How many times do you rewear clothes?

[purduemom1]

I get it, Anita! My usual thought when I see people pushing and pulling multiple pieces of luggage thru airports is that I don’t own enough clothing items to fill up those suitcases!  Guess that’s a good thing.

Sharon

 

 

 

 

[slidergirl]

zauberflote - Birds of a feather...  another outlier!

"stink test" I guess is my thing, too.  I've some things that I really like to wear and I'll wear until I decide they've had enough.   My last vacation was a 10 day camping road trip in November with a stay at one hotel.  I had my leggings (I wear all the time hiking and camping) and my zip-off cargos.  Just before I left, I thought I should maybe take a pair of jeans to wear for dinner at the restaurant.  I stopped at Athleta on the way out of town and bought a pair.  I never wore them.    Best one - I spent literally 2 days, day and night, in the same shirt and pants and dusty boots, from morning in my safari tent, to the dirt airstrip, to dinner in Nairobi, to a flight Nairobi to London, to a flight London to Los Angeles, to a flight from Los Angeles home!!   I did warn the last TSA smurf when she went to wand me (I always decline the nude-o-scope) 😮

 

One of the downsides of dropping a bunch of weight was that my favorite tech pants didn't fit anymore so I had to find new ones to replace my trusty ones I'd worn around the world since 2006.  

 

When I see those people pushing and pulling those multiple pieces through the airport is that I pity the poor bell staff who is going to have to deal with all that stuff when they get to the hotel or dock!!!!  

[Anita Latte]

DH and I were bigger into backpacking when we lived in Colorado. That was ages ago, but we're getting back into it with the empty nest. I think people who backpack are more likely to have fewer issues with rewearing clothing. 

[ninjacat123]

Regarding how you dress at home...I will wear black pants and a cute top to book club Thursday night.  DH wants to get a bite Friday night...same outfit. Saturday I'm having lunch with a girlfriend (not from book club)... same outfit.  Sunday for church...same outfit.  Odd, I know but it's what I do.

[clo]

2 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Regarding how you dress at home...I will wear black pants and a cute top to book club Thursday night.  DH wants to get a bite Friday night...same outfit. Saturday I'm having lunch with a girlfriend (not from book club)... same outfit.  Sunday for church...same outfit.  Odd, I know but it's what I do.

Not odd one bit in my opinion. As I commented here, when working I tried to remember what anyone in my office had worn the day before and I couldn't.  Lesson learned. Plus like you, if I've been out doing something I change into "lounge wear" when I get home. The pants and sweater (winter) are usually draped over my dressing table chair. I can't say for absolute sure but I think I've worn the same things at least the last three days and probably four. Why on earth not?

[ninjacat123]

58 minutes ago, clo said:

Not odd one bit in my opinion. As I commented here, when working I tried to remember what anyone in my office had worn the day before and I couldn't.  Lesson learned. Plus like you, if I've been out doing something I change into "lounge wear" when I get home. The pants and sweater (winter) are usually draped over my dressing table chair. I can't say for absolute sure but I think I've worn the same things at least the last three days and probably four. Why on earth not?

Hah! That's probably it.  I put my outfit on a chair next to my bed and so why not put it back on?! 😅

[TravelinGert]

I normally wear my evening wear more than once because I am normally in air conditioning and not sweating. I wear clean undergarments each time, however. I also usually wash and re-wear some tank tops during my cruise but wear different things with them so they don't look like the same things.

 

We flew to all our previous cruises though. Our next cruise we will be driving from home and I haven't made up my mind what we'll do yet. I need to buy some new sundresses or maxi dresses. I bought the ones I have for our first cruise and also used them at some resorts we stayed at in Mexico and Puerto Rico so they're starting to show the wear. I may buy enough to wear a clean one every night. 

[clo]

39 minutes ago, TravelinGert said:

they're starting to show the wear.

In what way? I've got articles of clothing that are 5 and 10 and 15 and 20 years old.

[pacruise804]

I find todays fabrics don't hold up as well as much from the past.  I have some of my Mom's, Grandmother's, and GreatGrandmother's clothes that are in better shape than things I've purchased in the last 5 years.  Sundresses especially could be showing age if exposed to chlorine water from pools or even just from the sun.

[clo]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

I find todays fabrics don't hold up as well as much from the past.  I have some of my Mom's, Grandmother's, and GreatGrandmother's clothes that are in better shape than things I've purchased in the last 5 years.  Sundresses especially could be showing age if exposed to chlorine water from pools or even just from the sun.

I'm very into cotton but all my clothes seem to last forever. I'm getting ready to go through my closet and 'purge' some. I don't think I've had a "sundress" since I was a child. But since I loathe the sun that's not too surprising 🙂

[ninjacat123]

15 hours ago, clo said:

In what way? I've got articles of clothing that are 5 and 10 and 15 and 20 years old.

