The 10 Year Closet 006 | Repairs edition
Making some oldies last even longer.
Welcome back to The 10 Year Closet, a series spotlighting the longest-lasting items in my closet (owned for at least 10 years) and what they’ve taught me about shopping and style. This installment is a three-fer! Featuring oldies that I got repaired at a local dry cleaner earlier this month. We’ll start with a cocktail dress (tear in the back), move on to some go-to summer pants (tear in the right leg), and wrap up with a pair of Candie’s jeans (rip in the crotch) that are actually approaching 20(!) years in my closet.
The Dress
The deets: Black sheath dress with a cowl neck, gold glitter all over, and an almost 2-inch-wide black ribbon at the waist. The size is Petite S, in a crepe material, from the brand Taylor.
Circa: 2013
How it became mine: Let’s throw it back again to my first year out of college, and I needed a dress for my very first company holiday party. I remember shopping at Nordstrom with my mom, and her suddenly coming up behind me to show me this one. I don’t think I was that optimistic at first but clearly it turned out to be a keeper.
Why it’s in my 10 Year Closet:
Besides standing out as a rare case where shopping last minute for a special occasion actually worked out, this piece to me is a reminder that sometimes fit is everything. I don’t know that I would have picked this off the rack myself—the sheath silhouette, crepe texture, and cowl neck may have all felt a bit too “mature” for me at the time. But I’m glad my mom got me to try it on because as soon I felt the way it fit, I was won over. It’s form-fitting but comfortably stretchy and not too big anywhere—hallelujah dresses actually meant for petites1!!
Over the years, this dress has filled an infrequent but important role as a more formal option in my wedding guest dress roster. When I dug this one out in anticipation of a wedding last weekend, I noticed a random tear in the back of the dress. Oops, no idea when that happened. Between trying to buy something else fast and getting this one mended, the decision was easy. And then I thought I might as well bring in a couple of other items with minor tears…
The Pants
The deets: Thin, tapered, black-grid patterned pants from Alfani (a Macy’s brand), in size Petite S.
Circa: 2015
How it became mine: Another win while shopping with my mom! And another win from the same Macy’s where I also got another 10 Year Closeter.
Why it’s in my 10 Year Closet:
These have been my trusty summer pants for so long. Perfect for when I want to cover my legs (like on a plane) but still stay cool and breezy. I find the pattern pretty easy to pair with, especially with black, white, lighter blues, and darker greens. The denser grid almost makes it fade into the back like a neutral.
I usually wear it as is for a slouchier vibe or roll the waistband once for a more cropped look at the legs. It’s surprisingly versatile! These outfits I made on Indyx represent very typical ways I’d wear these in the summer.
The Jeans
The deets: Candie’s bootcut jeans that I turned into distressed shorts, with metallic stud embellishments, button closure, in a junior size 3 from Kohl’s2.
Circa: 2007-ish
How it became mine: This is from way back in high school, certainly purchased during another routine weekend outing with my mom, probably found in the 70% off clearance racks.
Why it’s in my 10 Year Closet:
These were originally full-length jeans that I wore to literal death, at least at the hems. They were a bit long on me, but I’d wear them with 2-inch-ish clogs and the hems would drag on the floor and eventually rip shred by shred. I forget when exactly but probably around the early 2010s, it occurred to me I could just chop off the bottom because the rest of the jeans are still perfectly fine. Frayed hems must have been trending at the time because I was influenced, somewhere somehow, to search up how to DIY it. It was a pretty simple job and I’m satisfied with the results. I think it’s a very forgiving DIY, so worth a try if you’re into the distressed look.
Since these fit a bit too tight now, I don’t see myself reaching for these this summer. But at this point, I may just hold onto them forever in my “archives”. It really hits different when you’ve put your personal spin on a piece. It’s something that transcends function or even memories—it feels like evidence of some creative spark…and I can’t just give that away?!
Have you gotten anything repaired lately? This is actually my first time paying to get stuff mended. My first thought even this time was to just see if my mom can fix them 😅 But I’m glad I decided to spend my money this way—$38 to be exact, which covered the three repairs plus dry cleaning for the dress. Feels like a reasonable cost to extend the lives of some long-time wardrobe heroes.
That’s all I’ve got for now! Be back soon (🤞) with a little Wardrobe Rebuild update (Feels like I’ve just been buying groceries more than anything else lately…)
Have a great week,
—Jenny
Previously…
Remember when Nordstrom used to have a much healthier petite section? Sigh. Anyway, I got curious about the brand, Taylor, and looks like they’re still selling dresses, including petite sizes, online at Macy's.
One day I will write about how Kohl's shaped my taste and style…anyone else??
I haven’t paid for something to be mended yet, but I do hand stitch small holes whenever they pop up. It brings me a lot of joy to make a small repair. I haven’t had a more complicated fix yet, but I’m at my local tailor regularly and I know he could fix something if I needed him to!
I love getting things mended! The most random things I have taken to get mended is a pair of socks (hole in the toe -- I just LOVE the tartan print of them and they are otherwise in great condition!) and a pair of 90 cotton / 10 spandex bike shorts that just needed a patch on the bum!