Quality of Little Things

nancybee_2010

9 years ago

I was going through a box of Barbie things I had been saving (shhhh... it was so fun). (I am organizing and getting rid of more stuff).

Anyway, I was amazed at the difference between my 60's Barbie clothes and my girls' 90's clothes. For example, a sport jacket for Ken that looked like it was actually made from tweed, was LINED and looked tailored! Lots of the clothes had darts, little button trim, little snaps, etc.

The 90's clothes were thin cheap fabric and velcro. (and they dressed like little tramps, but that's a different topic).

I also remember some of my mom's clothes as being so beautifully made- especially a white coat from the 40's. (and these were department store clothes).

Thoughts?

Comments (5)

dedtired
9 years ago
I could not agree more. I have my old dolls from my childhood in the 1950's and they are beautifully made, as if someone actually cared about their work. Lace, buttons, snaps and linings.

I've saved some of my old clothes just out of sentimentality and the difference in quality for clothes that were accessible to the average shopper to what you can buy today is astounding. Today's fabrics are cheap in quality and nasty. The price however is not so cheap.

As for toys, I also saved (I swear I am not a hoarder!) all the old Fisher Price from my kids youth and my grandnieces are fascinated with them -- wood instead of plastic, imagination instead of electronics.

But yes, I am so frustrated when clothes shopping by how poorly made they are. If you want to pay hundreds of dollars per item, you can still get nicer things, but not many of us can afford that.
chispa
9 years ago
We've had this discussion here before and quality has continued to deteriorate! Even if you pay hundreds of dollars per item you still don't get the quality you used to get 25 years ago. All pants and jackets used to be lined. It is very hard to find any lined garments even at higher price points. I hate throwing out these well made clothes that are out of style and/or don't fit perfectly any more ... the end of an era!
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justgotabme
9 years ago
I'm sad to say this is prevalent in all consumer goods anymore.I really started noticing this in the clothes our daughter buys for herself. The fabrics are so thin, even the knits are paper thin, that you have to layer them to feel covered appropriately.
kswl2
9 years ago
Of course I agree, you have to pay a significant premium to get better quality goods today. However, it's even more irritating when you pay for that level of quality and don't get it.

"the 90's clothes were thin cheap fabric and velcro. (and they dressed like little tramps, but that's a different topic)."

I fell off my chair laughing at this.
tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
9 years ago
I think a big part of the difference is at the time the jackets and pants were lined, the expectation was that the clothes would be kept for a long while and thus should be made to last. Now, the style of clothing changes so quickly it is almost pointless to do it well, because next year, a woman's jacket will be a different length, or color, or...