Me too! My DH threatens to throw old stuff out, but my teenage DDs are starting to find retro stuff interesting and they shop from my closet. I'm saving money, so there😎

[Hoyaheel]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

I'm very into cotton but all my clothes seem to last forever. I'm getting ready to go through my closet and 'purge' some. I don't think I've had a "sundress" since I was a child. But since I loathe the sun that's not too surprising 🙂

I don't go in the sun either, but when I wear a sleeveless knit dress to work or on a trip, I still call it a "sundress" because typing out "sleeveless knit dress" takes too damn long.

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

I don't go in the sun either, but when I wear a sleeveless knit dress to work or on a trip, I still call it a "sundress" because typing out "sleeveless knit dress" takes too damn long.

Ah, gotcha. I'm in my 70s and don't think my upper arms are all that pretty any more so I don't wear sleeveless period.

[Anita Latte]

2 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

I find todays fabrics don't hold up as well as much from the past.  I have some of my Mom's, Grandmother's, and GreatGrandmother's clothes that are in better shape than things I've purchased in the last 5 years.  Sundresses especially could be showing age if exposed to chlorine water from pools or even just from the sun.

 

I agree with the fabric situation, some of today's fabrics don't hold up as well but I think this has a lot to do with the fiber content of the fabrics and the way that we care for the fabrics. I read a long time ago that the hardest thing we do to our clothing is wash it. It depends on the body and friction points (like I have a friction point at the widest part of my thighs where they rub past each other as I walk), and if you have more friction points, then you can wear through fabrics faster because of that, but generally, it's in the washing machine that fabrics REALLY rub against each other and develop potential wear. Same in the dryer.

 

One way to extend the life of your fabric is to wash like with like. Like with like doesn't produce as much friction. So less wear and tear on the fabric fibers. So separate your natural fibers from your synthetics, for example. Progress in using different fibers in our clothing as well as introducing more and more synthetics and stretchy fibers seems to contribute to fabrics that aren't made to last as long as the fabrics of the past.

 

And if you are a person that doesn't tend to have multiple wearings between washings...well, you can decrease the life of your clothing. So if you can develop ways to refresh your clothing beyond a full washing to get it "clean", then you can also theoretically increase the life of your clothing. Spot clean the spots. Use a clothing brush to gently remove surface dirt. Air out your clothing. Etc.

 

This is all speculation on my part. 

[clo]

5 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

This is all speculation on my part. 

Makes total sense to me. And since I'm a self-described "laundry queen" it really does. After 30 years together I still have to explain to Bob that I don't wash heavy clothes with lightweight ones.

[Laurab23]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:38 PM, ninjacat123 said:

Hah! That's probably it.  I put my outfit on a chair next to my bed and so why not put it back on?! 😅

I do the same thing. For more than a couple of days!

[clo]

2 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

I do the same thing. For more than a couple of days!

Totally. I don't rehang/refold those things so I know they've been worn but good grief changing every day? I can't even imagine.

[Anita Latte]

We have had designated places in the room for clothes that have been what I think of as gently worn...good to go for another round. I even have over the door clothing hooks to be able to hang up some things. I put one in DS's room...telling him that for jeans especially, you can usually wear pants multiple times before needing to wash them...he would hang his pants by a belt loop.

[sydbarrett]

Evening clothes, 2- 3 times (unless I'm dancing! then once), day clothes, if I'm in a hot climate, tops once and bottoms hopefully twice (did I spill ketchup and beer at the poolside grill?? lol). I do like to bring many swimsuits but keep everything else to a minimum. I try washing clothes in the sink to extend their wear too (but depending on the climate, they might not dry well).

[MissCruiseAddict]

I normally take only one or 2 pair of dress pants/ skirts and will re-wear them through the week for dinner

 

[momofmeg]

On 1/7/2020 at 9:47 AM, Hoyaheel said:

It really depends on the type of cruise. Since you mention pool, I assume you're talking about a warm weather option, Caribbean or Med during the summer,  maybe SE Asia? I just did my first Caribbean cruise in over a decade (i'm NOT a beach person) and found I could wear tops in port only once before washing - we walked a lot and I am a sweaty person (same in Mekong last summer). I brought technical tops & shorts so easy to wash & dry overnight (it was a 14 day cruise, we had self-serve laundrettes on board - I did a load of laundry twice on trip and washed a few things in the cabin). For night time stuff, I wore stuff 3-4 times, aired out between wearings - because I was indoors in a/c and not wearing for very long.

 

In cold weather & more casual travel, I often wear things 3-4 times, airing out in between, and often using a heat tech or similar base layer that can easily be washed & dried in room. 

good points in hot weather you really can't re wear tops with out washing and sometimes pants/shirts too.  I know when we did our Med cruise (June 2012, I learned  Venice, and Split and Kotor  felt like Georgia  in July, horribly hot  by the Adriatic sea.) I planned to depend on the ship's laundry and got let down.  After day 2 they would not take anything, except if you wanted it ironed until day 9 (of a 12 day cruise) something about the "conserving waves program" I think they called it?  I had a couple of lightweight tops and capris I kept washing out by hand since I knew they would dry quicker than some of the other stuff I brought. As you say for dinner and evenings it was not an issue and I could re wear the same outfit which I did I think twice for each thing I had. I usually do that for cruises. Diviner wear I repeat no matter where the cruise is.

