When do new clothes become old ones?

Like someone up-thread I used to chuck stuff out only to find I wanted it back a fortnight later. Now I still chuck stuff out but first it goes in a cupboard and stays there. If, after a few weeks, I have not wanted it back, out it goes. Simples!

Retrolady - Yes!
Most of my wardrobe is second hand and I have a few things that are older than my daughter (30 this year). I love the element of chance that is involved in buying second hand, or "gently worn" as one shop says.

I sometimes lookat things and think, ' If I saw this in the charity shop would I pay money for it?' Yes? then I keep it , No then it goes in the clothes recycling' If I have just 'gone off' something and it is OK it goes to the charity shop.

Lily flower,

I live in cheap skinny black Jeans,but when I have a few pairs fading I buy a £5 Dylon dye (the bag,not small box) and run them through a wash....good as new.

Lizzypopbottle.
Manufacturers put dry clean labels in many garments now,almost as a cover against laundry woes.It depends on the fabric.
I hand wash where it says dry clean and hang on a coat hanger to dry.
I have recently done it with a lined linen jacket and it is fine.It has been through a quick,cool machine wash too but always mild detergent.

Dry cleaning uses a liquid solvent ,so isn,t actually dry,it just doesn,t use water.
I haven,t been able to view your skirt though.

I never put anything in those charity bags that come through the door since I saw Dom Littlewood expose what a money making scam it can be. Apparently, Eastern European countries like Next and M&S labels best and will pay good prices. It's very profitable for the collector to ship our good quality, unwanted clothes by the ton. It's the law now that they have to state how much of a donation they make to the charity on the label. It's peanuts! I take my unwanted stuff straight to the charity shop, often using the bag that came through the letter box. What they do with the stuff is up to them, even if it goes for rags. Having said all that, a friend worked voluntarily for a well known charity shop and was sent outside to smash up the crockery because it doesn't sell. She refused and left. She went to a different shop to help out. There are probably a dozen of them in Morpeth....

They are old when you no longer wish to wear them.

Worlass I got a lovely skirt for £5.99 in a charity shop. I've worn it several times but there is a drawback: it's dry clean only ? I'd put a photo on here but I'm on the tablet version...

I have clothes for going out during the day, rarely go out at night as I have no reason to. My favourites for day-time going out are smart jeans, white for summer & navy skinny jeans for the rest of the year. I do possess smart trousers again black & white. Lots of smart blouses & jumpers. My weakness is jackets, shoes & boots,

I do buy clothes for everyday wear, live in jeans or shorts, t-shirts,sweatshirts or jumpers/fleeces & they survive in my wardrobe until I get fed up with them or they become stained (bit of DIY like painting or general spillages).

Funnily enough I have just half filled a Charity bag for collection today - when I was sorting through my wardrobe I found a blouse which I haven't worn for about 4 years - time to go as I don't know when I would wear it. Also disaster buys usually go fairly quickly - it seemed a good idea at the time - but!!!

I like to buy Classic styles for "occasions" plus my shoes & boots are timeless.

If it no longer fits out it goes!!

Disgruntled - ooh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who just 'has to' do whatever when all ready to go out of the door. I wonder ... do you 'just have to' do gardening jobs while wearing your dressing gown and popping out to put some washing on the line? I do.

I have several clothes test when I buy new garments. Mere fashion is not enough and they must be flattering and comfortable. If I hesitate for a millisecond in the changing room it is a sign that I will do so again and that, therefore, the item will be passed over permanently in my wardrobe. Clothes must also be easily laundered or, again, I hesitate to wear them when I get them home.

I have items that will only become 'old' when they sport holes as I like them so much. Much of my wardrobe is years old but I mix and match items to bring them up to date. At the age of 59 I have no need to buy clothes for youngsters. Flattering and elegant classics are the way to go now.

That said, I live in skinny jeans and my policy is to buy them very cheap (a tenner or so), wear them while they retain their deep indigo colour and then relegate them to 'gardening wear' when they fade. I have given up washing jeans as it depletes the colour. I wear the cheap jeans with expensive tops and exercise like crazy to keep in 'skinny jean trim'.

