So it turns out that when you stop buying all of your clothes from Forever 21 (ok but still some of them..), they can also last a lot longer…and they can last even longer if you do some basic maintenance to keep them looking nice. I feel that no one ever told me this?? In the last year I’ve been taking some baby steps toward being an adult when it comes to clothing maintenance. Here’s what I’ve been up to that I’ve found worth my time/money.
1) Go to the tailor. I really didn’t want to. I was like…wait…is there a dressing room there..and you try things on? And that really weirded me out for no reason. But it turns out tailoring things is as awesome as everyone says. Like this shirtdress, which I got tailored because the buttons were spaced out wayyy too much to be decent. Cost: $20.
2) Condition leather items. I got this leather conditioner on amazon for $8 and now do this to all leather shoes/purses once every 6 months/really whenever I remember or notice things look like they need moisturizing. It makes a big difference and keeps my shoes rain repellant.
3) Re-heel shoes. I’m so excited about this! Look at how shiny and new the shoe repair people made my boots look! These were worn down because I apparently I walk on my heels (?). For $35, they’re good as new.
Also, I actually got things dry cleaned, which I know is not a huge accomplishment but it’s been on my to-do list for wayyyy too long. Woops. Cost of dry cleaning ALL the things (including my winter coat): $40.
4) Converse or any other canvas shoe —> washing machine. Wash Converse on the cool or delicate setting. DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DRYER. The soles will melt (so I am told). I left mine on the steps drying for 3 days and they were good to go.
This concludes the list of obvious adulting moves I was missing until this year. I would say what I’ve learned overall is that you can spend less money to repair and fix things instead of buying new stuff, especially when it comes to shoes.
PhD in Clothes 