Made To Last..not!

[Guest Margaret]

Is it just me, or is womens fashion designed for the short term? I bought a pair of boots a while ago and have hardly ever worn them, and the zip has broken. I also bought another pair of boots, and after a few times wearing them in the house, I put them on to go down to Edinburgh one night, and by the end of the evening the tip of the heels had completely worn down to the stem of the heel. As for clothing, I find the standard of sewing on some womens clothing to be very poor. Now I accept that I buy stuff from some of the cheaper outlets and can't expect perfection, but in some of these cases I buy mens clothing from the same outlets and it lasts a lot longer. For example I buy tops from a certain retailer, and after wearing them a few times, the stitching begins to come undone. I'm not great at sewing myself, but I can usually repair it. However from the same retailer I have mens T shirts that I used for work, that were worn once a week and washed, for years, and are still in good condition.

I mentioned this to my sister, as I thought women were getting a raw deal in the fashion stakes. Jeans in particular, seem to be a case where women are charged more for jeans than mens styles.

Margaret

[Guest nymphblossom]

Alot of women's clothing is fragile compared to the male equivalent. Even the higher end retail names (Liz Claborne, Rafaella, Jones New York, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren) are still delicate given the fabrics and detailing.

But women's styles come and go quickly. My wife is a clothes hound and I take 3-5 bags of hardly worn things to the thrift store every change of season. I guess buying alot and wearing it less frequently is one way around it I am a casual dresser and live in tees, Henleys's, button down blouses, jeans, chinos and Capris that seem to hold up about as well as the guy stuf I have worn for nearly 50 years. I have been very happy with the quality from American Eagle, Old Navy and Lerners and get most of my things there.

My wife and I are both die hard shoppers and she has taught me an important trick to clothes shopping. Buy good things at the end of the season, so you can wear them at the next. You can get the better quality names for less than the cheap stuf in season and they will still be in style next season. You can chunk them them the next year

Blossom

[Guest LottieZero]

Hi Margaret,

that certainly seems to be the case for me as well! =\ It's really disappointing when things only last a few months before something breaks, or tears, or whatever... I've no idea what could be done about it, though

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Most of what I have purchased has been from one of North America's largest disount chains and I havent found any issues with it. Granted I dont do things like garden in it, I still have some of HIS clothes for that task. My slacks last well so do my blouses it really does boil down to the quality of workmanship involved. For those in North America and looking at plus sizes, Wal-Mart's Just My Size line is good quality and reasonably priced

[Guest insanitylives]

This would be the excuse I use for not wanting to wear girls clothes, actually. hey, it works.

Basically, most girls/women are wiling to pay more for lesser quality because it's just gonna go out of fashion in a few months anyway. What is it with fashion going out so quickly anyway?(i don't know why i come into these types of catagories. Bordom maybe )

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

This would be the excuse I use for not wanting to wear girls clothes, actually. hey, it works.

Basically, most girls/women are wiling to pay more for lesser quality because it's just gonna go out of fashion in a few months anyway. What is it with fashion going out so quickly anyway?(i don't know why i come into these types of catagories. Bordom maybe )

what i buy is simple and clean lined; not likely to go out of style anytime soon.

[Guest Donna Jean]

In male mode I bought clothes with function...work togs...they last and they get ripped and dirty...

Now, my female things may not be sewen like a jib sail, but, they don't need to be...the fabrics are delicate and the sewing is fine...

All of my girl jeans wear just as well as my old male jeans...so no problem there..

But.......I DO NOT like the tags in most women's tops and blouses that tend to be scratchy and irratate my neck...what's that about?

Huggs

Donna Jean

[Guest Wren]

Basically, most girls/women are wiling to pay more for lesser quality because it's just gonna go out of fashion in a few months anyway. What is it with fashion going out so quickly anyway?(i don't know why i come into these types of catagories. Bordom maybe )

This is even true for the fashion genres that don't change around so much, like punk/goth. Take Tripp for example. Awesome looking clothes, horrible quality in the woman's section. The zippers, chains, buttons, etc are almost guaranteed to break/fall off within the first month. The material is flimsy (the hems of my pants get torn to shreds in a couple weeks; while that could be the style, it's annoying to have fix them all the time so you don't have a torn seam up to your hip). And the ribbing in their corsets will get misshapen after a few wears. But go buy the men's stuff and it'll last you years T_T

[Sally]

I always remember what everyone with money tells me - "Only buy quality."

But with my income I had to adapt it a little bit - "I only buy quality, poor quality but still quality."

And yet the clothes that I buy from closeout bargains on line have been of better than average quality and not really out of style and at my age we stretch the limits of how long something stays in style.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest nova]

In male mode I bought clothes with function...work togs...they last and they get ripped and dirty...

