What in your opinion makes clothes look scruffy / worn out?

[ExhaustWipe]

I'm trying to cull my wardrobe and some of my favourite things I fear are looking rather worn / scruffy.

Eg- I have a pair of silver Supergas where the silver is cracking slightly on the toe. It's not very noticeable unless you look closely, I can't really afford to replace then atm.

• I have a favourite & useful navy blue t shirt style dress which is looking a bit faded, but not horrendously so.

Both of these things I love though, so I'm going to keep them.

It just occurred to me that I might be being perceived by others as 'scruffy'

[LovingLola]

Clothes that are not ironed look scruffy imo.
Same with dirty unpolished shoes.
Missing buttons and dropped hems ditto.

Can you dye your navy dress to freshen it up? Dylon dyes work really well.

[ExhaustWipe]

I've never dyed anything but it's a thought - thank you. As long as I keep my shoes clean I'm hoping no one will inspect them closely enough to notice the crack!

[CatONineTails]

Does it matter if people think you're scruffy? I'm sure people think it about me but I give no shits, I like my clothes and I'm dressing to please myself not random judgey pants strangers!

[ExhaustWipe]

I just worry that I might be judged at work and deemed to be unprofessional. Wouldn't bother me if just out & about in day to day life.

[Mymouthgetsmeintrouble]

I think it depends on the item of clothing and the occasion , i had a pair of jeans i wore for 20 years until the denim had become so worn that one day it split and my arse fell out i didnt think they were scruffy looking as although faded it just looked like they were supposed to be , i didnt bother repairing and was happy to just throw away , nicer items or work clothes i would say if they were bobbled or faded but would still wear at weekends , tshirts and tops i keep until they get holes i am a jeans and tshirt girl day to day but like to look polished if im going out or when i work

[drquin]

Dare I say it, it's all relative ...... for casual, loafing around at the weekend, I wouldn't worry about those silver trainers being a wee bit cracked. So wouldn't ever think of you as being scruffy if I saw you today in the park / supermarket / pub.

Conversely, even a pristine pair wouldn't be on my shopping list for "professional", just because it's not the sort of footwear that would have seemed "professional" in any of my workplaces . But I can imagine many where it would be fine. So, you may well have appeared "scruffy" (or just casual) if you wore them to my work, but it'd have been the silver trainers themselves not the cracked leather.

So, depends on your life / lifestyle.

But, I'd agree, clean the shoes (polish if appropriate) and iron the dress, make sure it's not missing buttons or has threads loose. I'd notice all that and possibly think "scruffy" well before wondering if it had always been that shade of navy.

[PlantsOfPerspective]

I struggle with this too - how do you decide when a piece of clothing has come to the end of its lifespan?

[Floisme]

My own rule of thumb is that one worn / scruffy item can look ok if the rest of the outfit is in good nick. But there are a couple of exceptions: worn down heels (that's what cobblers are for) and bobbling (I always get rid).

And of course we think of some fabrics as improving with wear e.g. denim and leather.

I also redye a lot but it only works on natural fabrics.

[hammeringinmyhead]

For me, bobbling means something needs to go, and misshapen tops can look awful (where they have gone wider and shorter in the wash). Fading of colours doesn't bother me much though unless it's uneven/patchy.

[LuxuryWoman2017]

I think shoes, they need to be looked after, polished/cleaned/re-heeled.
I iron very little but some fabrics really need it.

Any worn patches or where material has gone shiny, clothes terribly bobbled, bags with splits/bad cracks.

It's worth trying to dye favourites I guess. I take a lot of care of my clothes to make them last and don't buy very expensive stuff as I prefer to spend on shoes and bags. I did buy a de-bobbling machine thing but it's useless sadly.

[Floisme]

Sorry when I said I don't keep bobbled clothes I was thinking of that jersey fabric. I find cashmere de-bobbles quite well with one of those combs.

[LockedOutOfMN]

OP, I think your Supergas and dress sound fine and the most important thing is that you love wearing them.

As other posters may have said already, you could dye the navy dress if you wanted to refresh the colour.

My mum's rule, that I've heard elsewhere too, is to buy cheap with white and black items (e.g. white T-shirts, shirts, black trousers, etc.) and replace often as they lose that clarity of colour quite quickly, even if you wash carefully.

The things I notice and find scruffy are:

• worn down heels on high heeled shoes
  
• unpolished shoes
  
• buttons fallen or falling off
  
• dirty or unironed cuffs and collars, especially of shirts
  
• knitwear fraying at the cuffs
  
• hems falling down on skirts (or trousers, but that's rare)
  

Also clothes that don't fit well. The things I find most scruffy are dirty hands, fingernails, teeth, and hair (and ears if I can see them). Also unwashed / BO / cheesy feet smells. Clothes come well below those things.