What is wrong with a little cheap and cheerful clothing? Every girl would like to get a new dress for Saturday night, right? Wrong! Don’t we ever get tired of consuming? I know of people, no it is not only women, that have so much stuff that they could not list a quarter of it.
Why have we forsaken the idea of owning a few, fabulous, quality pieces that could last for longer than two trips to the washing machine for a closet full of one wear items? I personally have better things to do with my time than trawl around the shops a couple of times a week.
I relish taking out my favourite cashmere sweater when the weather changes; it is like saying hello to an old friend. I can’t really say the same for my winter coat which has given me almost 10 years of loyal service. Yes it is still stylish, Costume National, grey with a military feel but I think this year, I might go wild and buy a new coat since I wore it day in and day out in last year’s cold winter.
At the moment, I am in the middle of a big decluttering project, which as a former fashion stylist is not easy. I have always been good at choosing the stylish over the trendy. I just can’t seem to understand the person that loves to consume in shops like Primark. I have a very good friend that buys Primark ballet flats in what seems like bulk. Once a pair looks a bit scruffy ( in about 5 wearings) she bins them and gets another pair. Is all this shopping for inexpensive clothing a false economy? Why would someone one want several pair of cheap shoes when they could afford to buy a quality pair.
I am overjoyed when I find an item in my closet that is years old but still looks looks in good shape. This summer I rediscovered a black blazer, I bought circa 1990 and it looked new to me again. Somethings will stay in the closet longer than others and if you go for super high fashion items they either never really go out of style because they were never really in the style mainstream or they will look like a costume.
As we all know fashion is cyclical and everything comes back again so it is really worth it in the long run to buy clothes that are made of quality fabric and workmanship when we can afford it. I know there are times we need a quick fix but we should not make it a regular thing.
Here is the REAL preachy part – consumers are buying tons of cheap clothes that they wear a few times then throw out. Charity shops can not sell them on because of the terrible quality. They can not even be sent to deserving people in the third world, so the unwanted clothes get thrown into land fills and are messing up the environment. – End preaching.
What do you think about this issue? Would you rather buy 5 cheap black tee shirts as opposed to one good one? Am I sprouting rubbish? Leave me a comment.
I couldn’t agree more!
I never understand why people want to wear cheap, rubbish looking clothes. You can only get away with that when you’re 20. And I hate the idea that it’s cheaper to throw them away than to wash them!
Hi there, I’m a Filipino student from Singapore American School and i’m taking a personal finance class in my school right now. I found this post so interesting because it’s so true! Cheap retail, in the long run, is just a one way train stop to the garbage. I find it so much better to save money for one great quality and nice thing, that could be on sale, than buying a bunch of cheap quality clothing. Which makes you look cheap! It’s such a waste.
Hi Viviana! I’m Isabel, I’m a high school personal finance student in Singapore and I came across this post that’s 100% relevant to my life.
My love affair with shopping began at the start of high school and I’ve come across so many things that I liked but couldn’t necessarily afford. My parents are pretty frugal, but they like their quality too. For every piece of clothing that seems overly expensive, I hear in my head, “There’s probably something just as good, or even better, for cheaper.”
A few weeks back I was looking for two plain white, v-neck tshirts; one I’d keep untouched, the other one I’d print on for a school project. First I went to Uniqlo, and one shirt costed S$16. It was a little much, so I went to Giordano, which is cheaper and more retail. Not only was it cheaper — S$15 or S$20 for two, I think — it was a much better fit. It doesn’t look like it’s going to wear out in a few wears either.
Singapore’s practically a cosmopolitan city so lucky for me, there’s bound to be an alternate that’s not only better quality, but also comes with a nicer looking price tag. I do agree with you though; I’m a quality over quantity kind of person.
I absolutely agree here. If you want to dress well, have a sense of dressing! Don’t just take out random cheap clothes and come out wearing them. NO! never! EVER! And don’t just throw away stuff just because you think its cheaper than washing them. It’s not that big of a deal unless you cannot afford it.
Many women thinks that pricey clothes are fashionable, I totally disagree. It’s really depends on whether you have a sense of fashion or not.
I couldn’t agree more! ‘Primark’ is just starting up in Germany and to my great dismay many of my friends flock there and shop until they drop.
I’d rather pay a decent amount of money for a good quality garment, free of harmful chemicals, not made by little children, paid for with a fair wage, which will look good for years.