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Why do men save badly worn-out clothes?

What is it with men and their worn-out, beloved shirts?

Once again, I'm repairing a man's badly worn-out plaid shirt. This afternoon, I covered the torn, threadbare collar. Will top-stitch it tomorrow morning.

How did I do? Used fabric leftover from fixing a young man's lucky hunting shirt.

The bottom of this shirt is in ribbons. It looks like a spider web. Will fix that and multiple holes.

At least I'm getting paid. He could buy two or three new shirts for what this is going to cost him.

I don't get it. I never save worn-out clothes. This shirt is so old, it looks like it's from the first time he got laid.

Guys! Why do men save badly worn-out clothes?

LiterateHiker 9 Feb 1
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47 comments

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7

I don't think it's just men--I save worn out clothes too. The older they are the more comfortable & soft they feel.

Carin Level 8 Feb 1, 2019
7

Feels good.
And if you wash it, you can't throw it out. And you can't give away dirty clothes. See the conundrum?

5

Why not?
It's sentimental & it reduces waste.
We should ask why isnt everyone?

I agree! Recycle!

5

Raising hand. I have two closets full of clothes. In my main closet, very expensive clothes. I have over 300 t-shirts, of which I regularly wear 4 or 5. I have yards of freshly starched, fashionable (well, I think so) dress shirts that look great...but I never wear. I know, I should give away 90% of my clothes, but I don't. In my defense, the stuff is not worn out, I just don't wear it and shouldn't keep it. Men are flawed, but so lovable.

5
  1. They're so comfortable.

  2. Now that my local K Mart is out of business, it's hard to find pants in my size without driving an hour round trip to the Big & Tall shop, where I would pay a premium price. So I wear khakis that are 12 years old. I know, I need to get on that diet...

5

With a shirt like that, who needs pants?

5

Feels cozy or has appealing memories attached.

As long as you know when it's appropriate to wear your old favs? Why not. 💙💜💙

4

Multiple reasons.

  1. we’re not great at shopping. Hate it, actually.
  2. old clothes fit really well, are very comfortable!
  3. if we gunk them up doing a project, No Problemo. since we don’t care how they look, only care how they feel and that they do the job, we’re happy.

Yep (mostly #2 for me).

4

My husband did that , it was comfy. He had this green western shirt that was first long-sleeved then short sleeved and then sleeveless. After about three summers, only the French seams were not see through. He came in one Saturday afternoon for a glass of tea can I gleefully tore it off of him. It was a great day for both of us and I didn't have to look at the shirt anymore.

@Lorajay

Way to go! What a great image.

4

Also, if threadbare, holey and nasty sweatpants did not exist...I would have no reason to live.

@GuyKeith

You have a great sense of humor! Guy Keith, Closet Hobo.

@LiterateHiker Hey, you would be proud. I even had a date last night! Black/white pinstripe button-down dress shirt. Black jeans with black tassel loafers and nice black hooded sweater thingie. I helped build Lands'End a few years back. I don't intend to make this a regular thing. Dating or dressing up, that is. No pics, sorry.

4

I don’t patch mine. I love old threadbare shirts with no elbows

skado Level 9 Feb 1, 2019

@MissKathleen
Emotional attachment to a shirt?

@MissKathleen
I'm plenty capable of doing that with lots of things but not so much with clothes I think. I don't seem to remember which clothes I was wearing during a given event. I just like their tattered comfyness, and don't see the point in putting something in a landfill, under any circumstances, really, but especially when it is still useful. And, maybe more importantly, it satisfies my rebellious impulses against material status displays.

@MissKathleen
I mostly agree with all of that. I haven't worn rags to a wedding (yet). But just like there are appropriate times and places to wear good clothing (I agree) there also might be times to do inappropriate things to make a point (in the spirit of civil disobedience). I have often wondered how many times poor people don't participate in events they would otherwise like to, because they can't afford to dress like the crowd. If all you have to wear in public is rags, I'm sure there are places you just can't go.

The last funeral I went to, I dressed for the occasion; a suit and some nice looking shoes. There was a service indoors and then they carted the departed out to the mausoleum where there was no seating. As I stood waiting for the various speakers to verify how noble the dude was before they shoved him in the drawer, all I could think about was how severely my feet were hurting in those shoes that had only been worn twice before. As I scanned the dour faces in the crowd, wondering where their thoughts were, I spotted one fellow whose peaceful expression made him look like the only person present who was genuinely engaged in the proceedings, heart and soul. He was wearing denim overalls, a flannel shirt, and comfortable shoes. I decided then I would never torture myself again over appropriate attire.

4

If I find anything I like, I wear it until it's dust, mostly because I'm cheap.

4

I have lots of clothes with worn collars. When one side gets worn I flip it over. Clothing in a rural and farming area is not a big deal. Keeping clothes out of the waste stream is a big deal. When they get too big they are made into rags or used for construction and painting.

@MissKathleen We have a woman here, Nakyta, who is the lead in our recycling site. She gives talks on the amount of clothing that is thrown away and it is shocking. In our local take-it-or-leave-it site there are lots of cloth items, men's, children's, women's clothing, bedding, hats, gloves and on. A l;ot of my clothes come from there. Once when my late partner's brother/family were visiting we were there and it started to rain. he looked in the clothing section and found a rain coat and wore it home. He gave it back and said to return it to the site as he got what he needed out of it. They are Iranian and Iranians hate used things.

4

I’m the same, even though I’m not a guy?.
If it still fits and is comfortable, I’ll keep wearing it. It’s not only comfort, but some things have memories attached, and I’m not ready to let them go even though they might be worn out.

4

I used to save everything, regardless of age.
It's only been fairly recently that I've started throwing things away after
they've outlived their usefulness.
My poor vision has made mending things damned near impossible, so I don't
have that to fall back on anymore. "I can fix that", is no longer a valid excuse for hanging onto things.
I've still got 30 year old t-shirts, and sweatshirts, that I haven't thrown away yet.

3

Cuz worn clothes are like old friends. I bought 1 shirt, and 2 pair of shoes in the last 5 years. I have closets full of suits that I never wear.

3
cava Level 7 Feb 2, 2019
3

Comfort mostly

3

I'm laughing so hard reading your comments, I have tears in my eyes.

Thanks for the laugh, everyone! Love you.

3

It's a "comfort zone" kind of thing.
I do the same, not always, but sometimes. It's not only men, I've had a few girlfriends that did the same.

2

I have to admit, I do the same. It's all about comfort and, maybe, a little emotional attachment to things.

2

Actually I do this. As a sewer, I find it difficult to throw things away.

@jvenus I buy most of my clothes from secondhand shops (not undies). I find that is the only way I can afford any really high class stuff. I sew lots too.

As a septic tank, I do this too.

@indirect76 Are you calling me mucky?

@Amisja No, but you did say that you are a sewer.

2

Haha...because we value comfort over style!

2

For me it's comfort. Nothing quite like a shirt that fits just right and has been worn in. For some there's a lucky article of clothing, but I've never thought of it that way.

There's also an element of sentimentality some pieces, like a shirt or tie that was a gift.

2

The same way women do? I have a few ratty things I can't part with for sentimental reasons.

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