If you could see how full my closet is.... 3x's would be out of the question. Sheesh!

Now I feel like I need to purge.

okay...that feeling has passed.

LOL

Dare I admit that I have more than a few items that are decades old? Sweaters, winter stuff (wool skirts that go out and come back in style for example), boots. Sigh. I hate shopping. I did just buy some new black slacks, though.

Gosh, I've seen pictures of myself from 10 years ago, and I still have the same tops/pants. Now tossing is a process in and of itself...lol. They go from "I don't wear/like this anymore, so I guess it will be my gardening, painting or whatever clothes". Then after it is so stained and horrid looking, does it go into the trash. I have been known to occasionally clear out my closet and will contribute to thrift store.

Three times -- ha in my world it would be 3 years (or more!). I buy good stuff and wear it until it wears out. I fill in with trendy things and even wear those when they're no longer trendy. My wardrobe doesn't change all that much.

No chance that I only wear items three times! I'm another of those who keeps clothes until they fall apart. I also dislike shopping. Online shopping hasn't changed that for me much at all.

I donate any clothing that was the wrong purchase or no longer appealed to me or fit me.

This video has made me think twice about online shopping. Not sure if this happens everywhere in the world but it sure sounds like stuff is wasted. A fair number of people must be part of a throwaway society

https://www.ted.com/talks/aparna_mehta_where_do_your_online_returns_go/transcript?language=en

3 times? Try 3 decades! Mom & I used to do shopping sprees in Fall River MA in the 80s when the place was full of outlets...I still have some sweaters from then. I still have a button up shirt that I bought when I was 14...granted, I only wear it when I'm splitting wood now, but it's still going strong. (So frustrating as it feels like a nice cotton shirt, wears like iron but it never wrinkles, ever...why they don't make fabrics like that now is beyond me.)

But for the most part, I'll get many years out of clothing. It goes from good stuff to casual knock around to "X" clothing which is worn only for the dirtiest or heaviest work like weeding, painting, etc.

Why is everyone trying to sell the idea that "disposable" is a good thing? It's the opposite...we ALL need to believe that.

I can't buy "good" clothes like many here do...and I still have some cheapo clothes that I've had for years. I have a pair of jeans from the late 70's...It's not that I don't wear them, but they just won't die...

I don't follow trends at all, so I enjoy thrift stores for vintage clothing, or textiles that might make an interesting pillow or whatever I can come up with.

My girls enjoy Thred Up, an online consignment shop (also carry new things) you can search by brand there...

I'm glad that so many here keep their clothes for a good long while :)

ETA to clarify: Speaking in general about "disposable" being promoted as good....even here ("rip it out"---"it's dated", etc.) not necessarily about what was said on the show.

The same television program has also probably had segments on restyling your clothes instead of buying new, or on buying quality and style at lasts over cheap and trendy, or the like. I know the Today show has done that kind of thing, segments (on different days) that seem to disagree with one another. Magazines do it, too.

Wouldn't it be funny to ask the same "how many times" question of men? DH has stuff I know he's worn hundreds of times, because I know how old it is! Guys would probably give you a blank stare lol.

The clip won't play for me so I don't know if anyone on that segment was really promoting the idea that "disposable" is a good thing. I always thought Stella McCartney was an enlightened type who'd be into sustainable living? Was I misled because I know she's vegan? Where the heck would she get such a number?!

I can't imagine anyone in my circle discarding (in any manner) clothing items after only three wearings. I've bought a few mistakes and yes, they've gone straight to the thrift store (if I can't return them to the store, unworn) but I certainly don't have the attitude that clothing is disposable. I know places like H&M are all about "fast fashion" but still, surely people are planning on more than three wearings when buying trendy items there?!

Pretty silly. The story strikes me as apocryphal. I know plenty of people who are serious about fashion and even they don't do this. Most people won't repeat an outfit for a formal occasion, and I know a lot of people who try not to repeat outfits for the same group in a social occasion. But the math still doesn't work out to three times.

Gosh, haven't they ever heard of the book Overdressed? It is downright irresponsible.

We all have a few mistakes we have worn maybe once or twice. But I am sure we all have things we have had for over a decade, or even two. I wore my great grandmother's cashmere, silk-lined, camel maxi swing coat all thru HS, college and grad school! It was literally threadbare by the time i gave up on it.

Teen girls probably come the closest to this. Between being finicky and fickle, and also growing, clothes are often underused. I used to insist that my girls buy only "good quality" but have now capitulated. That way my heart doesn't sink when they can't/won't use something anymore. I have a few things I stole from them after they didn't want it.

