Ever try on a piece of clothing and just know? I knew with these pants. One night at a Liz Alig trunk show, we were trying on various styles when brand founder Elizabeth Roney suggested I try on these crazy, printed pants.
And I was in love.
I didn’t buy them — not right away. They were not in the budget that night. I went home, and thought about the pants. And thought about them. And thought about them.
The fit, the quality, the beautiful recycled textiles, and — best of all — how they were made. With traditional fabrics and traditional techniques and workers earning fair wages. Weeks later, I bought the pants.
They quickly became a favorite in my closet. I wore them at least once a week. Wear and wash, wear and wash. And after a year of wearing and washing, I found holes in the upper, inner thigh area of the pants.
I put off repairing the pants because I didn’t want to hear a dire prognosis. How could the unique, woven fabric possibly be repaired or replaced? The pants lingered in my “to mend” pile for over a year and half. I didn’t even know where to take them or how to start.
Yes, I despaired of these gorgeous pants being repaired due to the unique nature of the fabric. But a couple of weeks ago, challenged by the fashion love story theme for this year’s Fashion Revolution Day, I bravely took the pants to the alterations specialist at my local laundry shop to see what they could do. I expected a sad shake of the head from the shop. I was surprised to find that the holes in the fabric didn’t phase them at all. They took the pants, and one week and $15 later, the pants were repaired!
Yes, the tiny Xes sewn over the holes are visible upon examination, but the inner patch material is not. The repair blends in perfectly with the fabric’s pattern and color and can’t be seen when I wear the pants. My old favorites are finally back in my closet!
The lesson? I need to be nice to my clothes. Throwing that gorgeous, woven fabric into my washer and dryer every week wasn’t a good way to help my clothing last. In fact, much of my current clothing has been worn and beaten up by harsh wash cycles and frequent drying. While I don’t have time to hand wash most things in my closet, I do plan to use the delicate cycle on my favorite clothing from now on and then hang it to dry. I’m looking forward to extending the life of my wardrobe and saving a bit of energy, too.
I’m thankful this is one clothing love story that will last.
Congrats! And well done. As usual, this piece is encouraging and something I needed to hear. And – cute pants