Quality vs. Quantity?

[Salò]

I was raised by parents who insisted that paying more for quality was key to a successful purchase. I own a pair of doc martens, which i bought for 80 dollars on sell but they seem to be going to shit. I've had them for 3 years, and they're the type that were made in china, instead of England, so the leather on them isn't of good quality and isn't leather, so anyway, do you consider Quality v. Quantity when making a clothing purchase?

[Alan]

I consider anti-consumerism when thinking about a purchase.

[MissCheyenne]

How do you consider that when buying something Alan?

[Solumina]

I think about the functionality of the item (does it serve a purpose, how much will I use it, that sort of thing), what exactly am I paying for (am I paying for quality, craftsmanship, and durability, and I paying for name, etc.), and most importantly is it something that I need or just something that caught my fancy that I won't care about later.

I also try and keep in mind the morality of the company that produced the item, I don't want some cheap piece of crap that was produced in a sweatshop, I don't want to support companies who test on animals, exploit helpless people, have non-sustainable practices, or do other terrible things, sometimes it is difficult to avoid and I don't always have all of the relevant information but I try to make the best choices with what I do know.

[shadowynne]

i pretty much go for quality. i have some experience with fashion design and fabrication as well as good material knowledge. i dont tend to follow brand names as their prices tend to be artificially inflated. with clothes i check material, check care instructions and all the seams. then i go over the items practicality and wear-ability. i try and avoid damaging companies, but i am a realist. i try to make as much of my own stuff as possible as well as support local artists and small producers, but that is not always realistic.

for non clothing items its pretty much the same, i produce alot of my own food, getting the rest from farmers and makers i know by name so i am good there.

for everything else same as clothes. i make and recycle alot of it but i am a lego and toy junkie!

and tatses like phant

[Solumina]

I forgot to mention that I'm really happy that youthful, trendy second hand shops, like Plato's Closet, are catching on, they may not necessarily cater to my style but I can find something that I can work with most of the time and much cheaper than guying something new. I'd prefer to buy from a charity shop and support a good cause but the ones around here hardly ever have any good clothing, and what they do have is pretty poorly organized, at least consignment shops still give a second life to cloths that would otherwise be simply thrown away.

Not that all of my clothes are second hand, I wish more were, but the majority of my stuff was bought new, and not always from the shops that I would like, it's one of the unfortunate side effects of having an unusual figure.

[MissCheyenne]

I buy a mix of new and second hand. I have an odd figure because I'm quite big on the hips but I have really short legs so I opt to shop around to find things that fit. I want things to last if I buy them brand new so I tend to spend a bit more to make sure I get something that is going to put up with a lot of wear in the long term. The thing I spend most on is underwear because the cheaper stuff just doesn't fit properly so quality matters for that. Cheap bras are just not worth getting.

[shadowynne]

clothe swaps! you guys must do clothes swaps, they are an excellent form of recycling.

call all your friends tell them to invite others. get everyone to bring clothes they dont want/wear anymore. meet up at someones house, dump all the clothes in a big pile and let the madness begin, whatever is left goes to a charity shop/art college...

i have gotten some of my favorite clothes from clothes swaps...

you know after all that it just might NOT be phant

[Solumina]

Originally Posted by MissCheyenne

Cheap bras are just not worth getting.

Quoted for truth.

So many people think that just because there is so little material that bra should be cheap but the truth is that a good bra, built with support panels and the like, are very labor intensive.

[nowitsdark0]

I am too poor to buy quality. lol. I DO have a pair of your basic, black, eight hole Docs, though. I've had them since freshman year of high school, 19 YEARS AGO!!! Oh, how I love them. The only thing on them that has changed are the shoelaces. Currently, they are black and white stripes. other than a little scuffing on the toes, they look brand new.

[Salò]

I'm a poor college student too, but i find that these are really nice and i got them off ebay for 170 dollars instead of the price on this site
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/wolverin...6-001517B1882A

they are 1000(get it?) times better than my docs.

Made in the USA too. So it's giving domestic jobs to people too.

[^^v^^]

I'm one of those people who is looking at the tag, looking at all the seams and possibly even tugging at those seams a little before buying. I've found that quality isn't about the price, it's about the quality of the construction and the materials, and you can find good quality products for cheap at times. I do have a bit of a rule though, I refuse to spend more than $10 on pretty much anything but shoes, corsets and handbags. I won't spend more than $40 on a handbag, $60 on a corset(which can be done at Heavy Red's sample sale) and shoes depends on how bad ass they are and how long they seem like they will last and how much I'll wear them. I also try to buy second hand as much as possible, which if you know what to look for or do a bit of reconstruction, you can get some amazing deals. And I <3 Goodwill Outlets.

[harley]

I tend to favour quality over quantity and I always try to make sure that I spend the most money on things I'm going to get a lot of wear out of. I fully believe that the most expensive thing in your wardrobe is the thing you only wear once ... It's all about cost per wear. I'm quite fussy, and as my mum is a tailor I'm a stickler for well-made pieces. I sell my old clothes on eBay which helps me fund my shoe habit – I figure they're a worthy investment. I spend the most money on coats, shoes and various leather things as if you care for them they can last a lifetime.

[AresInFurs]

Originally Posted by Solumina

I forgot to mention that I'm really happy that youthful, trendy second hand shops, like Plato's Closet, are catching on, they may not necessarily cater to my style but I can find something that I can work with most of the time and much cheaper than guying something new. I'd prefer to buy from a charity shop and support a good cause but the ones around here hardly ever have any good clothing, and what they do have is pretty poorly organized, at least consignment shops still give a second life to cloths that would otherwise be simply thrown away.

Not that all of my clothes are second hand, I wish more were, but the majority of my stuff was bought new, and not always from the shops that I would like, it's one of the unfortunate side effects of having an unusual figure.

Agreed. Thrifting is great all around. But its about balance. Some items are just better off new. I personally don't really like the idea of say ... used shoes.

And as far as labels/brands when buying new. Research reputations from the general consensus of consumers. Labels/Brands once trusted decades ago may decline in quality. Its trial and error I guess.

[Thorn-v]

I got for a little of both. I usually can't afford quality, but I do have some quality items. Quantity matters too though or I would be wearing the same stuff all the time.

[taintedparadise]

Depends on what its for, for shoes and jackets then quality but for what i call doss clothes rather be cheap and have quantity

[Devola Pease]

I am very particular on the quality of the clothes, shoes, and accessories I buy. I spend a lot of time outside, gardening, walking through tall grass, muddy and rocky soil, so the things I wear have to be practical and comfortable. The shoes I wear have to stand up to random several mile hikes in all weather. That said, even Doc Marten's and combat boots break down after about two or three years of buying them brand new. I tend to wear cotton dresses that go past my knees, because as it turns out, they catch breezes pretty well. I get about 75% of my dresses from thrift stores, with a keen eye on construction technique and durability. I don't feel comfortable buying anything besides shoes and bras for over fifteen dollars, or buying from nasty corporations, so I end up making a lot of my clothes too.

[Miss Absynthe]

It's a false dichotomy.