..years, decades if I can

(they used to make them much better then, so there's that part. try and find now something that will last decades..

I sorely regret I didn't just buy a pair of everything I love now, when I bought it.

so, yeah..maybe they gently prepare consumers-ah it falls apart but it's okay my lovelies(c))

now, there was strange assumption thrown in, that I'd probably like to have my "Kardashian moment", at this or that point

why would I? frankly not even sure what they mean by that

Well that Rule of 3 is just ridiculous.

I bought a pink sweatshirt at a rummage sale about 25 years ago for 50 cents. I just love that sweatshirt. It’s getting a little tattered (I had to cut the sleeves at the elbows) but it’s sooo comfortable.

I probably wear it 25 times a year - multiply by 25 years equals 625 times!! It’s my go-to Saturday work in the yard shirt. DH has threatened to throw it away.

According to the Rule of 3, I should have replaced it 208 times??!!

My son's girl friend rented a dress for a family wedding. Nothing fancy buy not every day either. She thought she got a good deal--half what the dress would cost--I guess she didn't think she would wear it again anyway. When I shop I for sure only buy what will go with at least two other pieces. I do like to mix and match so I do not have to wear any given "outfit" more than once a month. I have heard New York is a different story--style and expectation of dress-- than most places. More reason to live far far from there!!!

3X sure seems like bubble living to me.

Or a gimmick to boost sales - like the one about replacing mattresses after ten years.

I too prefer to spend my money on classic items I can wear for years. There's an old adage I like: use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

I get rid of stuff when it's worn out &/or too damaged, doesn't fit any more, or I'm certain I'll never wear it again.

I think my blucher moccasins from L.L. Bean are at least 30 years old!

I got the feeling from the clip that the hosts were thinking "ewww....wear something someone else has worn?"....

Is it just me that got that impression?

See, that would make sense. A lot of people have that disdain. Rental tuxedos have been a thing for a while though. Is it different for dresses because they're touching more bare skin? I wouldn't buy something that touched my bare skin that I couldn't wash first. (I've bought a fair amount of second hand clothes including jackets.) Skin funguses are common and easily contracted just trying on clothes in stores.

Goodness, I have four kilts from when I was a teenager through college years- I still wear them throughout the winter. They look brand new. (I still have some of my old plaid uniform skirts too- though I don't wear them- the nice ones- from Montreal are too small- and the ones big enough- from Dallas are made of heaven knows what material. I really like plaid skirts ;-)

The Stella McCartney connection is somewhat disappointing, though veganism is not just about the environment, obviously.

I think this is really about pushing the clothing rental concept further down the market from special occasion to every day. I am almost positive I heard about a regular high street store getting into the rental business.

I record CTM on DVR so that I can watch it when I want to - usually about an hour after it starts. I've always loved Gayle King, but I would fast forward through much of Nora O'Donnell, as her stories were of little interest to me - they seemed to be mainly targeting female audiences, and I am not part of that demographic. Her editorials had many articles on women's health and almost none on men's health, and I did not like that skew. Now that Nora is on the CBS evening news, I will no longer watch that, although up until now, I have recorded that as well. Much of it is a repeat from the morning news anyway. I do sort of miss Nora on CTM now that she is gone, even though I watched very little of her. She was not irritating - just boring to me most of the time, although I really hated when she tried to make bad puns - those are inexcusable and very irritating. I very much identify with Gayle, even though she is a woman and I am not. She seems to express my feelings and thoughts.

As for the fashion - I keep clothes for decades and have some stored in the attic that might be vintage by now. I'm retired now, and so it doesn't matter what I wear most of the time, and very few people see me anymore. In my 20s I made my own clothes and also made custom clothes for others, and I also used to trade clothes with friends when I lived in San Francisco, sometimes without knowing it. I had two vintage tuxedos in San Francisco that I wore to black tie parties, and I also wore them in New York for formal events. Unfortunately they no longer fit, but I have bought new tuxedo shirts - just not the pants and jacket.

In my 20s, I did buy a few clothes at Thrift Town on Mission Street in San Francisco, and I would find European men's knit tops in the women's department for 65¢, sometimes with a Bloomingdale's label and sometime just with European labels. I would sometimes pay as much as a dollar for used jeans there. When possible, I would buy used Levi jeans, take them apart by removing almost all seams (leaving pockets intact, and ironing out whatever selvage I uncovered) and make new garments out of them with a layered appliqué technique that I triple stitched together, so that the frayed edges of the denim could look somewhat like fringe. I cut the fabric into geometric pieces to help create the layered effect. For vests, I would use the hip pockets in the front and install snaps for closure. This is how I started my fashion design career in the 1970s.

