June 19, 2011

EXPERIMENT | Update 03, The Dress is Falling Apart

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These shorts are my best friend while my dress is falling apart. Last week I cut a pair of old dr.denim jeans to this akward biker-short length.

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Today, after the 18th time that this dress has been taken out of the closet it is damaged, worn out and ready to be disposed. The once so crisp and structured garment now looks like a rag. The knit that used to be tight is now so loose that the fabric has become sheer and has lost its heaviness. It is a shame that with this transofmation of the cheap material, the clever design of the dress is lost.

Exactly on the 15th day of the experiment one of the seams started to fray. As for the bottom of the dress, which was cut and left without a seam, the fraying has gotten out of control. I managed to repair the loose seam, but will continue wearing the dress as a top for the last two weeks of this experiment.

One of my first thoughts was, well what else did you expect from a 30Euro-garment. My budget for this project was five times higher than what I spent on it, the price of a basic tank-dress just happened to be only 30 euro's. However, the fact that something is cheap does not mean it should break. Basics like these aren't seasonal and should be made to last.

35 comments:

Leah at Aesthetic Mode said...

nice interpretation!
I agree that basics should be made to last.
I can guess that companies that do make those kind of garments put a higher mark-up on their clothes. Old Navy vs Alexander Wang for example.

Rebecca Maureen said...

That's sad, as it was very nice in design. I paid $40 for an undershirt basic once and it lasted the same length of time as my $5 ones. However, as COS claims to be better quality...well, it should hold up better.

Girl Can't Talk said...

I expected more from COS. I buy quite a bit of stuff there so thats kinda disappointing.

Michele said...

Ah jammer zeg! Ik vind 30 euro voor een tanktop eigenlijk best wel duur maar ik ben ook best wel arm. Vind je shorts heel cool zo!

Fashionisaparty.com (Suz) said...

jammer dat ie bijna uit elkaar valt! als ik eerlijk ben: ik vind 30 euro best veel voor een tanktop

Celine KG said...

Agree with you, basics are made to last... but.. I think that at this price unfortunetly we could expect more... For a basic, you finally, have to go in expensive stores like American Apparel, yeah , i say expensive because for me, 50€ for a tank top, is expensive... But At the end of the day, they're he only one to worth the money...

xoxo, Céline
areyouincorrect.blogspot.com

Vivienne Kongvongsa said...

i adore the raw edges of both your denim and white top, definitely inspirational

FASHION FAULT

Violet said...

That such a disappointing outcome with the garment but i hope you keep going with the rest of the month

XX
Vi from Cali

Julian said...

Aww, that's too bad! Hopefully it doesn't disintegrate completely before the month ends!

NATALIA. said...

Ohh good shorts! They look great on you...it's a pity about your top, hopefully you'll be able to find a replacement
xx

http://twentytwoblog.blogspot.com/

HC! said...

what a shame! i was really interested to see how it lasted throughout the duration of this experiment

The Haute Californian

anthea said...

as frustrating as it is that is had become so 'cheap'
i actually really enjoy clothing that fades and falls apart....i think it gives clothing character and a story.

however, this is a horribly short amount of time for something to fall apart like that so i understand where you are coming from.
x

Caroline Colfelt said...

wow! Love the shorts! Love the experiment!:)

-Have a nice day!

http://carolinecolfelt.blogspot.com/

Caroline Colfelt said...

wow! Love the shorts! Love the experiment!:)

-Have a nice day!

http://carolinecolfelt.blogspot.com/

Zoe said...

That's actually sad.
How could it only last for 15 days?
I love COS, but I do have doubts about the quality of some pieces...
Still curious about the rest of your project!

Yorien said...

Ridiculous that the dress only lasted for 18 days. That is no quality. Offcourse you wore it for an abnormal amount, but that doesn't mean it shouldnt be able to handle it.

Good for you that you go on with the experiment! I'm even more curious now for the outcome. You're so intelligent when it comes to fashion, and how it should be.

http://iambackstage.blogspot.com

Julia M said...

I agree that basics should be built to last regardless of price. I have t-shirts I bought for £1 that outlasted far more expensive ones, which is a shame.
Your white tank top was such a beautiful design, but terrible that it couldn't withstand being worn and washed so often. Do you think a fray-stopping glue could have helped the open hem from fraying?

Suzanne said...

my god it looks like a dust rag..........

Jade Rat said...

I think even cheap garments should last longer, but like you already said this didn't come unexpected. Anyway, I like the cut-off shorts on you. Only you could pull off that length, haha... usually I HATE shorts like those, but they're good on you. Are you gonna continue the project..?

jul said...

nicely written.
i am surprised it has been demaged only after 15 days. ... expected more from COS.
anyway, it is always about how you treat it in wash maschine.

Marie My said...

great shorts! and too bad about that dress, it was really pretty and had a cool design! Good luck with keeping it from breaking totally the rest of the month :)

Love, Marie My from www.nemesisbabe.blogspot.com

isabel said...

that is exactly what i have been thinking about lately, a lot. i really want to change my consuming behaviour and shift from many items for low prices to only a few, higher-quality, more expensive items. however, basics don't really need to be expensive in my view but they should be lasting at least for a year..
sometimes, they just really don't which is a shame.
xx

The Fashion Twice said...

you are genial!
TheFashionTwice

Unknown said...

I find that it takes spending a huge amount of money now to truly get quality fabrics and construction. So many 'high end' high street stores still don't give high enough quality for me to think they are worth spending the extra 20quid on. I'm trying as hard as possible to make my own, or find well-made vintage clothing.
xxx

Anonymous said...

well, I don't think that 30 EU for basic top is very low price, I mean, I wouldn't expect it to be cheaper as it from COS but I think that for 30 EU it should be really easy to find basic piece with fine cut and really good quality. My point is, that despiting label or anything really, 30 EU basic shouldn't be falling apart after 15 days

Jantine said...

Oo is hij nu al kapot? Ik had van COS en voor dertig euro wel wat meer verwacht eigenlijk. Je heb hem dan pas 15 keer aangehad dus ongeveer acht keer gewassen? Dat is niet veel toch?

Jammer van het jurkje, hij was heel leuk, vooral hoe jij hem combineerde :)

Nádia said...

wow, how bad are materials today??? wish you the best on your project, I'll be following! :)

http://myfashioninsider.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Ik ben echt benieuwd naar de conclusie van je experiment!

Liliana said...

30 euros is actually very expensive for something basic as that white piece ! High price doesnt always mean quality ! I have pieces for 5-10 euros with exellent quality which i wear all the time and they still look great ! You can always repair your clothes - always ! if you notice the damage on time. If you dont want the dress anymore cos its damage send it to me .

Sasha Maria said...

What a disappointment but you're fantastic for sticking with it.

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I agree with you, and I think 30 euros is not that cheap if the quality is not the best. I'm quite suprised though, as COS was in my opinion the one providing great quality at reasonable price. In fact I'm wearing one of their tops now, and yes, sadly it lost already a colour (becoming slightly greyish) and there is a tiny hole on the front. But its great you decided to continue your challenge-well done! Also just to recommend a book "To Die For.Is fashion wearing out the world?' by Lucy Siegel, on impact of fast fashion on communities and the environment. Regards,domi

Claire M. said...

Nice denim shorts ;)

SIMONA said...

I expected more from COS! just yesterday I posted a small article where I was pointing out what happens with cheap clothes - from my own experience...the garmet was from HM though...
if you want have a look: http://thepicnicwithzebra.blogspot.com/2011/06/quality-issue.html

Simona

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Business Manthra said...

Thank you for sharing your experience. The outfit looks good and your idea was really appreciable.
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