mfad•14mo ago

"Normal" Wear and Tear - Topic of the day 11/8/24

If clothes are meant to be worn, how much wear exactly should you expect? When is a wrinkle or tear or other form of wear a sign of daily living and when is it time to fix or replace things? What steps (if any) do you put into 'preventative' care, and how much time/money/energy should you put into this before cutting your losses?

Weeg•11/8/24, 5:02 PM

Idk i think that like you can pretty much keep fixing or wear with holes as long as you want unless it becomes a dress code/formality issue

Smiles•11/8/24, 5:04 PM

When it looks bad

Smiles•11/8/24, 5:04 PM

Otherwise weeg is right I think

j9it45sgd7u•11/8/24, 5:04 PM

i love worn out clothes, but there is a certain point where something new rips with every wear and further patching becomes tedious. I enjoy making repairs at first but will usually stop repairing when it gets frustrating.

Weeg•11/8/24, 5:05 PM

Yeah if it gets so thin you can see through it or like it rips with a gust of wind its probably time

j9it45sgd7u•11/8/24, 5:10 PM

as for "preventative care", also depends on the circumstance. If jeans start developing small holes in awkward locations like the crotch I reinforce it asap. Cool places, like the front knees I'll let develop more to give character if the rest of the garment is also old and worn. But, for example, if I got a snag on some brand new jeans I'd try to be more subtle with the patch as to have it blend in with the general vibe

Spuck•11/8/24, 5:16 PM

The first snag or stain annoys me, after that it's open season

lyon•11/8/24, 5:29 PM

i’ll let my jeans get holes, but i try to protect my graphic tees and such nowadays

Yakkeks•11/8/24, 5:34 PM

With pants usually if the crotch blows out too much I let them go. Big, visible patches in the crotch feel awkward to me.

Garlic_Sucker•11/8/24, 5:39 PM

I hate holes in my clothes

Garlic_Sucker•11/8/24, 5:39 PM

more of a psychological thing than a visual interest thing. I love creases and fades tho

raisinpie•11/8/24, 5:46 PM

I've found out I don't like being super careful with my clothes, so if I don't think it'll look good a lil fucked up I won't buy it

calla•11/8/24, 6:38 PM

i've yet to have a piece of clothing that's decayed to the point of being unwearable but i have a couple things that are suuuuuper fragile and i figure i have maybe 5-10 more wears out of them

calla•11/8/24, 6:38 PM

but at that point they also look really cool so i'm rationing the wears i have left

calla•11/8/24, 6:39 PM

maybe if i'm feeling it i'll do a celia pym style visible repair where i stabilize them on large pieces of fabric one day

calla•11/8/24, 6:40 PM

but because i rarely do preventive care i do worry about stuff becoming too far gone before i intervene, like the denim in the thread photo

Uzimaya•11/8/24, 6:54 PM

There is grace in letting go to what we can not control. Clothes can both be aesthetic and functional so my assessment would be if it truly is operational

Steve•11/9/24, 2:18 AM

Seems like this just totally depends on the item and the style you are going for, no? Tears in jeans are normative. Tears in suits? Maybe elbow patches get a pass in less formal settings, but that's about it.

Steve•11/9/24, 2:21 AM

Personally, I wish staining was more acceptable. Any time I'm giving a big presentation 50-50 odds I spill coffee on myself sometime earlier that day