Now, my female things may not be sewen like a jib sail, but, they don't need to be...the fabrics are delicate and the sewing is fine...

All of my girl jeans wear just as well as my old male jeans...so no problem there..

But.......I DO NOT like the tags in most women's tops and blouses that tend to be scratchy and irratate my neck...what's that about?

Huggs

Donna Jean

I know! What is it? Is it our soft delicate skin? Sometimes those tags and even seams feel like giant bugs chewing me up!! Sometimes a hair falls from my head into my cleavage and it feels like a hot wire landed!! maybe i'm abnormal?

[Guest andreahilton]

Interesting topic and replies..

I never gotten any problems with female clothing, I can't avoid to have clothes that wreck easily because my wardrobe is very limited...

However, cheap jewelry really sucks. Nothing under $100 last long mostly around 2 weeks and it's all rotten like it's years old... only very expensive jewelry last for a long time.

Luckily I have quite a few expensive jewelry! Anybody had problems with this?

[Guest julia_d]

shoes: .. wearing out the heels in one evening isn't surprising on spikes.. take them to a cobbler and get metal pieces, just like the girls do.

boot zips: are they a struggle to get them up? if so look for the next size up. If I break a zip (and my boots usually last a couple of years before they die completely) I stick eyelets in them and a long lace.. doesn't matter under jeans and believe it or not I will even wear them showing like that just in town for ordinary shopping.. people just think they are meant to be like it

scratchy labels: oh yeah.. I hate them too, and what's with the white labels in black mesh clothing??

Jewelry: ok.. it's nice to have expensive baubles, but they can make you a serious target for being attacked on the street. Keep it simple and cheap.. take your cues from the other women your age. I have my wedding ring and a nice valuable wind up watch .. everything else is market and boot sale junk.

Generally with everything else I buy from thrift shops.. so it's already been worn in. I look for good label clothes in good condition.. they last me well. Very special fashion clothes I treat just like that.. expensive and for special occasions only. That way I get 10 years out of a designer dress.

[Guest nymphblossom]

andreahilton wrote:

cheap jewelry really sucks...Anybody had problems with this?

If you like the look of silver, stainless steel is pretty inexpensive and wears like.. steel

Blossom

[Guest andreahilton]

andreahilton wrote:

cheap jewelry really sucks...Anybody had problems with this?

If you like the look of silver, stainless steel is pretty inexpensive and wears like.. steel

Blossom

Oh yeah, the stainless steel jewelry is pretty good. I'm adding that to my shopping list now

-Andrea Hilton

[Guest insanitylives]

This is even true for the fashion genres that don't change around so much, like punk/goth. Take Tripp for example. Awesome looking clothes, horrible quality in the woman's section. The zippers, chains, buttons, etc are almost guaranteed to break/fall off within the first month. The material is flimsy (the hems of my pants get torn to shreds in a couple weeks; while that could be the style, it's annoying to have fix them all the time so you don't have a torn seam up to your hip). And the ribbing in their corsets will get misshapen after a few wears. But go buy the men's stuff and it'll last you years T_T

I didn't know that. I've never heard anyone complain about tripp pants. Maybe it's just more of a unisex style so it's easier to get guys pants?

[Guest Miss Aeryn]

hehe I'm with Julia_D on her DIY-like approach to heels and boots You just have to do it and get 'em customized.

What really annoys me about female clothes life-span is what no-one seems to have mentioned yet, which is underwear / lingerie. Since I am not buying heavy-duty maternity bras quite yet, the bras and panties sets I buy seem to have very short lifespans. I do all the right things, handwash if applicable, wash on the delicates cycle in special bags, yet I'm cursed thus far. Case in point was a $120 bra/G combo I bought two weeks ago. Nothing unusual in me spending that kind of money on underwear (I go through underwear quite a lot), yet after two nights out and all that entails the shoulder straps are fraying.

I know I'm buying boudoir stuff but for that price range I expect better. As for everything else I buy it is bargain shopping/op shopping all the way baby! Nothing I love more than assembling 2 or 3 great outfits for quids.

[Guest julia_d]

What are you doing with your bras? .. I have a playtex black push up that I must have had 10 years. The label has disintegrated but the rest of it is fine. Maybe you are washing them too hot? .. and the rule.. NEVER put a bra in a drier.. they warp and the heat is too much for the lycra.

[Guest Miss Aeryn]

Ahh I thought what I was doing was right after reading Cleo for years and years? Hmmm I wash them at 40 degrees but that's the culprit, the Dryer. Grrrr arg grrr. I'm somewhat always in a rush *slaps hand - naughty Aeryn!*

thanks Julia_D

'Laura's Playground - Saving Lives (and Bras) since 1991'