Have you ever had a piece of clothing you adored? It fits just right, and instinctively you know you’ll never find a replacement for the well-worn, well-loved garment. My favorite jeans are the perfect length and fit through the waist, hips, and thighs. Knowing they wouldn’t last forever, a few years ago, I started shopping for a new pair with no success.
I recently blew out the knee in my favorite pair of old Levi’s. I’ve had these 515s for at least ten years, and I tried heroics to make them last a little longer.
The back pocket has been tearing for quite a while. When my undies started to show through, I had to wear longer shirts. Hubba-luv suggested I try an iron-on patch to hold them together and get some more life out of these babies. I set out for Hobby Lobby where I found a plethora of sizes and colors.
The same day I patched the pocket, I bent down to play with Lily White and heard a rip. A tiny gash had begun above the left knee. I probably should’ve gone straight for the patches, but I remembered how stylish the holy jean look can be. Probably, I’m too old to pull it off, but at times, I chase my juvenescence.
With a little wear, the knee rip began to widen and fray. I just knew I was going to look eighteen again when it got big enough.
The near-fatal mistake I made was not to use care when putting them on. When I shoved my foot into the pants’ leg, my size eight went through the knee hole and tore it wide open. I used some profanity I learned when I was eighteen, until I decided I could make cutoffs for the summer. Nothing looks quite as hot as a forty-plus-year-old thirty something female trying to regain her youth in a pair of daisy dukes.
Now, I must decide whether to build a funeral pyre or look like a fool. Maybe with a spray tan it wouldn’t be so scary. Foolish can be fun. But maybe it’s time to say goodbye.
Have you ever gone to great lengths to save a beloved garment?