I found this photo on the internet (vintageclothingbuy.com). I don’t buy hand washable clothes anymore.
Itchy, scratchy. The damn tag was at it again. I bought some new tops early in the year and they had fabric tags at the neckline — itchy, scratchy uncomfortable tags!
Sometimes I wonder whether designers wear their own clothes. Perhaps they are so involved in “the look” that they forget about “the comfort.”
Tags – Clothes should have the size printed at the neckline or a very small tag along the bottom of the side seams. I like to have the size as a point of reference for future purchases of that brand but I cut fabric tags out. The worst is when strangers are fingering your neck trying to “fix you.”
Branding – Why are designers so focused on having their name on your body? I have a purse that has the designer’s initials repeated continuously all over. I should get advertising royalties every time I use it.
Waist closures – Low rise doesn’t work for everyone. It cuts across my gut. You know the area that bloats or flattens depending on what you’ve eaten, making the pants tight or loose. I pluck out the rivet buttons and replace them with a normal button adding a little room. A little stretch in the fabric wouldn’t hurt either.
I haven’t seen these on pants in a long time. I am sure they can devise a heavy-duty one for jeans.
Buttons – Do we really need those fat riveted buttons (they are always on jeans) that make your stomach bigger? There used to be “hook and bar” closures on plants that gave a flat fit. Sometimes the bar had 2 or 3 slots you could select from. Why did they stop doing this?
Flaps on back pockets – Yes, I know they are supposed to fluff out my butt so I look like J-Lo (or is it Kim Kardashian now?) but I don’t need a fluffy butt. I wouldn’t look like J-Lo anyway. It’s too high and gets all bunched up when you wash it adding width to the hip area.
It’s about the fabric too. I remember buying beautiful madras tops that wrinkled into a small ball when you washed them. I rarely wore them. They were too hard to iron. Linen is tricky too. Some of it washes soft and some doesn’t.
My ironing basket — I don’t iron. At least not much anymore. Anything that needs ironing lands in a pile by my ironing board and sits there. This is the hospice of my “harder to maintain” clothes which I try not to buy. After a set amount of time, it goes off life support and into the trash or if I think some other fool person would like it, into the donation basket.
Fashion products are one of my all-time pet peeves. The outcome should be beauty, comfort AND ease of care or you won’t wear it more than once unless of course you have a staff.
Oh yes, most women are not a size 2 so stop using that as your model!
Here is a past post on designers. Yes, I can get all riled up about this stuff!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Kate … You hit on so many points that I agree with. I hate designers slapping their initials or names all over my clothing. I am NOT a walking billboard. I recently was suckered into buying some linen pants. They looks so-o good on the rack. Unfortunately, they wrinkle easily and only look good now when fresh from the dry cleaners. I do love NYDJ (Not Your Daughters Jean) and Jones of New York. Both have a fit that is flattering. 😉
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Never heard of traveler’s pants, but now I will check them out. Not sure if my hips will like them.
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You would like them. They are very stretchy with a thin elastic at the waist but not the kind that pooches.
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I seldom buy anything that needs dry cleaning or ironing. Once in a while I miss the tag. Ugh! What a disappointment. Sometimes if it says dry cleaning is required, I wash it anyway. As my husband pointed out to me years ago: The Chinese had silk long before dry cleaning was invented.
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I have found that if you carefully hand wash something and hand to dry it will be ok. Your husband was smart. Obviously they learned how to clean silk without all the carcinogenic chemicals.
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Ugh, please don’t get me started on this topic! The only good thing about my body aging is that my butt dropped.
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Butt drop is good? Not so good on me. It’s way too close to the floor. Of course my whole body is too close to the floor.
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Trust me, for me it was a good thing!
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“It’s too high and gets all bunched up when you wash it adding width to the hip area” I am so sorry you have this problem with your butt…must be a bother. Sorry…this made me laugh when I first read it but then I reread it and understood that you were talking about the pocket flaps and not your butt. And I am still laughing.
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Well sometimes you can get your butt in a bunch or is that your panties….
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I’d rather come home empty-handed than with something that is uncomfortable, doesn’t fit well, needs ironing, or will fall apart after one washing.
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Me too. Sometimes you think it’s comfortable until you’ve worn it for a day.
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It has been years since I’ve ironed anything…hate it! In fact, I don’t know if I still own an iron.
