SAYING GOODBYE TO A FAVORITE BLOUSE AFTER 15 YEARS
We find it very difficult to part with some items of clothing. Why is that?
The favorite blouse
Blue, tailored, horn buttons, classic cut. This is what it looked like, my favorite blouse. One important feature is missing from this record: the soft, extremely comfortable fabric. Not only did it go with practically every outfit combination – whenever we needed a little extra comfort for the day, the blouse was always at the ready when we reached into the wardrobe. Soul fashion.
Even when the corners of the collar slowly disintegrated – no matter, a sign of individual style and environmental awareness – and the fabric became thinner and thinner after 15 years of wear and countless cleaning cycles, but still felt more comfortable.
But suddenly there was an obvious hole, so I took it away. All the buttons were cut off beforehand. They were excellent for recycling. A piece of the collar also remained, so perhaps it might be possible to buy the same quality of fabric again.
A guilty conscience
The average EU citizen throws 19 kilograms of clothing in the bin every year (European Environment Agency, 2022). Even if the estimated 50 grams of the blouse described above is hardly a problem, it makes you feel guilty because the preferred option is to donate it to a well-known clothing store.
The advantages of the clothing store:
- Good quality clothing in good condition is very popular there
- The feeling of having helped someone is priceless
A neurologist at the Mayo Clinic says that a good deed for someone else even has a positive effect on your own brain.
The average storage time for tops in the western world is four years. Age, gender and economic status make a big difference. While King Charles II is enthusiastic about mending and repairing clothes, young women in England consider a garment old if it has been worn four times, the Guardian reported.
What goes? What stays?
The favorite blouse had survived all the rounds of packing boxes for the clothing store. Why is that? An analysis of the criteria for why one item of clothing can stay in the wardrobe and another has to go:
What remains
The most worn favorites that can often be combined well.
This speaks for colors such as white, blue and black versus the respective color of the year. And it speaks for the best possible material quality, keyword wool.
Garments with the sentimental value of beautiful events.
Everyone probably has a pair of trousers or a dress that they always pack in their suitcase. An item of clothing that can always be seen in the pictures of the vacation, whether it was to Italy, Japan or Singapore. Happy hours remain in the fibers.
The ingenious fashion designer has died or sold his brand.
Miuccia Prada, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Yohi Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen are among the world’s most famous designers for good reason. Even after many decades, their designs still look fantastic in museums and remain wearable. Garments by the best are irreplaceable.
Alexander McQueen, Savage Beauty Exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, 2015 © Alamy Stock Photo
What works
Garments in the wrong color
The color of your hair and skin determine whether you look tired or fresh in one color.
Garments in the wrong size
Who doesn’t love a bargain at a sale? Clothes that are far too big are a challenge even for the best tailor. Clothes that are far too tight need a miracle diet that will never happen.
Garments with bad memories
Even professional defeats remain in the fibers. Get rid of it, because for a young applicant, this very item of clothing can be the start of a great career.
Where do you draw the line?
The average person in Europe owns 148 items of clothing and shoes. Have you ever counted how many items you own? We did and came up with a higher number. That’s enough. Our resolution for the rest of the year is to rediscover your closet and combine it more creatively.
Studies show that we wear around 10 percent of our clothes on a regular basis. The rest more or less lie dormant in the wardrobe.
Cover picture Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday, 1953 © Alamy Stock Photo
