Overheard a fabric store clerk say something about polyester blends that stuck with me

I was at Joann Fabrics last weekend looking for something cheap to practice draping on, and I overheard this older clerk telling a customer that polyester blends are basically just plastic wraps for your skin. She said they don't breathe at all and trap heat like a garbage bag in summer. It got me thinking about all the fast fashion stuff I've bought over the last 5 years that made me sweat through my shirt by noon. I started checking tags on everything in my closet and realized almost 70% of it is some kind of poly blend. Now I'm trying to swap out pieces for cotton or linen one at a time, but it's tough because the price difference is huge. Has anyone else noticed how hard it is to find 100% cotton basics that don't cost twice as much as the blended stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_roberts15d ago

oh man that clerk was not lying at all. i had this exact wake up call last summer when i wore a poly blend shirt to a cookout and literally felt like i was cooking inside my own clothes by the end of the night. i checked my tags too and it was like 75% of my wardrobe was basically plastic pretending to be fabric. the worst part is i still catch myself grabbing those cheap poly shirts at target because they're like 8 bucks and the 100% cotton ones are 20 something dollars. i swear my bank account hates me for trying to be less sweaty. buying one linen shirt felt like taking out a small loan honestly. but now i just save up and buy one nice cotton piece every paycheck instead of three poly blends that'll make me smell like a damp gym bag by noon.

alicem2914d ago

My sister had this exact meltdown at a thrift store last month, she grabbed this super soft floral top and I pointed out it was 100% polyester and she literally threw it back on the rack like it was on fire. @stella_roberts the linen loan thing is so real, I bought one pair of linen pants for a vacation and I swear I had to skip takeout for two weeks to afford them. But honestly the savings on deodorant and laundry detergent almost make up for it, my cotton shirts don't get that gross armpit smell that won't wash out. The Target trap is the worst though, I still grab those $8 v necks and regret it by 3pm when I'm sitting in my car with the AC blasting just to dry off.