How often have we used the phrase after having been complimented on some simple piece of clothing?
Yes, we know, some women use “What, This old thing?” as a way to dissemble over a new purchase, but that’s not what we mean. We are talking about something that is genuinely a very old thing.
Have you ever wondered why we love and cling on to some pieces of clothing and consign others to the charity shop sooner than we probably should? And it’s rarely about cost or value, because while we might pull out a designer-quality vintage piece and style it with new accessories, allowing us to accurately respond to a compliment with “What, This old thing”, that’s not what we are talking about here; we are talking about low value items – perhaps a tee or a scarf or an item of fashion jewellery?
The question arose when Jan was in the hair salon (Mia in Friern Barnet, North London, since you ask) where they keep her hair looking good, and she complimented a stylist on her black vest top. The response came back, “What, this old thing?” And clearly it really was an old top that the stylist wasn’t planning to give up; understandably, since it was a really great vest in exactly the right shape and colour for its wearer.
It reminded Jan that a very long time ago she had owned a cobalt-blue tee, which almost fell apart after being worn and washed so frequently. At the time, Jan had owned the same tee in white, but she recalls being happy to let that one go without a backward glance. Which in turn prompted the “this old thing” discussion. In the case of Jan’s tee it was the combination of shape (it had a wide scoop neckline) and colour (cobalt). So, we sometimes stumble on an item which is both a perfect shape and a perfect colour and when we do, we never want to let it go! Sadly for every one garment we own like that, we probably own 20 we would send for recycling in a heartbeat!
What if we could get the formula right more often? If we could define the neckline, the colour and the sleeve length that was perfect for us, so that we always buy the right garment, so that when we are complimented, it is on This New Thing rather than “This old thing”.
Do you have any “What, this old thing?” items in your wardrobe?
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2 Comments
I know exactly what you mean. I have an old plain black Sainsbury’s T-shirt. It is just a black T-shirt, but… the round neckline is perfect, not too tight, not too low cut. The Cotton is fine in a dark shade of black that doesn’t seem to fade, it hugs me (but not too much) in all the right places and skims the others!,the sleeves are the perfect length to cover bat wings. It washes really well and doesn’t need ironing, also keeping it’s shape, and best of all is the length..it is the perfect length.. so many T-shirts are too short. This one is long enough to cover trouser zips etc and disguise any tummy bulge which is much more flattering to the over all look. If only all my clothes were like that!
Hi Sue, thank you so much for telling us about your favourite Sainsbury’s T-shirt. It sounds wonderful, and no doubt a real bargain! The good thing is that you can measure the length of this one, and have that in mind when you are looking for another t-shirt. Hope you have a great summer, Cyndy and all the team