When considering my wardrobe I've realized I've had a lot of the same clothes for many years. Some half-assed web searching has given me a source from the broader textile industry that I've been holding on to clothes well beyond their supposed lifespans.
Given that some specific clothes are going to be worn more frequently and with different use, I'm only gauging a general average of how long the average bith of clothing stays in your wardrobe.
Depends on item. I have some classics that I paid a lot of money for to last and still have them going on ten years, even more, though I hardly wear some of them. I can't bring myself to throw them out or give to charity clothing collectors. Styles do come back and I don't want to pay for them all over again.
I still buy new stuff every fall/winter then spring/summer including replacing stuff that wears down in a year. I am a clothes horse and need 3-4 closets plush a storage rack and hanger. [Reply]
I've slowly acquired clothing over the years to the extent that I have a relatively large wardrobe now. That then means that I wear each item less frequently, which makes them last longer (which then feeds the cycle of growing the wardrobe more when I buy something new).
I part ways with clothing when it's worn out, and that takes a while. I've got a number of ten year shirts, and I wear them a couple of times a year. They look like new, and they're generally timeless in style.
The oldest shirt that's still in my rotation is a travel t-shirt that I got in 1989. It still looks great. I had four or five shirts from that trip, and they all wore out over the years except that one, which is indestructible.
That said, I'm a little annoyed at a jeans brand now. I've got a bunch of pairs of a brand that was pretty expensive, but they're very comfortable. I figured that I'd have those jeans forever given the cost and construction. But two pairs have recently gotten wear spots that make them unwearable, and I've got another pair in a pile to get a pocket fixed after a catastrophic collapse. I've got probably a dozen pairs of these jeans, and three of them have broken down in the past six months. In fairness, my inventory ranges in age from 1 year to about 8 years old, and it's the older ones that are breaking down. But still...I thought they'd last forever, and I only wear them maybe 15 to 20 times per year. [Reply]
Underwear and socks are tossed the minute they get a hole or the elastic gives.
Undershirts get replaced the minute they have a hole or the pits get hard from sweat and deodorant and will not wash out.
Overshirts will get worn until they are faded out completely, thin, or have holes.
Pants will be worn until they become stained (oil, grease, blood) or ripped (sometimes it is the knee, sometimes it is at the ankle, once had a seam burst from ankle to ass). Depending where the rip is (the knee) I might patch the pants and keep them rolling as work pants. If they are stained but still in good shape they will be relegated to "work" pants.
Shoes will be worn until just before I can see my toes poking out of the front of them.
I won't buy fitted caps anymore because they just stop fitting after a while so they get tossed. Snap back caps will be tossed after they lose their shape or become overly stained. I have thrown away hats after a particularly bad run of games but I'm not sure my superstitions are relevant to the question.
/edited to add that I keep a relatively small wardrobe meaning that the often washing leads to them wearing out sooner and, thus, me having to replace them more often than the average user [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
I've slowly acquired clothing over the years to the extent that I have a relatively large wardrobe now. That then means that I wear each item less frequently, which makes them last longer (which then feeds the cycle of growing the wardrobe more when I buy something new).
This is me, too.
I have some killer shirts I've only wore a few times over the years. [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
No way to tell....it's really just until I don't wear it anymore or it gets holes in it. It could be a year, it could be 10 years. Who knows.
This. I'm all about simple and comfortable. When I find a comfortable article of clothing I'll buy them in bunches and wear them in rotation until the fall apart. I've got clothes that are over 10 years old and I'm still wearing them. [Reply]