In my view a brand new item which doesn't 'add value' to the look is too old to wear and a vintage flatterer is too new to discard.

Just to put a new slant on it- when do 'old' clothes become new? My wardrobe has a sizeable (in more than one sense of the word) percentage of charity shop finds. Presumably, they were unloved by someone for whatever reason, but to me they are 'new' and give me a real boost. I recently attended a family function and received several complimentary comments on my outfit, which was purchased from two different charity shops.

Mine get downgraded when I do something daft like wood staining the swing. I think "I've got 20 mins before I have to leave for work, I'll just......." And I know that if I get changed the urge will disappear, the heavens will open, I won't be able to open the can.

I just downgraded a sun dress to old ie., to wear every day when I realised I had been saving it for best ( and wearing it twice a year) for the last 7 years

I have just put on ( again) my beloved dress for heatwaves. It's over 15 years old from Dash a long straight cotton dress, that still gets complimented on . But noticed this year when ironing it's wearing very thin ! Usually though my clothes migrate to "old work clothes" for gardening ,and decorating and then eventually I reluctantly chuck them out . My SiL and I often swap clothes for a change ! Don't buy much new nowadays .

I bought a frivolous, and unwearable, cardigan. It has proved to be extremely useful for draping round the back of my desk chair to stop black marks appearing on the radiator when said chair rubs against it. Looks pretty too. Mistakes can be good.

Slightly different track here... my new year resolution this year was to only buy clothes when something needed replacing. Lasted two weeks before I bought a pair of unneeded boots and a totally frivolous cardigan!

Same as nannylovesshopping really. When the tea stains appear they become old.

Nanny loves - the thought of you missing your mouth, and your honesty, gave me a good laugh.

As a child my new clothes became big bros out growns. We had the same family 'bum', and I enjoyed the freedom of them.

Now as I cant easily get to the shops, I recycle whatever is the the wardrobe, My beloved sewing machine has decided to retire, so its back to 'ole claes and paurrich"

My daughter and i went through my wardrobe with her Mari Kondo hat on. Thank goodness she did . Now I'm left with clothes I like and that fit and everything else went to the charity shop. I also have room if I want to have something new.

I already get rid of anything that is uncomfortable or does not fit or but I keep things that are less than pristine for work involving dirt, sweat, mud, sawdust, polyfilla dust, paint and so on. These are only worn around the house and garden.

I hate buying clothes - no, change that to "I hate shopping for clothes". I am happy to buy them, but I hate searching endless racks for the size and style I want, stripping down to underwear in a tiny cubicle to try on possiblities and then dressing again because they look awful and moving on somewhere else to scan the racks, the assistants who eventually notice me searching and condescend to produce what they think I am looking for. It never is.

The truth is, I only know I am looking for it when I find it. My best buys have been things that I loved the moment I saw them hanging there, that fitted perfectly and made me look ten times better. There is no way of predicting which they are. I just have to slog around until I find them.

So I don't have a lot of clothes. The same things go round and round, added to from time to time, and subtracted from when something gets too weary-looking to wear in public. For this reason I keep things I really like "for best". I just can't be bothered replacing them very often.

Sixteen years ago my beloved husband died, I could not throw out his clothes. After six years my daughter said it is time to let go so she packed
up all his clothes for the charity shop. While she did this I emptied my wardrobe into black bags and was left with just what I was wearing...... Buying new clothes helped me to '. Move on'. I went to stay with friends in Portugal and they said wear something old as we were to visit a couple who had 14 rescue dogs. I had to admit I did not have any old clothes.
Now my clothes are ten years old and still wearable. Maybe I should get out more.?

... and consequently, I find I rarely do smart or best!

The cross- over point occurs for me , Elegran, when I wear the clothes for gardening, walking, travelling or painting. This includes undies about that!
I think it's because the clothes are usually much loved, comfy, purposeful but quite tired.
I also wear them then because I enjoy all these activities, so they are the perfect go-too option.