I’m sure this topic has been discussed many times, but post-pandemic, it’s reared its head again in my life and got me thinking.
I’ve always been one for comfy clothes, especially as I get older. I always love it when fashion trends towards oversized and baggy, or when soft knitwear is a Thing, because you bet I’m stocking up on that and wearing it forever.
Back in my youth, mostly in the 90’s, things were a bit more fitted, and items like low rise jeans were in fashion. Or were those more early 2000’s? Whatever, I lived through that once and I will never personally do that trend again. I was too big and had too much of a stomach to get away with low rise jeans first time round, and now I’m over 40, you’d have to pay me a lot of money to get me in a pair.
Point is, clothes like low rise jeans may have been on trend, but my god were they ever uncomfortable. Anything that doesn’t allow for full unrestricted movement is uncomfortable in my book, and honestly? I’d rather be able to spend a day in comfort than worry about being on trend.
A lot of clothes, though, are not comfortable to wear. Even basic t-shirts can be uncomfortable for whatever reason, be it a bad cut or a scratchy fabric.
Fabrics make a huge difference to the comfort of clothes. Satins and mesh and some sorts of wool are not comfortable to wear against the skin unless they have a softer lining, and lined clothes are Expensive. You can often find me walking around a clothes shop giving the clothes a good feel, because if I don’t like how it feels when I touch it, I won’t want it against my skin.
My views on comfort being the most important thing when it comes to clothes has, and still does, get me major side eye from people I know who are more worried about being on trend than if they’re comfortable. I don’t know if it’s my age, or if I have stopped caring as much, but the first question I ask myself when clothes shopping is ‘is this comfortable?’. That’s why I’m glad that we can try stuff on again. I hated buying things without trying them on, because that’s the only way you can find out if something is comfortable.
I do still own clothes that I don’t consider comfortable. It’s high time I got rid of them, and replaced them with clothes that are comfortable. It’s mostly the fabric that makes these items unpleasant for me to wear, and to be honest I should have donated them years ago because I haven’t worn them in forever.
Fast fashion is the worst for scratchy fabrics and uncomfortable cuts. The more you are willing to spend, the better the fabrics and the better the fit. But why, if you’re on a budget, shouldn’t you have comfortable clothes? Am I missing something?
I will forever believe that comfort beats fashion every single time when buying clothes. Not style, because that’s something different. I would rather wear something a little out of fashion that I can wear in comfort than look super up to date but want to rip off my outfit because of a scratchy fabric.
What about you, readers? Comfort or trends? Let me know in the comments!
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