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.