Throwaway fashion- does anyone buy cheap clothes just to wear a few times?

[Madaboutthrows]

...because no matter what something costs I have never thought of clothes in this manner. I buy to use more than just once. I obviously don't expect cheap stuff to last a long time but I expect it to last a good while. Anyone else feel the same?

Ordinarily no, it feels wrong.

I've bough things which have been the basis of fancy dress outfits though so, not a complete saint.

My Primark purchases have always lasted for ages, the quality is quite good on the whole.

Vest tops from Primark for my holidays, that cost less than a pound and get stained and ruined by sun lotion, either get chucked away on holiday or brought back and turned into dishcloths.

I really don't understand why people say things from Primark for example wash and wear so badly. I've got things from cheap shops that are nearly ten years old (i kid you not) and they still look great. I wonder if some (i'm not saying everyone, nor am i pointing fingers at anyone on this thread) people treat cheap things badly because they are cheap, if that makes any sense, thinking that they wont last anyway so they don't bother taking care of them?

No.

Like others, I try to buy stuff I love and then I look after it.

Even with cheaper items (e.g. Fleecy dresses from uniqlo to wear around the house) I look after them and keep for ages.

The problem with places like primark is that some people buy heaps of stuff from there simply because it's cheap, wear the stuff once (or not at all) and then bin it or take to the charity shop...

My local charity shop is also full of polyester dresses from places like asos - they probably looked good in the picture online but a bit shit in real life.

onelittlelady no, completely disagree. I was very skint a few years ago and Primark/asda was all I could afford - and not very much of either to be honest! I treated them as carefully as you would cashmere as I knew I couldn't afford to replace them. Still shrank/went out of shape. Absolute waste of money.

Although, I don't shop in Dorothy perkins either for that same reason - at least asda and Primark are cheap!

I try to buy more expensive clothes in sales but don't find that the pricier stuff lasts that much longer than the cheap stuff I buy from matalan, H&M etc. Nothing much seems made to last these days despite the price.

I don't buy clothes just to wear for one season and then chuck them out, but things often don't wash well or they'll get sweat stains (is this just me ) and I'll be forced to give to the charity rag bag.

I've bought some bits that I know I won't wear again, for one-off events - performances/fancy dress etc. But most things I buy with the intention of keeping for years. I choose clothes carefully, checking fabric, seams, washing requirements, and I've found that a lot of cheap Primark/Dorothy Perkins/New Look type clothes have lasted well. I have things from supermarkets that I've had for over a decade. I never tumble dry clothes and I'll often hand wash a dress, even a cheap one from Primark.

If clothes still fit then even if they're stained or a bit shapeless I'll wear them at home (I change out of clothes when I'm at home, which helps them last longer as well), at the gym or in bed. Most of my clothes only become unwearable because they don't fit any more if I've put on/lost weight.

I agree with itsnothingoriginal. I usually try and mix cheap n' cheerful with more expensive bits but I find a bigger price tag doesn't always mean better quality and likewise, cheap doesn't always = fall-apart-after-one-wash, (although it can do). It all seems completely random which is very frustrating.

Nothing much seems made to last these days despite the price

I agree with you itsnothing , very few stores on high street and even top designers care about creating long lasting clothes, and Its due mainly to this throwaway approach to clothes many people believe in, why should any retailer invest in creating garments made of good fabrics if it won't make any difference to us, we've lowered our expectations,to an extent that we see £1.99 dress as genius, we are always on the hunt for cheap clothes,

I buy the majority of my clothes second hand because I buy what I like the look of not what is necessarily currently in the shops. Sometimes this means I buy an item which has originally come from Primark or New Look and I can honestly say that they are in good condition.

I have a vest top on today under my dress which must be at least 3 years old possibly older. It is absolutely fine and is still a dark black! I don't use a tumble dryer though so maybe that is why I find my clothes last longer.

maybe there's something in the not using a tumble dryer theory, I don't and never have done as I've never had one. Could never afford to buy and then run a tumble dryer so it's something I've managed without and it's never been a problem, I line dry where I can or dry over a heated clothes airer.

I agree that even a lot of pricier items fall apart just as badly as cheaper ones. This is why checking fabrics/seams/hems is so important to me. I check for the quality and type of fabric so I know how it will wash and then check the seams and hems to see how they've been sewn. Even the cheapest of shops, going back to primark again, have decent fabrics and well sewn items, if you have the time to be looking for these things which I appreciate not everyone does. Primark may not use silk or merino wool for example but they do use 100% cotton in some of the vest tops and decent cotton mixes for some of the cardigans. Buying these particular items means they last, unlike the ones they sell that are 100% polyester or viscose

No. I think it's a ridiculous waste. You might as well throw money away. Anything no longer required (rare) goes to the charity shops.

Everything I have now gets worn and tbh I can't tell the difference with cheap or expensive- it all seems to wear at the same rate to me!

In fact if things wear out it's usually because it's been worn so many times over the years. It tends to be mainly tights and underwear that don't last long.

I don't buy from primark or stuff that I think will go out of fashion after a season - just not my style.

I agree with onelittlelady - I buy Primark vests, stretchy long sleeve tops and knickers - all 95-100% cotton, and they all last really well. Even though I tumble dry my whites . I just bin them when they have lost their colour / gone grey, which I find most white cotton items do. I even do a cheeky little squirt of bleach in the wash from time to time, w my white cottons.