Matters of Style AND Opinion: Polyester and Rayon, How Do You Do?

This post started out as something completely different, but then I came to my senses and rewrote it.

Boston the past couple of weeks has been heinously hot. Seriously, like the pavement is going to crack open beneath my feet and the fire-y pit of Hell (or just the center of the Earth) is going to suck me and everyone else in hot.

But what does that have to do with anything? It’s affecting my wardrobe, that’s what.

Let me just cut to the chase here—I’m a fabric snob. I’ve been one since I received my first credit card. Imagine that. If I had the cash flow to do so, I’d stick to designer lines in all of their touch-ably soft and well constructed glory. My fabric snobbery is part of the reason I rarely set foot in stores like Forever 21 (actually, that’s a whole other story). Simply put, I’m not a fan of the synthetic blend fabrics that typically make up inexpensive clothing (think polyester, rayon and the like). I tend to pass up on trends and affordable fashion because of my fabric selectivity, which in return means I tend to dress in my same old trusty, but boring, jersey dresses most of the time. And since I’m being honest here, it puts me at a loss for outfit of the day posts.

Really, I’m in a bit of a rut. I like nice things and lust after the latest contemporary lines at Saks/Neimans/etc, but most of the time I can’t bring myself to cough up the $300+ for a single item. If I do, it’s only one or two items within a season (or two). And while I purchase my clothing for longevity and wear items for years (to hell with the fact that the pattern is clearly from a 2009 collection), I kind-of-sort-of-maybe want to look a little more…current?

So besides wanting to look current without dropping thousands of dollars each season, there’s also the issue of upkeep, especially in summer temperatures. A silk Tucker dress is fine and all, but not when I’m traipsing around Boston when it’s hot as Hades outside. Reality is a harsh mistress. In what reality is it worth it to spend oodles of money on nice quality items that aren’t made for the lifestyle I’m living (i.e. not an air-conditioned non-public transportation commute to and from work)? Captain obvious likes to remind me that dry cleaning is REALLY a money suck.

Alas, I’ve finally come to my senses. I want some cute new guilt-free threads—the kind of clothes I can wear around without giving them much thought. Cute, affordable and not fussy. There’s too much fussy in my closet (with a huge dose of boring, too).

In the best cases these new threads will be comprised mostly of cotton (if not 100%), in the worst case they’ll be some sort of polyester blend. What they lack in fabulous fiber content, though, they’ll more than make up for in style and wearability. 

Fall may be a different issue altogether, but for summer, at least, I’m about to get my synthetic blend on.

Blame it on delirium from the heat, but the ruthless temperatures have me on a bit of an affordable dress binge. I’m itching to wear less clothing. Here’s what’s new:

BTW, how awesome is Target for affordable chic? I only get to Target now about every six months when I go back to Nebraska (the one in Boston is too far of a hike for me since I don’t have a car). Cute stuff and, in my opinion, a lot better quality than Forever 21. I ordered the two you see pictured online.

So now you tell me: what are your feelings on inexpensive clothing composed of synthetic blends? Does the fabric make up bother you? Do you not even notice or care? What is makes you buy something new for your wardrobe? Are you dying of the heat where you live? :)

Discuss with me, please :)