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Few years back, I thought it was wise to invest in some semi-pricey clothes which were intended to suite me for a while. The only formal stuff I had at the time

by e-dant 2y ago

Few years back, I thought it was wise to invest in some semi-pricey clothes which were intended to suite me for a while. The only formal stuff I had at the time was my Dad’s, or something I thrifted, which didn’t quite fit. Some pants, shirts, which I could put a jacket over for something more formal. Some shorts and shirts for the gym. Every single one of those pants ripped, to my surprise, because some of them were $150-$250. Some ripped in the belt loops, others between the legs. The dress shirt is barely holding up, there are little plumes of ripped material on the side. Each time they ripped, I replaced them with something I found for $15-35 at Target. Not a single rip. I still keep the dress shirt, because it’s the only one I have, and I’m not at all sure what to replace it with. I dislike the shirts that Target sells because the frame they use is of a long, skinny man, with small arms, and an extremely wide neck. Not sure how the fuck that happened. But the material is perfectly fine. If anyone knows where I can find a nice shirt (both collared and others for the gym), that’d be great. I’m set on target pants, though. They are indestructible.

YZF 2y ago
Everything seems to be crap these days. Thinner and thinner materials. I bought some pants (nothing fancy) at Costco. Wore them 3 times and they tore between the legs. Some sort of stretchy cotton material. T-shirt for the gym works for me ;)
- Gigachad 2y ago
  It's the material blend. They usually use cotton in the vertical direction of the weave or knit, and then elastane in the horizontal. Stretch the fabric and you'll see the whole thing is held up by essentially tiny rubber bands.
- lurking_swe 2y ago
  the issue is consumers don’t actually understand textiles, what they are looking for, and mainly buy a product based on how it looks and fits. And of course consumers prefer cheap clothes. The result is some good purchases, and some bad purchases, but it’s a crap shoot unless you do research. Frustrating for sure.
Gigachad 2y ago
Avoid anything with elastane. It wears out relatively quickly and rips. I pretty much only buy 100% cotton pants now. Yes you need elastane to make skinny pants that perfectly form to your legs, but they won't last.
hardwaregeek 2y ago
Where did you buy these clothes? Were they the right size? If they're wool slacks, I could see them being a little more delicate but regardless that sucks.
- e-dant 2y ago
  These were three pants from Lululemon, figured they’d be good. None of them lasted more than 6 months. Admittedly, I bike and walk a lot, so probably I put more strain on them than I should have. But, come on, that’s why I got them, and surely if I can bike 20 miles in $30 pants from target, those fancy lululemon pants should also have worked.
  - curioussavage 2y ago
    Yeah lululemon is your problem there I’m guessing. I just did the reverse. For the last decade most of the clothes I wore came from target and they were ok. I felt like the fits worked for me so I mostly stuck with them. That said I found some nice small brands and they blow target clothes and all those mall brands out of the water. The mall stuff is often exactly the same as target. Relwen is my favorite brand right now.
    - troutwine 2y ago
      My wife has a sense of fashion and I do not. When we go out she's always dressed precisely and, left without guidance, I look like a hike might break out at any minute. Relwen's excellent. Sturdy clothes with utility -- my concern -- good looking for a variety of semi-casual to formal occasions. I wear their hunting jacket as a general purpose blazer.
  - lurking_swe 2y ago
    Lululemon is fast fashion junk, from a textile quality perspective. Live and learn. :) It is fashionable and i own a few things from them, because they genuinely look and fit well. But i don’t expect them to last. As a general rule, ANYTHING that is 100% cotton will last the longest. Cotton blends can be OK, but they have pros and cons (polyester helps with wrinkles and can add some elasticity, linen is good for hot weather). And then there is general construction. Mass manufactured clothing will not be made to high standards, that should be clear. If you want something high quality, buy a brand where it’s hand made. Or buy a custom designed suit from a private business, preferably local (places like SuitSupply don’t count). There’s quite a few in NYC, not sure about other cities. That’s high level guidance. If you want to learn how to judge clothing quality, there are extensive videos online that show you how to inspect stitches on fabric, etc.
dqv 2y ago
> Some ripped in the belt loops, others between the legs. The dress shirt is barely holding up, there are little plumes of ripped material on the side. Yeah quality of clothing and price are completely disconnected now. It seems the only solution is to get advice from a textile expert if you really want the clothes to last. Or just hopes and dreams. It's also why I'm very particular about how I do my laundry. Low spin, cold water, laundry sanitizer and the lowest setting I can get away with for drying. Air drying for things that are particularly delicate. https://youtu.be/fuVU64m1sbw?t=1059 https://youtu.be/fuVU64m1sbw?t=1059 - this whole video is interesting, but the creator explains here about cost != quality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCwbU41Icfw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCwbU41Icfw
- throw8393848 2y ago
  > quality of clothing and price are completely disconnected now. I bought some fake branded tshirts while visiting Turkey. The quality of cotton was better, than original brand sold in UK!

