Clothes - how old is too old?

Caporegime
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I keep being told to buy myself new clothes, much to my annoyance (this is because I hate shopping with a passion and clothes shopping is the most hated type of shopping of all).

Apparently, it's considered good practice to buy new clothes at least once or twice a year, and not to wear anything for much longer than a year if you can help it.

So, GD, how often do you renew your Gucci belt? Is reaching for a 5-year-old pair of shorts the ultimate social faux pas? Would you ditch a friend who showed up in a top you'd seen him wearing 18 months ago?

As you know I have no social awareness so please help me understand these bizarre human clothes traditions.
 
Caporegime
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Apparently, it's considered good practice to buy new clothes at least once or twice a year, and not to wear anything for much longer than a year if you can help it.

Wat???? Why? Who made this claim?

I know some people like to regularly update their wardrobe but still, seems odd. if your clothes last then why not keep them for years.

I guess I replace jeans/trousers and socks and underwear the most as they wear down.

Maybe shirts too as they get a bit worn. But everything else, stuff like coats, jumpers, t-shirts etc... lasts for years or decades even.
 
Caporegime
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Yeah I guess I'm not talking about overcoats, where you might buy a really expensive one and it would last years.

Mostly talking stuff like jeans, t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, joggers, etc.

I tend to literally wear stuff until it's unwearable, then resign myself to replacing it. But this apparently is something paupers do and I'm letting the side down.
 
Man of Honour
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This is because people buy knock off trendy stuff which doesn't last more than a year :o

A good quality brand should still look not too far off new after a year unless you are rough with it.

My jeans will last 5+ years easy, only stuff really I replace more often is underwear or some of the cheaper t-shirts.

I tend to literally wear stuff until it's unwearable, then resign myself to replacing it. But this apparently is something paupers do and I'm letting the side down.

That is kind of going to the other extreme - once stuff starts to lose its presentability I tend to put it aside for DIY jobs and stuff like that or get rid of it.
 
Soldato
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Is your mum telling you to buy some new clothes.

I suppose it depends what you have in your wardrobe. My lazy/lounge around at home tshirts are years and years old. I'm not going to go and buy a load of brand new tshirts to chill out at home when only the missus and the dog would see them.
 
Caporegime
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That is kind of going to the other extreme - once stuff starts to lose its presentability I tend to put it aside for DIY jobs and stuff like that or get rid of it.
It's because clothes shopping is such an unwanted chore. And it takes a ridiculous amount of time to find something that's not downright awful. Primark is awful, M&S is awful but for different reasons, online is a crap-shoot. Ugh.

Every time I go clothes shopping I die a little inside :p
 
Soldato
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I`m a tramp, i have some stuff from the 1990`s. I dont wear it though, i just have an issue getting rid of stuff.

But really i keep wearing clothes untill they really start to fade and look worn.

You cant just throw them out after 52 weeks if they still look fresh, its seriously wasteful.
 
Soldato
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Sat in a pair of Adidas shorts that are about 15 years old and covered in paint right now

My clothes get demoted from weekend wear to work wear to lounge and/or DIY wear and only get binned when they are unwearable
 
Caporegime
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Sat in a pair of Adidas shorts that are about 15 years old and covered in paint right now
My man ;)

The other thing that peeves me about clothes shopping is that price isn't a measure of quality either. Plenty of shops round my way selling "surfwear" for mental prices, and the quality is not really that much better than ASDA's own brand or whatever. Not that that's my cup of tea anyhow.

It's such a nightmare.

I used to live in Craghoppers shorts/trousers until they went down the pan (several years ago now). They were cheapish but very decent. Now they suck, because they started cutting corners and cheaping out.
 
Caporegime
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I just wear the same stuff and replace it when needed. Good quality tees take years to fade though. Albiet I do buy cheap jeans these days that I normally have to replace every 3 years or so but at the price and fit - I don't care much.
 

V F

V F

Soldato
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I`m a tramp, i have some stuff from the 1990`s. I dont wear it though, i just have an issue getting rid of stuff.

But really i keep wearing clothes untill they really start to fade and look worn.

You cant just throw them out after 52 weeks if they still look fresh, its seriously wasteful.

I still have clothes from 1994 when I was 13 that still fit me and still look good to this day. Cotton Traders.

Still even have a denim jacket that fits perfectly from then. :D
 
Soldato
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I spend most of my time at home on the farm - I wear clothes until they fall apart. On the rare occasions I actually go out socially or in public I have some presentable clothes, most of which are 10+ years old!

The idea of replacing clothes just because they are old is a nonsense.
 
Soldato
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The main thing with clothes, shoes, suits and jeans especially, is to rotate them.

Ts just get in packs of 5 from All Saints/Hollister/Lyle and Scott. They're all well made (all saints especially) and reasonably priced in multi packs.
 
Soldato
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Takes a long time for me to bin any piece of clothing. Things just get relegated to being garden/ DIY clothes and only when they're completely falling apart they end up in the bin.
 
Soldato
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When stuff wears it goes towards the trashy pile for DIY or lounging about in. If it's too bad then its gone.

I find that cheap jeans don't last for me at all. I had two pairs begin to split in half recently so have been buying Wranglers which last far longer. Occasionally I'll buy something new to replace something with or just slightly expand the wardrobe. But the rampant consumerism and turning over of clothes I don't understand.
 
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