There was only a short period of time in my life (less than 10 years) when I would wear denim, but in the 1970s, it was de rigueur in San Francisco, and I really never liked it. By 1980, I stopped wearing denim and still do not wear it. I find it very uncomfortable but it was very salable. Actually, I did like it when I was in college, but that was really the only time. The rest of the time, I wore it because I felt that I had to. I used to live a few blocks from the Levi's factory, and one time the Levi's company had a Mr. Levi's contest at the discotheque that I used to go to. I decided to enter the contest, but since I was wearing Lady Wranglers (that I had bought at Thrift Town and which were skin tight) at the time and despite being the audience favorite, I did not win the contest. Their loss, and I got modeling jobs from photographers who happened to be there. As it turned out, I was more photogenic than the winner of the Mr. Levi's contest.

Lars I would love to see some of your creations. I am not a seamstress by any means, but I now have room to set up my sewing machine (at last!) and am starting to get back into sewing....I love the fabrics you can sometimes find at thrift stores and some very fine clothing can be had there that just might need a small adjustment.

As I go through the closets at my parents' home, I'm first taken aback by how long they kept clothes! They always bought quality so there's that. But some of my mother's apparel, even her everyday stuff that I remember her wearing in the garden, is pristine. I can feel the workmanship in the fabric and construction. I wish I were 4" shorter so I could wear some of them. Those 1950s-1960s dresses are wonderful! The cocktail dresses, luncheon dresses, PTA-meeting ensembles, even the going-to-the-grocery-store clothes. Almost no slacks for women (or girls) in those days.

So I guess "tossing" can include not just trash, donation, recycling, selling, but also putting-in-the-upstairs-hall-closet-and-when-that's-full-start-on-the-closet-of-the-kid-who-moved-out-most-recently.

However, I certainly do not blame her for keeping the satin lined opera coat. I don't recall if she ever wore it to the opera or if it was for a different event, but when I pulled it out of the closet, my eyes popped. I just don't remember it.

So next question: is here anything you would never get rid of?

I will never get rid of my wedding gown. Nobody would need, or want, to wear it but it's representative of the beginning of a new life.

Oh, penny, that was easy. Besides wedding gown? (That reminds me, mine is in my old closet at their house, I should retrieve it.)

bpath, I don't have anything of quality, so I guess not...none of my clothes have any memories attached to them.

If I had your mom's clothes, then I would definitely keep many of them. I love the idea of clothing as part of someone's story. I guess that's why I like thrift stores. Everything is/was someone's life and I often wonder about who owned the more interesting pieces.

This is going to sound morbid, but I have a "funeral dress." It's a basic, black sleeveless dress that I save for funerals. When my MIL passed early in my marriage, I had nothing appropriate to wear and wasted time shopping instead of supporting my family. Since then, I keep my funeral dress pressed and ready so I'll never repeat that waste of time.

Last weekend, I also pulled a dress from my closet that I'd had for 20 years. It's a classic style--plain but with a flattering v-neck. Fits me very well. The quality is nothing to write home about, but it's an all-occasion, well-fitting dress, and I'll probably never throw it out.

Even my mother's wedding dress was worn at least three times. I saw my oldest cousin wear it and I know one of my mom's friend's wore it. I think it was worn by one or two other friends. I am taller than my mother was and it would not have fit me, but I have it as well as mine. I don't know that I have any expectation of mine being worn again, though I would be happy if it were.

For other garments, I'm with the crowd. I would consider it a lapse of judgment if I bought something and wore it only 3 times unless it was for a special occasion. Even then, I would like to wear something more than once. I'm not sure what my oldest garment is, but I know my most worn is an old sweatshirt. DH has a T-shirt he bought in the hotel gift shop the morning after we were married -- 28 years ago.

Lars, that was a very entertaining read. I'd love to see some of your creations as well. Btw, I no longer wear denim either. Don't find it comfortable in the least. Feathers11, that's not morbid, that's organized. bpath, your mother's clothes sound fabulous. The quality of clothing has declined tremendously since then. I remember buying a vintage dress in my twenties. It was just so gorgeous and well made. I had no occasion to wear it but kept it a long time just to look at it in my closet. (I may have worn it once or twice).

There's no clothing I wouldn't get rid of if I had to (because of lack of space, for example). I don't want to get too attached to things.

