I buy most of my clothes second hand, the quality is much better for the price but when I look for something precise, too replace something wear out for example, rather than a new piece for my wardrobe, it take me a lot of time to find what I look for. Meanwhile, fast fashion brand sells lots of clothing that seems exactly what I need except that the quality is fast fashion quality :(

Is there any general advices you have to improve bad quality clothing?

Here is two specific examples that really disturb my shopping experience:

  • T-shirt that have not T, because the cloth piece under the arm has been removed. The t-shirt looks fine, folded or wear with your arms lying against your body but as soon a you raise them, in a T, or high to reach some high shelf, the whole t-shirt raises with them
  • Long sleeves than a just long enough to keep your arms lying against your body. If you go for a crazy move, like using your hand, you hand up with almost 3/4 sleeves.

What do you think? Is there anything that can be done to improve these type of badly cut clothes? What about all the others? With loose stitches, bad made buttons… You know what fast fashion looks like.

  • Cris@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    5 days ago

    It sounds like both are examples of too much material being cut away. Either too little space in the shoulders, or just not enough sleeve material.

    You could make either example into a tank top. Adding material in is pretty much always going to be really hard and result in a fundamentally different piece of clothing than you started with, rather than a typical alteration where you’re removing material.

    If they’re a way you can remove material to get something you’d be happy with that’s definitely the easiest route- like making them into tank tops. Or cutting and hemming the sleves so they’re intentionally like half or 3/4 sleeves

    • limonadeOPEnglish
      2·
      5 days ago

      I really need to learn how to alter clothes. It seems more and more like a necessary skills given the state of the industry.

      • Cris@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        5 days ago

        I got started by learning basic hand sewing and mending stuff I thrifted- I feel like that’s one of the easiest ways to dip your toes in and start getting comfortable with it and building skill :)

        When you’re hand sewing you place each stitch one at a time, so it’s really easy to feel in control at every moment

        Regardless, good luck my friend :) if you decide you wanna pick up a new skill I’m rooting for you!

  • over_clox@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    I probably don’t have the best of answers, as I’m a guy that tends to be a bit rough on clothes. Either they dryrot or rip, or both, within like a year or so.

    So, I’ve taken to finding clothes that are either almost perfect fit, but might be slightly oversized or sleeves perhaps slightly long. I don’t mind slightly loose fit clothing, nothing a belt can’t help with.

    After I manage to rip through the knees in my pants, I’ll just cut the pant legs off, convert them into shorts for the summer, and use the cut pant legs as oil rags for vehicle repairs.

    Sorry if this isn’t quite the answer you were looking for, just sharing my experience with old clothing.

    • limonadeOPEnglish
      2·
      5 days ago

      Don’t be worry. That’s helpful :-)

    • mutual_ayed@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      5 days ago

      If your clothes are dry rotting, wrap em up in orange peels. I don’t have any fix of they’re dry rotting on the hanger.

      • over_clox@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        5 days ago

        Okay, sounds good on paper I guess.

        My clothes tend to gradually dryrot as I wear them out, not in the closet. Mechanic work tends to take a toll on clothes, especially when you do stuff like wipe brake fluid or transmission fluid on your pants…