I too cut out the tags!
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I love my LL Bean tee shirts. The info is printed on the inside of the shirt. Works for me! From the feedback here, I have concluded my husband is the only person in the world who occasionally irons.
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I’m sorry to tell you this but I’m a size 2 and get so much crap for it that I’m thinking of wearing pleats…I yank all my tags out and keep them in case I want to put something up fr resale…and I NEVER IRON..UGH…it goes to the cleaners.
Was just perusing the September issue of Harpers Bazaar that’s the size of an atlas and screw these designers…who will wear it all…the chicest people always dress to the tune of their own flute,,,as I’m sure you do…sweet read.
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I think designers cater to the young kids. Do they have the money to spend? Whatever. I mostly get annoyed when I can’t find comfortable jeans. Most other things I can get over. BTW I was a 2 until about 40. Now I’m a 4-6, mostly a 6 but I still have trouble finding my size. My weight didn’t really go up it just moved around.
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I still go to the Gap…I’d never spend 250 bucks for jeans…I love J Crew, but they’re off the charts.
A 6 is small…I got skinnier due to my health issues and never gained it back.
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Good for you! I’m glad you are complainimg about the same things I hate – low rise pants, big rivet buttons at belly level, scratchy designer tags.. You are a wizard at putting my thoughts into coherent words.
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I can’t figure out why they don’t work on these things. It seems they expect us to retreat to elastic waistbands and polyester around age 50.
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Right on, Kate. In my opinion…the clothes these days are among the ugliest and most ill designed ever…no way are they flattering, much less becoming. Skimpy and ugly! I have a short waist and the pants don’t relate to me…pitiful. I don’t have a daughter…can I wear ‘not my daughter’s jeans’? Just kidding…it’s so difficult shopping for pants when I’m not tall and slim (like all the models…who is?)…I buy Chico’s Traveler’s pants and wear them w/everything…which means I don’t have ‘the jeans look’. Can’t have everything…or can I? I trudge on…hoping! Love the post. Happy shopping will become popular…someday.
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Love, love, love traveler’s pants but they always look dressy. Also love the new ponte fabric pants but again, you don’t wear them to mow the lawn. How about something as comfy but casual?
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Due to being born w/a leg full of varicose veins I must wear support panty hose all day everyday so I figure…what the heck. Travelers and panty hose it is…no matter what I’m doing…except in someone’s swimming pool. Wearing hose always makes people think I’m dressed up anyway…they don’t know why. Whatever…I offset the dressy pants w/very, very casual tops.
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My former mother in law always wore them too even at the beach. I’ve been grateful that I don’t have them. You can’t beat travelers for comfort though. I love them for long days events.
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Dress Barn (my favorite place to shop) has dress pants with the hook and bar closure, but not jeans.
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and why not jeans? They can make them heavy duty! I think our last Dress Barn closed locally.
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Ironing? What’s that?
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I know! My husband irons more than I do and he takes his shirts to the laundry. I did iron a tablecloth at Christmas. It think that’s the last time I fired it up.
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I can’t remember the last time I ironed…probably a decade ago!!
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Funny story…my husband and I have been married about 6 or 7 years. When we moved into our new home we had two irons and boards — his was fancier than mine. I tossed mine as it seemed silly to have two and mine was old. He will touch up his clothes with the iron on occasion. I rarely iron clothes. Can’t remember the last time I did.
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My dad used to say “The US is the only place where you buy something to advertise someone else’s goods.”
I agree the rivet in the front adds pooch and is not flattening at all. btw My favorite jeans – NYDJ – not your daughter’s jeans. Just try on a pair. They’re perfectly “engineered” for me.
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I’ve seen them advertised. I have to look for them. I bought some DKNY (Donna Karan New York) jeans and capris. They are below the waist rise but not super low and not as comfortable as I had hoped. The fabric is wonderful though. There are different denims!
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Oh my! I agree totally!!! And shoes…
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Oh my indeed! Shoes are a week’s worth of posts! I struggled to find some comfortable “flat” shoes which are very in now. I need some support and I did eventually find some. However (isn’t there always a however?) they came in goofy colors especially for summer. For my favorite I had my choice of black or a strange green. I got the strange green thinking maybe it would be sort of neutral. It’s not. I wear them anyway. A nice tan for the summer or even a red would have been better.
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