I have a couple of my dad’s old shirts from the 50s abiding in a garment bag in my hall closet: a silk batik sports shirt and a Viyella shirt jacket. Both are too worn out for me to wear anymore, but I don’t think I could ever part with them.

I know someone who got a new car every year, just liked having a new car and could afford it. This is similar to car leasing, which he would have been a perfect candidate for. "Renting" clothes allows someone to indulge in their love of wearing new things all the time but not having to buy and then get rid of clothes all the time either. Would not work for me, most of my outfits are work clothes that get washed a lot, take tough wear and tear. No sense renting that look! Although I was short on some stuff last week when I actually had to go to a professional conference for two days and found my office work wardrobe had developed some serious gaps . . . mostly due to me putting on weight and not getting replacements for tops and bottoms that no longer fit. I could have rented a nice dress for the occasion but without a fast turn around of getting it, would not be practical. Instead I wore something probably less than perfectly styled but good enough. That's how we roll in the second tier!

I get attached to some clothes, for sentimental reasons. Memories and such,

(luckily either I can still wear them-or my DD for example wears now the very same jacket I bought when I was pregnant with her. it's by GAP btw..obviously things were different 24 years ago, in clothing industry)

Of course I can part with any clothes if I have to-doesn't anybody? You have to-you have to.

But as an example of something that's very hard to let go..

I have these amazing slacks that are too big on me( I wore them after giving my second birth, for the brief amount of time I was size 6)-first, they're of superb quality and cut, and were a fairly expensive purchase. Second, me getting them was a story. It was a weird one. But I remember it so vividly, every detail of it. It's not a story of slacks-it's a story of one evening in my life, when I was a young Mom, on a short vacation, and what I actually bought in this boutique I stumbled upon in a new to me city, were not the said slacks, but totally different in nature, also high quality leather tight trousers,-but instead I went home with these classic slacks, as a form of refund for eagerly disapproved bold leather purchase

and though I chose, initially, not them, I wore them a lot, as many pictures I have from those times suggest.

So they've been waiting for years and years in my closet since-like maybe I'll become size 6 again, and will need slacks at all which I don't( I, I must add, love denim, and usually choose it,in various forms-or already a dress), and the clock will say "tock-tick", instead of its usual "tick-tock".

I have several articles of clothing like that, that I hold on to more than I should-and each one tells a story, or many stories even, as if they were flowers-that-knew-how-to-talk, in some witch's garden.

I'm holding out getting rid of some much worn and loved but no longer wearable clothes until I have time to pick up my dream of becoming a quilter. Yeah, that's the ticket. Then I can use up all the scraps my mom left me from her dream of becoming a quilter . . .

I said I would never quilt ---I must be getting old, because "never" has arrived. I have bought fabric and watched some online classes (Bluprint) since I had to buy a new sewing machine and had to find online videos to help me learn how to wind a bobbin and thread the machine (the manual had the least detail at the last, most detailed steps -- rrrr)! Anyway, you know how things pop up and lead you to look at more. But I will say that the things I am looking at are not the things I said would drive me crazy and I do not plan to do hand stitching or quilting. We'll see how it goes. We cleared out the T-shirts and kid things that I would have possibly made into quilts, but I think your idea is a good one. So I hope you do it.

I have several articles of clothing like that, that I hold on to more than I should-and each one tells a story, or many stories even, as if they were flowers-that-knew-how-to-talk, in some witch's garden.

And I will hold on to this imagery. Thank you, april.

There are only a couple items that might be worth holding onto or passing along to my DD and DDI- maybe they'll offer them on consignment. I have 2 Hermes silk jacquard scarves, one (Feux D'Artifice) was a limited edition from 1987 to celebrate their 150th anniversary.

Depending on the item, I might wear something three times before I wash it!

Ha ha, Kitchen. Me, too, now that I think about it.

i definitely would not toss a Hermes scarf after three wearing. I’d wear it five times. ;)

April, I can relate to your pants. I have a couple of pair of black dress pants with zippers in the side. I don’t think I will ever get rid of them. One is by Lafayette and the other is Ann Taylor I think. Bought both pair on sale but I still can wear them and have. It’s among the professional wear I kept after retirement. I really hate dress slacks with a big huge fastener in the front, which is the way most are made now. Sticks out too much and looks so ugly and unflattering.

Definitely, Kitchen, esp. my work capris.

I love a side zip!

Also, maire_cate....NICE!

Is a 25 year old wool coat considered old? Best coat ever. Classic style that will always be trendy, soft and warm, and I still get compliments on it.

most people only wear an item three times before tossing.