 

[momofmeg]

On 1/23/2020 at 3:41 PM, clo said:

Ah, gotcha. I'm in my 70s and don't think my upper arms are all that pretty any more so I don't wear sleeveless period.

Me too but I  will wear capped sleeves as they seem to camouflage arms, I guess draw you eye away? 

[Mommyof3sweetboys]

If you're taking a 7 day cruise, you really can have a different outfit everyday without having to rewear too often if you buy the right materials. I think that people who are "overpackers" don't actually have a problem with quantity, it's usually a problem with the types of clothes they choose. Take jeans or shorts that are synthetic (stretchy) material and are light weight instead of the traditional bulky cotton ones. Buy thin black and tan slacks or skirts that can go with multiple tops for the evenings. You can choose to wear pants multiple times with different tops if you want, but if they are lightweight enough, you can easily fit 7 pairs of shorts and 7 tops in a carry on and still have room for formal wear. Same with dresses, find silky ones that can be wadded up into a tiny ball without wrinkling! Also look into vacuum bags (the kind you can suction without an actual vacuum cleaner!). You can double the amount of stuff you can fit into a bag with one of those! I like to pick my "outfit" for each day and roll the top, bottom, undergarments and socks into a little packet. I pack it according to day (later days go on the bottom and the first days go on top). That helps me not overpack and I can do my overthinking on what I want to wear at home instead of on vacation! I also always take a fleece pullover, packable rain jacket and lightweight cardigan because I'm cold-natured. I can fit 7 days of clean outfits, dressy clothes for evening, outwear and shoes in a carry-on and backpack. Only time I rewear is if I'm working out. I'll wear the clothes from the day before that are dirty for working out, then change into my clean outfit for the rest of the day. 

[geocruiser]

1 hour ago, Mommyof3sweetboys said:

If you're taking a 7 day cruise, you really can have a different outfit everyday without having to rewear too often if you buy the right materials. I think that people who are "overpackers" don't actually have a problem with quantity, it's usually a problem with the types of clothes they choose. Take jeans or shorts that are synthetic (stretchy) material and are light weight instead of the traditional bulky cotton ones. Buy thin black and tan slacks or skirts that can go with multiple tops for the evenings. You can choose to wear pants multiple times with different tops if you want, but if they are lightweight enough, you can easily fit 7 pairs of shorts and 7 tops in a carry on and still have room for formal wear. Same with dresses, find silky ones that can be wadded up into a tiny ball without wrinkling! Also look into vacuum bags (the kind you can suction without an actual vacuum cleaner!). You can double the amount of stuff you can fit into a bag with one of those! I like to pick my "outfit" for each day and roll the top, bottom, undergarments and socks into a little packet. I pack it according to day (later days go on the bottom and the first days go on top). That helps me not overpack and I can do my overthinking on what I want to wear at home instead of on vacation! I also always take a fleece pullover, packable rain jacket and lightweight cardigan because I'm cold-natured. I can fit 7 days of clean outfits, dressy clothes for evening, outwear and shoes in a carry-on and backpack. Only time I rewear is if I'm working out. I'll wear the clothes from the day before that are dirty for working out, then change into my clean outfit for the rest of the day. 

I agree.  I use two 21 inch carry-on for a 7 night cruise.  The second bag is mostly packed with shoes and toilet articles.

What you are say about fabric is so true.  I sew a lot of my cruise cloths and use fabrics that folds flat after sewing.  I can put enough clothing in for a week without having to re-wear anything. It works for me, I like to have clothing choices when on a cruise.

[canadjineh]

As a little tip, for those people that tend to drip stuff on their fronts or laps, a little travel packet of baby wipes works to remove a lot of different drips even after they've dried (nothing with mustard or turmeric in it though) and without that manky smell that Tide pens have.  Also good for a quick pit/crotch refresher when out doing activities in steamy port cities.  The good thing is you also don't need to fit those or any travel packs of antibac or disinfecting wipes into your TSA liquids baggie even though they are wet. 

 

Hubby tends to lean toward "Take everything, because we might need it" clothing packing, so I help by making suggestions about multi-use shirt/pant combos.  We usually go for a few weeks at a time (cruise is only a small part of the vacation), and do quite varied activities from hiking on serious trails/rock scrambling to very dressed up suit & tie/dressy dress dinners.  We even managed to pack a light wool 2 pc suit and a couple dress shirts and ties in his backpack when we travelled in the Philippines and did caving and hiking through the UNESCO rice paddies and up volcanoes and city travel for 3 weeks.  Those packs were right at the 70 lb limit though, lol.  Fabrics make a lot of difference - finding something that stays fresh with your body chemistry, and easily hangs out wrinkles, or washes/dries quickly.  Folding clothes in dry-cleaning bags when you put them in your suitcase also helps keep things from wrinkling badly.