What's your "shelf life" for clothes?

Options
dancedivine
dancedivine Posts: 18 Member
in Chit-Chat
Question for the peanut gallery... What's your personal "shelf life" for clothes? How long to you force yourself to keep wearing something before you realize that you're just sick to death of that shirt/ pair of jeans/ dress/ whatnot & it's time to move on to something new? I'm not a clothes horse by any means... And, I do believe simpler is better. (I'd rather have a few outfits that I love than a closet full of clothes that I hardly ever wear.) So.... What's your "shelf life?" Help a girl feel better about throwing some stuff out today! :wink:
«1

Replies

  • fobs13
    fobs13 Posts: 1,080 Member
    Options
    I am definitely more a hoarder. I have clothes from years ago and mix with new stuff. If I like a piece and it's well made I keep it. Am still wearing a coat I bought in Boston 9 years ago and still wear the coat of my going away outfit which is 15 years old! I do clear out my wardrobe yearly but still hold onto certain things.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
    Options
    Depends. From 3 years ago until now I've been gaining weight so the shelf life was maybe 6 months before I'd need new clothes to fit. Now that I'm starting to loose, I'd estimate the same but needing smaller?

    If I'm maintaining, usually a few years if I like the clothes. Those that I don't, I don't keep I give away.
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
    Options
    Until they start falling apart normally or are broken beyond repair. I've definitely inherited this from my mum :( when I get to goal weight I'm going on the biggest shopping trip I've ever had
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Options
    Sorry I can't help you there... I also have clothes several years old... and even though I've lost 20lbs I haven't lost enough to get smaller clothes yet so I still can't throw my clothes away. Lol! (But I'm still wondering why I can't fit into the next smaller size.)

  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    Options
    If they fit, then in most cases, I wear them until they're threadbare.
  • Primal_Warrior_
    Primal_Warrior_ Posts: 2,180 Member
    Options
    I wear them until either too big / small. But more likely until they are falling apart.
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
    Options
    Primal_Warrior_ wrote: »
    I wear them until either too big / small. But more likely until they are falling apart.

    ^ this.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    Options
    Eek, I have a lot of the same clothes I packed into my suitcase when I visited America - that was 3 years ago (I never left), and they weren't even new back then! I wear things for as long as they fit, until they are broken or the colour is significantly faded. Jeans have the longest shelf-life IMO, but I have donated tops because they're not 'white-white' any more, or faded enough that it looks like a really old item.

    So, I guess my shelf life is about 5 years?

    And don't throw out! Donate! Even if they're threadbare, they can shred the material and still use it for stuff! Donating keeps them out of landfills and help sustain jobs too :)
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Options
    I get rid of clothes that don't fit or are damaged (holes or otherwise functionally suboptimal). Other than that I hang on to everything.
  • helenarriaza
    helenarriaza Posts: 517 Member
    Options
    I usually keep them until they start falling apart, have not wore them in a very long time or are broken beyond repair.

    When I get to goal weight I'll go all out on clothes.

    I also purchase at Goodwill or clearance, I don't feel the point of buying 1 shirt for the price of 10 pants.

    Unless it's really good, I buy it. It does not apply to shoes, bags, coats or underwear, I go big on those since I expect them to last longer.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
    Options
    I think it really depends on how much I like it. There have been a few pieces that I thought I really liked when I bought them but after wearing them a few times, they just aren't right. I donate those or give them to someone who will appreciate that.

    If clothes still fit and are in good repair, I find ways to incorporate them into my wardrobe until they don't fit or I'm just tired of them. However, there are still some things in my closet from high school...
  • Primal_Warrior_
    Primal_Warrior_ Posts: 2,180 Member
    Options
    A good shirt, a t-shirt, pair of jeans, pair of slacks, pair of trainers, pair of shoes. What more do you need lol
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    I don't have a lot of clothes. I like the ones i have. I wear them forever. I still have some from highschool (I'm 36). But, mostly i wear them until they wear out with holes. I go through yoga/dance/exercise pants most frequently. I do get tired of them, and want something new. If my shirts get too worn looking i use them for exercise at home, and hanging around cleaning and stuff.
  • oxers
    oxers Posts: 259 Member
    Options
    It used to be years for me. Yeeears. I have the same pair of eleven-year-old sneakers I wore when I was sixteen. But tbh, I never knew what to wear or how I wanted to look, and I was kind of afraid to try? I hated my body so much. Now I really like my clothes to be properly fitted but I'm still losing weight, so I guess it varies. If something is too big or doesn't make me feel comfortable or good about myself, it's destined for GoodWill.

    (Which, incidentally, is where I buy most of my clothes - that and the hysterically cheap Forever21. Sooo having a rotating closet isn't as expensive as it sounds.)
  • catb58
    catb58 Posts: 239 Member
    Options

    sentaruu wrote: »
    Primal_Warrior_ wrote: »
    I wear them until either too big / small. But more likely until they are falling apart.

    ^ this.

    Me too!

    But I don't buy "trendy" fashions very often. I've almost always worn classic styles that don't go out of fashion, mixed with trendy accessories.

  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    Options
    I've got three basic criteria for keeping clothes:

    1: Does it fit reasonably well?
    2: Is it in decent condition/can it be repaired without great expense?*
    3: Does it have sentimental value?**

    *An exception can be made for 2 if the damaged clothing can have other uses. For example, I will keep really worn out jeans and use the parts that aren't worn out to patch other jeans.

    **3 trumps 1 and 2. Something that doesn't fit and is in poor condition may be kept if it has enough sentimental value.

  • Primal_Warrior_
    Primal_Warrior_ Posts: 2,180 Member
    Options
    Anything not worn in the last 12months goes in the charity bin.
  • SwashBlogger
    SwashBlogger Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    As soon as something has even a TINY bit of fading or any sort of imperfection, I get rid of it. Barring that, I keep stuff indefinitely.
  • leadslinger17
    leadslinger17 Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    I try to stay within 10 pounds of my high school weight so I can just keep wearing stuff indefinitely and still be able to fit comfortably in it. If it wears out I toss it (i.e. shoes with holes in them, crusty T-shirts), but some lesser worn items (sweaters, jackets, suits, etc) I have kept for 10+ years. I donate stuff it's still wearable but needs to be updated.
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
    Options
    If it disintegrates, I stop wearing it. But until then, if I like it and I wear it, it stays in the rotation. There is no such thing as 'style' in my world, so as long as pants, tops and dresses fit and are not see-through from too many washings, I keep wearing 'em. My Reeboks must display a certified through-hole in the bottom of the sole to go off-duty, which usually takes about three years. Exception: my 30-year-old leather jacket has several holes in it but I haven't got the heart to retire it... I keep telling myself the cleaners could fix it but I haven't checked into how expensive that would be.

Categories