Good things I never seem to have

[custardlover]

I have decided that I want to upgrade all of the little things I have in my wardrobe which are just not right; I want to get the good version I never seem to have. For instance, I am going to throw out all of the crispy, novelty socks which I never wear but which stop the drawer closing properly and instead get some nice quality, fine weave ankle socks in black. Possibly made from bamboo (all sock upgrade recommendations welcome).

Also white T-shirts. Mine are all grey and generally rubbish. I am going to get a good one.

What else?

@NoToLandfill

Deladus what is a gusset of doom?!

I tend to wear black knickers and after a while (some of my knickers and I go back years...) the gusset fades and sometimes is stained and a bit discoloured. Doesn't that sound delightful!

@Jumpingintomenopause

Good everyday underwear. I have five of the same bras in black x2, white and nude x2 plus 2 pairs of matching pants per bra.

I recently upgraded my sports socks and now need more sports bras as exercising 6/7 days. I have dedicated pants I wear to workout too. 😳

Where from? I need this

I definitely agree. Last year I bought 8 new t shirts that individually would have paid fir a takeaway but they wash beautifully and I wear one of them pretty much every single day. Cost per wear is down to a few pounds each and will get down to pennies. Ditto decent knickers and bras. I also spend a lot of money on jeans because I wear them almost every day and think it's worth spending on them. Even jeans that cost an eye watering lay high amount are down to a few pounds per wear and look like new

I used to work in a fancy pants gastropub and the uniform was a white tshirt. They used a company called The White Tshirt Co and they are amazing. Highly recommend

@NoToLandfill

Where do we buy really nice white t shirts? That don't shrink, nice fit. Do they exist?

Arket, Cos, Everlane, M&S, Gap, Boden, Me +Em. All depends on budget but these are all good as are Lavender Hill. My best ones are from Sézane but expensive shipping

M&S socks are a revelation.

www.marksandspencer.com/5-pair-pack-sumptuously-soft-ankle-socks/p/clp60086880?color=BLACK#intid=prodColourId-60086880

I've never found socks before that are good for everyday wear AND workouts.

I did that with my socks last year! Got rid of all the random pairs I didn't wear/kept rolling down/wrong colour etc. Replaced them with some navy merino mix socks that were a bit pricey but very comfy and warming yet cooling (and didn't have novelty fruit on them!).

BAM bamboo socks are really good: lots of colours and styles, feel really soft and last well:
bambooclothing.co.uk/category/womens-bamboo-socks/

Definitely wouldn't wear cashmere socks out

I had a pair which I wore to bed - when no heating at all and windows being replaced and they were lovely , then I mistakenly wore them whilst wfh and walked the odd journey downstairs to make a drink etc and noticed very quickly beginning a of a small hole

I'm interested in this too. I realised late last year that it must have been literally years since I replaced day to day underwear and mine was in a pretty tatty state. So I went to M&S and bought 20 new knickers (packs of 5) and 3 new bras and 2 vests for layering.

Like a pp I wore all my old ones one last time and instead of putting them in the laundry basket I threw them in the bin! It was such a weird feeling.

I now need to replace all my socks and other under garments - t-shirts / vest tops / camisoles as well as PJ s.

But I also need to invest in decent everyday clothes for stuff like Saturday afternoon popping to the supermarket or working from home. I have a real, serious lack of these things.

It's so weird because I have NO problem buying expensive lovely things from Sezane, Wyse, ME+EM, Whistles, Sandro etc and underneath I was wearing worn out underwear. I can't quite align quite why in my head...so I am working on it.

I think I always saw it as poor investment as you couldn't see it and if I was buying something I wanted it to be visible.

I have also made this year the year to get fit and walk more so I have used my Christmas money to buy a Helly Hansen waterproof jacket and Merrell waking boots. The FIRST time in my life that I have the proper gear that I need to be able to get out and about and I am LOVING it. I feel good when I put on my nice clean, properly fitting jacket and actually feel like a proper grown up at last, which is really silly as I am in my early 50s!!

So my focus this year is to build not buy any more, beautiful work / going out clothes as I am losing weight and have a wardrobe FULL of gorgeous stuff that doesn't quite fit. So I will get fit and enjoy wearing them all, double win.

But I will focus on building a weekend / casual wardrobe of things that really make me feel lovely and I will dump the skinny jeans from 2014 GAP that I am still schlepping about in.

And I will build a collection of clean, comfortable underwear and nightwear.

Good goals for 2022!

White t shirts - the trick us to replace regularly. Even the highest end white tee will get grubby looking after a certain number of wears.

Bamboo socks from BAM.
Bamboo knickers from Stripe and Stare.
Cotton modal bras from Calvin Klein.
Plain 100% cotton nightshirts snapped up whenever you can find them.
I really like Next basic tshirts. They do one with a low crew neck (good because hidden under jumpers), cap sleeves and a curved hem. Only £7.50 and mine haven’t bobbled or got holes at the waist yet.
Silk camisoles- Boden have nice plain ones, or they did a couple of months ago.

I’ve been stocking up on all of these when I’ve had the urge to spend recently, partly because there’s no actual fashion I want to buy. It’s very satisfying and makes a surprising difference to the daily feel-good factor having cosy, well-made natural fabrics next to your skin.

You can compost clothes! I put them in our compost bin. Turns out everything uses polyester thread. Which doesn't compost. So the thread and buttons are all that's left. Cotton just disintegrates

And daz powder for whites. Really works. God knows how much phosphates it has, but it gets everything white again. Discovered this with soaking stained baby clothes.

@NoToLandfill

You can compost clothes! I put them in our compost bin. Turns out everything uses polyester thread. Which doesn't compost. So the thread and buttons are all that's left. Cotton just disintegrates

I know it’s not the point of the thread buy I just thought I’d mention - once you have done your clear out - don’t bin things.

Many Councils have fabric recycling bins.

Odd socks in otherwise good condition can be used by nursery / infant classes to make sock puppets. Brightly coloured ones preferred of course so good home for these hideous novelty socks that you got in the office secret Santa.

@breakdown19 it’s the Fantasie fusion range - bra and briefs. Lots of basic shades for all skin tones too.

Definitely decent pyjamas- cyberjammies, & their nibs do lovely pyjamas in gorgeous prints. The White Company nightwear is also good & some decent reductions in the sale.
& Other Stories knitwear (especially in the sale!) is my go to now for something a bit different. I love their cardigans with quirky buttons

I've just upgraded Pjs to all cotton. So fed up of mixed fabrics and lycra. Bought their nibs, cottonreal (sizing on the smaller size IMO) and lands end (for warm flannel and shorter leg length if not very stylish). Wasn't keen on cyberjammies because of the modal in all the ladies pjs, you could get 100% cotton in the mens range I noticed.

Used to love Thought bamboo socks but think the quality has gone downhill recently.

Corrymoor mohair socks for winter wear, as I have chilly feet and they are robust enough to machine-wash and wear for several years. They don't shrink, don't itch and don't smell. No socks in summer.