=66401

And no, I don't purchase "fancy jeans" anymore. That was my pre-mustachian life.


Imma

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #65 on: January 02, 2018, 12:06:28 AM »
I'm surprised to see they are offering reweaving for only $10/(square?) inch. It's a very labour intensive method of repairing that I thought had nearly died out. It's the superior form of mending and at that price I guess they must have found a way to do it by machine instead of by hand.

Imma

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #66 on: January 02, 2018, 07:28:13 AM »
Oh this thread has reminded me that I still have , somewhere deep in the spare room wardrobe, the red woollen coat I bought in an english charity shop in the winter of 1984! Judging by the style it was made in the 1940s or 50s. I loved that coat. I used as an extra blanket in the freezing cottage we lived in that winter, it was my survival coat!
I still like it too much to get rid of, even though I dont wear it as our winters here are pretty mild, and well, it is at least 70 years old.

If you ever get rid of it, let me know! I have some older vintage items, but not that old, mostly from my mother and grandmothers from the 60s and 70s.

Warlord1986

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Re: Minor badassity: wearing same clothes for years and years
« Reply #67 on: January 02, 2018, 08:13:29 AM »
I got a coat my Mom bought in England in the 80s and gave to me. That thing is older than I am.

Clothes from HS don't fit, but clothes from early college are still worn.