I wear used clothes and have done all my life. When I was a little kid, it was hand-me-downs from cousins and friends of the family. When I was a teenager, it was groovy vintage stuff from Righteous Rags and the Goodwill. As a young adult, it was from my neighborhood charity thrift stores and consignment stores. Nowadays it’s from eBay (I love the search function and that you can get actual measurements).
I have occasionally heard rumbles from various folks about how they would never wear used clothing, but I’ve never known how prevalent that is, or why such people feel that way. Wanna enlighten me?
I don’t know. I wear used clothing and new clothing. The used clothing now generally comes via my sister. Our measurements more or less match, so when she goes through her “I have too much crap” cleaning periods, I get some of her stuff.
I can’t complain. While I may not know from which decade it is (really), the clothes fit, and in many cases are flattering and make look pretty. They’re sometimes clothes I wouldn’t buy because they’re “too expensive” for me.
Oh, and my last bought was a nice little black dress from an upscale consignment store. It fits, and is in good condition. What would otherwise had been more than $50 ended in less than $30 with tax.
I will of course wash it (or send it to the dry cleaner or whatever) first, but I do that with brand-new clothing, too. Otherwise, the fact that it is used makes no real difference to me.
I wash new and new-to-me clothes before wearing too, BTW. I hate that “new” smell, especially since I remember reading once that formaldehyde is a key ingredient in it (no cite, so please feel free to correct me if that’s wrong). I don’t buy dry-clean-only anything since I don’t like the expense or the hassle or the chemicals used.
But I can imagine some people might want to, say, boil things, or only buy used dry-cleanables, or insist on some other specific cleaning method, rather than being OK with just using good clothes hygiene in general.
I never could, unless I was homeless or something. I know it wouldn’t kill me, but the thought of wearing something that someone else has worn does strike me as squicky and unhygienic. I also associate second-hand clothing with poverty, so I would feel ashamed to have to wear it.
Growing up I was the youngest not just of my siblings but of ALL my cousins, so I was wearing nothing but hand-me-downs from birth all the way up until high school.
I said no. It may not be rationale, but it skeeves me. I mean, if it was someone I know, that’s one thing. But the idea of going to a vintage/thrift store and buying something creeps me out.
No, I never wear used clothes. Once I wear something I throw it away. It’s disgusting to wear clothes that I’ve already worn. It’s bad enough that the manufacturer and retail outlet used them to make money.
I would, but I don’t think I actually own any right now. I wouldn’t buy used underwear (ew!), swimwear, socks, or shoes. Well, maybe shoes if by looking at the soles it appears they’d pretty much never been worn.
‘Dead people’s stuff.’ That’s what goes through my head whenever I go into a thrift shop. (A coworker I’d lunch with frequently liked to go to them.) Kind of creepy when you think of it that way.
I don’t wear other people’s ‘everyday clothes’. I have plenty of my own to wear. Too many, actually. But I do have my mom’s husband’s G-1 flight jacket, and there’s no problem wearing it – even if it is ‘dead man’s clothes’. My first flight jacket, a Navy WEP jacket, was given to me by an F-4 pilot from Miramar when I was 12. I still have it. My first Nomex flight jacket was from a DRMO sale at Edwards AFB. I have a few pair of WWII (?) Swedish Army wool trousers that are perfect for Winters up here. If I had any vintage 1940s to 1960s suits, I’d wear them.
So I’ll wear used clothing as A) collectibles (e.g., the flight jackets); B) practicality (e.g., the Swedish trousers); and/or C) a certain style. But I’ve no reason to wear ‘regular’ used clothing.
Sure, I have bought stuff at Goodwill, when it was something really good. The idea of wearing used clothing (except for underwear) doesn’t bother me.
Lately though I’ve been starting to wonder just how worried I should be about bedbugs. It’s made me think twice, especially about clothes that could easily hide them, like winter coats.
I’ve seen a few articles about people worried about that, actually, or people asking what they can do to avoid them since they’ve been pretty big lately. Scary stuff.
It’s not that I wouldn’t but I can’t handle trying to shop at a thrift store and sifting through all the junk to possibly (but probably not) find something I’d want. To me it’s not worthwhile in the age of <USD10 for a shirt and USD15 for a pair of pants at Walmart.
I see nothing wrong with used clothing. Ironing after washing kills anything that might be lurking.
Being overweight, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes that won’t fit as I get smaller.
And the idea that being poor is something shameful is, well, “squicky,” IMO.
I’ve (very rarely) gone to thrift stores, and also (very rarely) to consignment stores… upscale thrift stores. I like those, as finding my size can be difficult and expensive. The neighborhood upscale place has pretty stuff. And while it is more expensive than others, for what it is, it is a lot cheaper than buying it new.
I also give my clothes away, when I stop using them. It seems like a waste to dump good clothes that someone else may like.
And while it is more expensive than others, for what it is, it is a lot cheaper than buying it new.