by e-dant 2y ago

YZF 2y ago

Everything seems to be crap these days. Thinner and thinner materials. I bought some pants (nothing fancy) at Costco. Wore them 3 times and they tore between the legs. Some sort of stretchy cotton material. T-shirt for the gym works for me ;)

Gigachad 2y ago
It's the material blend. They usually use cotton in the vertical direction of the weave or knit, and then elastane in the horizontal. Stretch the fabric and you'll see the whole thing is held up by essentially tiny rubber bands.
lurking_swe 2y ago
the issue is consumers don’t actually understand textiles, what they are looking for, and mainly buy a product based on how it looks and fits. And of course consumers prefer cheap clothes. The result is some good purchases, and some bad purchases, but it’s a crap shoot unless you do research. Frustrating for sure.

Gigachad 2y ago

Avoid anything with elastane. It wears out relatively quickly and rips. I pretty much only buy 100% cotton pants now. Yes you need elastane to make skinny pants that perfectly form to your legs, but they won't last.

hardwaregeek 2y ago

Where did you buy these clothes? Were they the right size? If they're wool slacks, I could see them being a little more delicate but regardless that sucks.

e-dant 2y ago
These were three pants from Lululemon, figured they’d be good. None of them lasted more than 6 months. Admittedly, I bike and walk a lot, so probably I put more strain on them than I should have. But, come on, that’s why I got them, and surely if I can bike 20 miles in $30 pants from target, those fancy lululemon pants should also have worked.
- curioussavage 2y ago
  Yeah lululemon is your problem there I’m guessing. I just did the reverse. For the last decade most of the clothes I wore came from target and they were ok. I felt like the fits worked for me so I mostly stuck with them. That said I found some nice small brands and they blow target clothes and all those mall brands out of the water. The mall stuff is often exactly the same as target. Relwen is my favorite brand right now.
  - troutwine 2y ago
    My wife has a sense of fashion and I do not. When we go out she's always dressed precisely and, left without guidance, I look like a hike might break out at any minute. Relwen's excellent. Sturdy clothes with utility -- my concern -- good looking for a variety of semi-casual to formal occasions. I wear their hunting jacket as a general purpose blazer.
- lurking_swe 2y ago
  Lululemon is fast fashion junk, from a textile quality perspective. Live and learn. :) It is fashionable and i own a few things from them, because they genuinely look and fit well. But i don’t expect them to last. As a general rule, ANYTHING that is 100% cotton will last the longest. Cotton blends can be OK, but they have pros and cons (polyester helps with wrinkles and can add some elasticity, linen is good for hot weather). And then there is general construction. Mass manufactured clothing will not be made to high standards, that should be clear. If you want something high quality, buy a brand where it’s hand made. Or buy a custom designed suit from a private business, preferably local (places like SuitSupply don’t count). There’s quite a few in NYC, not sure about other cities. That’s high level guidance. If you want to learn how to judge clothing quality, there are extensive videos online that show you how to inspect stitches on fabric, etc.

dqv 2y ago

> Some ripped in the belt loops, others between the legs. The dress shirt is barely holding up, there are little plumes of ripped material on the side. Yeah quality of clothing and price are completely disconnected now. It seems the only solution is to get advice from a textile expert if you really want the clothes to last. Or just hopes and dreams. It's also why I'm very particular about how I do my laundry. Low spin, cold water, laundry sanitizer and the lowest setting I can get away with for drying. Air drying for things that are particularly delicate. https://youtu.be/fuVU64m1sbw?t=1059 https://youtu.be/fuVU64m1sbw?t=1059 - this whole video is interesting, but the creator explains here about cost != quality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCwbU41Icfw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCwbU41Icfw

throw8393848 2y ago
> quality of clothing and price are completely disconnected now. I bought some fake branded tshirts while visiting Turkey. The quality of cotton was better, than original brand sold in UK!