Earth Day Question: What Is The Last Thing You Really Wore Out?
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When the crown ripped in three different places, I finally had to admit that my straw sun hat was a goner. This was a conclusion that my neighbors had come to, oh, seven or eight years ago when I’d worn out the third ribbon hat band and had taken to repairing the unraveling brim with paperclips. Undaunted, I had soldiered on with my once beautiful hat, convinced that I could eek out a few more months of use. And I did. After 14 years of daily use, my hat was granted a honorable resting place: my compost bin.
In our current world, where everything is disposable, clothes don’t wear out as much as they just fall apart. It’s much harder and more expensive to find vintage clothes these days because most clothes made after 1980 are such poor quality. When I look at my closet, the garments I’ve owned and worn the longest are all vintage. My favorite jacket is one that I inherited from my grandmother. She bought it new in the 1940′s. I’ve worn it regularly since she gave it to me in 1988. It’s seventy years old and still looks great. I don’t have any garments in my closet, other than shoes, that have lasted even seven years without getting trashed from regular wear.
What is the last thing that you really wore out? When did you buy it? How many times did you use it?
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2 Comments
I have a pair of jeans from college that are worn out as jeans. I’ve had them for at least 12 years now and the fabric is mighty thin and tears at the lightest of touches. I admit they were cheap clearance jeans when I bought them, so I’m rather lucky they’ve lasted this long.
I might have them made into shorts if there’s thick enough fabric to withstand a hem.
This is a great question and I need to give it some thought. Meanwhile I have been thinking about sustainability at Bees Hive.