Clothes never last - advice please

[InATizzz]

Hi everyone,

I really need your advice, tips and tricks for looking after clothing and keeping it looking nice for longer.

Any time I need clothes, I always feel like I need a lot of items at once. For example, I'm postpartum and had literally no summer clothes, so bought 2 pairs of leggings and 4 tshirts. Granted, I'm quite broke right now, so the tshirts were from Primark and the leggings were through an offer on Fabletics but already a month later, the leggings are fraying and the tshirts are thin and have lost their shape.

I know the answer is to buy better quality clothes but I really just can't afford that right now. We're now going into winter and I'm in the same position again - all my clothing was stretched last year while pregnant and now I've lost weight, it's all just horrible and baggy.

So, could you please either give me advice on how to wash clothes to keep their original state as best as possible, any other clothing care tips. OR is it just the case that I need to buy a few more expensive staple pieces? If so, what?

Sorry for the waffle - I'm just sick of being stuck in this cycle with my clothing! I also hate 'fast fashion' but don't have the money to buy better.

Thank you!

but better brands that actually last

second hand

Vintage is the way to go. Natural fibres with no plastic content. Cotton, wool, linen. Read the labels and wash per the instructions. Use the correct detergent. Air your clothes rather than washing after every wear (except undies obvs).

Asda George clothes last longer. I’ve had some leggings well worn for years.
Some fabrics even cheap ones last better. Woven fabric shirts will last better than t shirts.
Buy some things in charity shops. Look out for 50% off full price sales with companies, lands end often do them. But if you’ve worn 2 pairs of leggings and 4 t shirts all summer and nothing else they are going to look worn as every item is going to be wash at least once a week possibly twice a week Someone with more clothes may only wash an item once a month.

I used to say buy better but I'm now finding that the 'better' brands are just as bad. Thin cheap material, badly made etc. Washing on cool, less frequently and air drying etc will help.

You can get good quality brands much cheaper on Vinted and sometimes never or hardly worn.
I also suggest careful laundering, lower temperatures and avoid synthetic fabrics which often age terribly.
Stalking Vinted can become quite good fun too!

Give yourself a monthly clothing budget.

You don't have to spend it every month, but save so you can buy better stuff if you see them on offer or when you need it.
Also, replace them not all at once but say every 4- 6 months for every day items to spread the cost as well as wear and tear.

The other way is to have more clothes.
If you have 2 pairs of leggings, over a month you wear them each for 15 days.
If you have a skirt, a dress, a pair of jeans, a pair of cords and a pair of leggings, you wear each 6 times over a month.
I know that's not where you are right now, but it's one way that everyone else's clothes last longer.

Strange to revive a thread after three months! 🤔

@InATizzz if you’re still around, the best piece of advice I can offer is to keep a strict separation between home clothes and out clothes. (Not necessarily ‘out out’, just anything where you’re meeting other people.)

At this stage of your life your home clothes are going to get wrecked anyway, so they might as well be cheap and easily laundered. But at the same time, if you could try to set a tiny bit of money aside every month so that maybe every quarter you could add a better quality pair of jeans, or denim skirt, or a piece of knitwear that is only for wearing outside the house. (When you get home you take them off, hang them in fresh air or launder as necessary. Iron. Hang up for next time.) Whether they’re Vinted or shop bought - you’ll gradually build up a wardrobe of nice things that won’t need constant replacing.