Hmmm. I seriously doubt that. I can't believe even the "2%" are that moolah-unsavvy to be tossing out clothing (or donating or whatever) after three wears - generally, they won't remain in that wealthy "2%" for long with that behavior.

Okay, I did have a lovely top I ordered online that I wore twice - basically because the seams disintigrated during the second wearing. (Never ordered from that place again!)

I probably did wear my business suit (a formal skirt set) about three times - there was seldom an occasion to need it for work duties - I took it to conferences which didn't occur all that frequently - and then, well -- ahem, couldn't fit my behind in it any longer... it got donated rather than tossed.

That's about it. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I might have worn any thing else I've ever bought - most tops probably hundreds of times, and I still have tops I bought in the 80s that I still wear - they're a mostly bit on the worn side, so I won't wear them to parties, but they're perfectly functional for at-home, or out shopping.

When I moved here, I divided my clothing into several piles - Loved, fits nicely, looks great. Sometimes loved but, fits nicely, probably over-loved and worn out just a bit . Loved or not, but no longer fits, and/or a bit too ratty to be overloved any more (trash, with a subset of soft flannel-y things saved for rags). No longer loved, a bit uncomfortable, still looks good, might not fit (donated). I put the first set of clothing in one closet, and the second set - much of which might otherwise be trashed - I wear to farm, paint, stain, grub around.

… although I do assume (and hope) Lady Gaga wore her meat dress only once...

LOL, artemis. That could get a bit ripe.

FWIW, I listened to this story recently and thought of this topic. I suspect we here @ Gardenweb are not the target demographic.

https://www.marketplace.org/2019/05/22/nuuly-urban-outfitters-rental-service-rent-the-runway/

"Urban Outfitters is the latest fashion retailer to launch a clothing rental business, Nuuly. For $88 per month, customers will receive six items — from handbags and shoes to shirts and jackets from various designers.

They can hold onto the items for a month, or buy them. In a fast-fashion world, younger people are frequently taking a “one and done” approach to wearing clothes.

“I barely ever buy clothes anymore,” said Arica Latimer, a 31-year-old Chicagoan who has been renting her clothes for the past five years.

Latimer has a heavy rotation of Instagram-worthy looks she wears to work and special events. For $150 a month, she has an unlimited subscription to Rent the Runway.

“I’ve always been interested in high quality pieces, but I don’t have the money to buy it,” she said, noting that she occasionally buys some of the pieces she rents.

There are thousands of consumers like her, and companies like Expressand Ann Taylor have jumped in with their own rental services, some priced as low as $50 a month. According to analysts, the global retail rental market is expected to hit $1.9 billion by the end of 2023...."

I can’t stand clothes shopping. Hate it. I dress very simply. Now that my daughters are grown I always check what they are giving away first to see if there is anything usable. I confess, I have an ancient cashmere sweater that I’ve repaired so many times that I have to use it as an under layer. It is SO warm and soft and cozy! I love it!
I will check a particular thrift shop that we donate our items to as well. We like the charity.
But it’s still a rare thing for me to do.
I must say, I can’t stand the fact that they actually have the nerve to say that. Three times? In whose world?

@carolb: So how do these rental clothes place work, exactly? Cleaning-wise? You rent a piece of clothing worn by others? Are these clothes washable or is everything dry-clean only? I can understand renting formal clothes for special occasions, heck, I'd have rented my wedding dress if I could have but a regular work dress or a pair of pants? Or...a pretty blouse or sweater? Why don't these people want to OWN their own clothes? What's going on here?!

For a number of these services, we're talking real designer clothes that can cost in the thousands, so the difference in cost is pretty great.

Target demo is mainly yuppies - young urban professionals.

I also think that in areas that this service can market to, there's not much room...in New York for example, you're pretty wealthy to be able to afford a studio. Clothes don't really earn their keep, so it makes sense to only have a few take up permanent residence in your (literally) valuable space.

Bunny FTW (for the win)!

Don’t get me wrong though. I have to admit that I’ve stored a few items in my mom’s closet in deep storage. They’re mostly hand me down items that she got from the woman she worked for. Beautifully designed things. In my younger “going out” days I wore some. My younger daughter is interested in vintage clothes. She’ll be welcome to them. I just couldn’t give them away.
There’s one old pair of purple corduroy jeans I have. They are really worn. No holes in knee yet though. The only compliment I ever get about what I’m wearing is if I wear those pants. Besides socks and underwear I don’t remember the last thing I bought new.