How long do your clothes last for?

[cherrypiepie]

I've recently found that most of my clothes last around a maximum of five years. After which one a few things happens

• they become shabby and worn
• they don't suit me anymore as my shape has changed due to ageing
• they are no longer stylish and styles/ shapes change and feel dated and frumpy.

Eg: I had some gorgeous trousers that I had been saving until the fitted again but now they book so dated! They were a pair of summer viscose tapered trousers in a print. Same for a pair of jeans - the waist was soooo low!

I'm trying to be more sustainable and buy things that last longer but even the more classic items don't seem to have a life after 5 years.

How do you strike the balance between fashion and style and how long do you expect clothes last and be stylish rather than fashionable?

I supppose I couldn't say that my entire wardrobe is current. So a part of clothes lasting a long time is knowing when to get classic cuts, etc.

That being said I did a massive wardrobe overhaul so I do have a lot more current things than I would usually. I hope I've chosen well.

Maximum 4-5 years after which all of the things you mentioned happen. Some things like classic wool coats have gone on forever but yes they either wear out or look dated

I think it depends on the item. I have faux fur coats that are 20 years old that come out every winter, but I haven’t worn skinny jeans in a few years, so they were all gradually replaced and put to the charity shop. I tend to look after knitwear well, and buy well, so again, I can get years from it. There are things in my wardrobe that I don’t expect I will wear next year, but have enjoyed wearing them now. I generally spend more on things I will wear a lot, like jeans, because I want them to fit well, and wash well.

Most of my things 5-7 years. Jeans maybe 2 years, but I quite literally live in them (and wash them a lot due to working with small children). I do take 4-5 items a year to the clothes bank that are still perfectly wearable, but for whatever reason don't suit me (I don't care about fashion at all so that doesn't influence me, it's just what i feel comfortable in that matters).

This is all helpful thank you.

I think I was under the impression that a "timeless" wardrobe would last a lifetime but what is timeless?

I want to be stylish and look polished. I do like fashion too and trends.

I think I have held onto items that I feel I have not worn enough in the hope that I will wear them again. I've started selling lots on vinted so that is much better too- ethically and financially.

I have nice knitwear too as it doesn't get worn much each year. I've hammered palmieras this year and a gorgeous pink coat.

I think I will stick to my "will I wear it wear 30 times" rule when I buy items as that seems to fit most criteria.

I think it depends how many clothes you have. I've got loads, so most of my clothes tend to last for 15-20 years. But I've got vintage things that I've had for ... um ... a lot longer than that.

Years ... but I am not at all fashion conscious .

Mostly for years and years, but, like pp I wear what I like and not what some fashionista tries to dictate.

I also tend to shop in charity shops and have plenty of clothes so rarely wear anything out.

Without getting into competitive MNing, I've got some things I've had 30 years or more. In fact, I have a giant cardigan my sister knitted for me in about 1982 that I still wear occasionally. Sadly most stuff from that era wouldn't fit me anymore.

5yrs? You aren't keeping things long enough! Keep them longer and they will come around again.

I have had plenty of beloved items that have lasted a generation or two.

My grandmother's silk shoes, my father's 60s leather jacket, my uncle's fair isle sweater, my Mum's Scholl clogs. All very fashionable first and second time around.

I generally invest in classic pieces with timeless cuts. I don't spend a lot of money on trends or crazy cuts of clothes. I think importantly I take good care of my clothes. I don't wash them after each wear unless they're actually dirty. And because I have a fair amount of clothes I don't wear each item too much. Perhaps that's wasteful, but it is what it is and it helps keep my clothes in good condition .

In my wardrobe rotation at the moment I've got trousers that are 13 years old (wide leg - they're back in style), a belted wool cardigan 15 years old, a denim jacket 7 years old, 2 LV bags 16ish years old, as well as few dresses from more recently years plus a whole load of stuff from this season. I wear it all!!

Probably not as long as you do but I definitely wear my clothes the 30 times. I'm a tricky body shape so I tend to buy something and then hammer it for a bit then it goes into the black hole that is my wardrobe.

Things I wear regularly like long-sleeved t-shirts, jeans and work trousers seem to last 4-5 years before looking shabby and need replacing. Other things like summer dresses and skirts and blouses seem to look dated after about five years. Up until now I have always had a clear-out every year and got rid of things which feel dated, but recently I've regretted that because styles I was wearing 10-15 years ago seem to be back in fashion and I'm looking bak nostalgically on some lovely things I had which went to the charity shop. I must be really old now!

