Now there's a heavy belief among Styleforum that buying clothing can be seen as an investment, in that in buying better made clothing it will last longer and therefore need to be replaced less. Now, I don't discount this idea at all, but it has it's limits. Obviously just because an item cost 10x more does not imply it will last 10x longer nor will the cheaper item burst in flames after the first washing, the truth is somewhere in the middle and varies depending on what clothing item it is. However I am not implying that quality only equates to durability, for an expensive knit can easily only be slightly more durable than a lesser quality knit, but there is a balance.
To be honest, I never bought the "investment" argument because at the end of the day I still put a lot of wear and tear into my clothes because I actually wear them, and often. However if there's one area that the quality=durability balance dips in our favor is denim. Now the majority of the SW&D is fairly confident in the quality of many of our jean brands. However I do notice a prevailing attitude amongst the MC forum as anti-expensive denim, often lumping in many SF-brands with typical designer denim brands (TR, 7FAM, etc). I guess it's just post like these...
...that inspired me to do this thread. Now with jeans, I feel as if durability as a factor of quality is much more necessarily than say a suit. I mean, I can own a closet full of Uniqlo suits and do just fine without them bursting at the seams every other week vs. owning a closet full of Oxxford for the sake of better durability, so I suppose what I'm trying to say is that the price to quality ratio is much higher in items such as jeans and shoes vs. knits, suits, etc. Obviously you're saying "Duh" but attitudes expressed in the quote above do really highlight how often people can dismiss good quality.
Now I have worn my Levis 511 and my APCNC on and off for roughly the same amount of time and felt that documenting the wear to compare the two would be helpful for many forumites. Now obviously APC quality is better than Levis quality, but seeing it in pictures helps understand just how much better quality can be. Pictures in the spoilers below.
*note: I am neither a photpgraher or a denim expert
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Levis 511 - Sized Up 1 (29)
APC - New Cure Sized Down 1 (27)
(Hole caused only by a longboarding accident)
(Hole caused by natural wear and tear)
(Crotch, signs of wear but no tearing or crotch blowouts)
Uniqlo - T-0001 sized Up 1 (29)
No wallet tearing.
Fit pictures just for reference.
APC
Levis
Both have about 2 years of regular wear, and maybe half a year of irregular wear. As you can see, the APCs are a much tighter fit and they have been through just as much if not more abuse than the Levis have, yet despite that there is minimal denim damage. the all star year is the Uniqlo denim, which has some longeitivity perhaps in the amount of stretch in the fabric? Either way, as you can see, there are no/minimal wallet tears on the Uniqlo ones while even my APCs have suffered.
Now obviously APCs aren't the gold standard for nice denim, and I'm not implying that they are. And obviously, it's no surprise that APC denim is superior to Levis. I suppose I just wanted to actually show what I feel *quality* is rather than just type it out. The real question now would be how well a pair of Somet/KMW/Iron Hearts can stand to frequent use and abuse and how much they would compare to APC. Perhaps the threshold for denim durability is only slightly above APC and beyond that it doesn't get *much* better.
Out of all luxury clothing,denim is the easiest to show quality. I can point to my pictures and say "See how much more durable they are?" That's objective. With other items, it's much more tricky. Band of Outsiders aren't amazing shirts, they just fit very well and have decent fabric. I never thought they were anything special, but lately I took a bit of a shoppring spree when in Europe and bought some cheap stuff of the H&M's and Zaras and Uniqlos. While the fit and design is still there, the fabrics are noticeably worse. I guess I got so used to how my shirts felt that regular shirts just feel rougher on my skin, breathe less easily, etc. However this type of "quality" is far more subjective and can't really be captured in pictures. And while I don't expect many luxe designers to be more "durable" I do expect some standard of attention to fit, and comfort of the material used. Just subtle details that are difficult to catch in lower end clothing.
Thoughts, comments?
To be honest, I never bought the "investment" argument because at the end of the day I still put a lot of wear and tear into my clothes because I actually wear them, and often. However if there's one area that the quality=durability balance dips in our favor is denim. Now the majority of the SW&D is fairly confident in the quality of many of our jean brands. However I do notice a prevailing attitude amongst the MC forum as anti-expensive denim, often lumping in many SF-brands with typical designer denim brands (TR, 7FAM, etc). I guess it's just post like these...
Quote:
This threadOriginally Posted by cmacey 
Levis Strauss & Co.
You are crazy if you pay more than $100.00 for denim!
Levis Strauss & Co.
You are crazy if you pay more than $100.00 for denim!
...that inspired me to do this thread. Now with jeans, I feel as if durability as a factor of quality is much more necessarily than say a suit. I mean, I can own a closet full of Uniqlo suits and do just fine without them bursting at the seams every other week vs. owning a closet full of Oxxford for the sake of better durability, so I suppose what I'm trying to say is that the price to quality ratio is much higher in items such as jeans and shoes vs. knits, suits, etc. Obviously you're saying "Duh" but attitudes expressed in the quote above do really highlight how often people can dismiss good quality.
Now I have worn my Levis 511 and my APCNC on and off for roughly the same amount of time and felt that documenting the wear to compare the two would be helpful for many forumites. Now obviously APC quality is better than Levis quality, but seeing it in pictures helps understand just how much better quality can be. Pictures in the spoilers below.
*note: I am neither a photpgraher or a denim expert
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Levis 511 - Sized Up 1 (29)
APC - New Cure Sized Down 1 (27)
(Hole caused only by a longboarding accident)
(Hole caused by natural wear and tear)
(Crotch, signs of wear but no tearing or crotch blowouts)
Uniqlo - T-0001 sized Up 1 (29)
No wallet tearing.
Fit pictures just for reference.
APC
Levis
Both have about 2 years of regular wear, and maybe half a year of irregular wear. As you can see, the APCs are a much tighter fit and they have been through just as much if not more abuse than the Levis have, yet despite that there is minimal denim damage. the all star year is the Uniqlo denim, which has some longeitivity perhaps in the amount of stretch in the fabric? Either way, as you can see, there are no/minimal wallet tears on the Uniqlo ones while even my APCs have suffered.
Now obviously APCs aren't the gold standard for nice denim, and I'm not implying that they are. And obviously, it's no surprise that APC denim is superior to Levis. I suppose I just wanted to actually show what I feel *quality* is rather than just type it out. The real question now would be how well a pair of Somet/KMW/Iron Hearts can stand to frequent use and abuse and how much they would compare to APC. Perhaps the threshold for denim durability is only slightly above APC and beyond that it doesn't get *much* better.
Out of all luxury clothing,denim is the easiest to show quality. I can point to my pictures and say "See how much more durable they are?" That's objective. With other items, it's much more tricky. Band of Outsiders aren't amazing shirts, they just fit very well and have decent fabric. I never thought they were anything special, but lately I took a bit of a shoppring spree when in Europe and bought some cheap stuff of the H&M's and Zaras and Uniqlos. While the fit and design is still there, the fabrics are noticeably worse. I guess I got so used to how my shirts felt that regular shirts just feel rougher on my skin, breathe less easily, etc. However this type of "quality" is far more subjective and can't really be captured in pictures. And while I don't expect many luxe designers to be more "durable" I do expect some standard of attention to fit, and comfort of the material used. Just subtle details that are difficult to catch in lower end clothing.
Thoughts, comments?