So from now on, if I have something I love, but it feels dated, I'm going to store it away until it feels current again! Maybe that the secret to a classic wardrobe- rotation!

Functional clothing lasts forever - running kit, cycling kit, rain coats etc are mostly over 10 years old (incidentally, my gym and running leggings were generally cheap or free race t shirts and they last forever and withstand all abuse thrown at them).

Same for some accessories - belts, bags etc.

Some clothing (leather biker, denim jacket) I will keep forever. I go through phases of getting lots of wear out of them and then they disappear for a bit.

Everything else is a mixed bag. Knitwear I would love to keep forever but a lot of it just doesn’t last well. I have £100+ cashmere that looks scruffy after a couple of years, and £20 merino that’s nearly 10 years and looking perfect.

So I’m a bit more selective about the idea you can have investment pieces lasting decades. I’m more concerned about cost per wear, and I try to get that down to a couple of pounds.

There is no such thing as a ‘timeless cut’ - it’s a marketing trick to get you to spend more. Every decade has its own particular tailoring and details.

I think 5years is about right. Maybe a bit longer for something like party shoes that don’t come out very often?

But yeah, things start looking dated after that.

My weight has been very up and down so I’ve had fat clothes and thin clothes ( thin being a relative term). Some of the evening stuff I have goes back to the early nineties but it hasn’t been worn extensively. With regards items I currently wear I have cashmere sweaters over 10 years old, silk and linen shirts that are probably 8 years old and were bought preloved. A host of blazers that were bought preloved that are a few years old. If something is good quality but out moded I just stick it away for a while. I have a silk dress and tailored trousers from Jaeger for example that are stored at the moment.

The items that date in my wardrobe are without question the fast fashion items or lower quality items. I try not to get sucked into buying too many of those or certainly don’t invest too much money in them. However these are the items that make the classic ones look modern. I have been gifted a few things recently by a relative that I wouldn’t have bought myself…I think it’s all M&S but the quality is not fantastic. The Nobodies Child dress is shit quality wise and I don’t anticipate it surviving 5 years. Having just lost weight I’m contemplating having items altered by a seamstress I’ve found. If my item isn’t worth the cost of the alteration then really it wasn’t a great buy.

Of course there are timeless cuts. The Duchess of Cambridge is the walking embodiment but I don’t aspire to look like her. It is possible to mix up timeless pieces in your own way and ignore what else is happening in fashion. I suggest looking at Style Like U ( a mother and daughter team from the US) who photograph and interview people with their own style.

Nothing is timeless. Collars, waist-height, sleeve-style, trouser-shape all time stamp a piece of clothing. Even a Burberry trench/navy cashmere cardigan/Mulberry leather bag/indigo jeans/white shirt.

The average length of life for an item of uk clothing between purchase and landfill is 18 months.

We are shockingly wasteful and all need to do more to extend the life of all our clothes

That includes not letting ourselves be dictated to by ‘fashion’. And not buying items designed to be ‘disposable’

I've been wearing my favourite long floaty skirt every week for over 10 years. It does look dated but I don't care. On the other hand I've had printed jersey dresses that were only fit for the rag bag after a couple of washes. 5 years sounds like a reasonable life expectancy for clothes these days.

I find jersey material doesn't last as many wash cycles eg jersey dresses and tshirts. Woven cotton is a lot more durable.

I wear what suits me and am only bothered about my own personal style not fashion trends. My body shape and weight definitely change though so this affects what suits me.

Depends summer things last longer unless they get a bad stain as it's never hot enough to get proper wear out of them

Jumpers only last 5/6 years due to more wear. Bobbling etc

Jeans last until they no longer fit or the fashion changes so about ten years

I've a couple of jumpers that are going on 20 years, and a few secondhand items that I'm not sure about but I think were likely several years old before I got them because of things like the logo on the tags are different to what's on the same brand now. I don't keep know as I tend to go through times of not buying anything and then getting in several pieces when I think too many have died.

I agree that some use timeless as a marketing idea, though I think others who are talking about fast fashion use it at times to refer to simpler clothes that while may not be that very fashionable, they also don't date as much and can still look stylish.

Solid colours tend to be stylish longer than prints which go through trends faster, things like that. Also, as pp said, caring for clothes in a way that still look nice an - currently regretting a couple items somehow ended up in a wash with some falling apart cleaning towels and similar and one towel seemed to have half died in there and there is now fluff all over that's going to be pain to get out.

Justine Leconte's youtube channel has a lot of tips on this sort of things if you want to go down a video rabbit hole on style, clothes care, and stepping out of fast fashion.