Love or Loathe: Pre-assembled Clothing

Do you remember those pre-assembled sweater vest/dress shirt looks that used to be everywhere? It was a sweater vest with dress shirt sleeves, tails and a collar attached. Fashion Bug has a new collection of "layered look" tops that make it look like you're wearing a cardigan and tee, but the "tee" is really a panel built into the "cardigan" piece (pictured). I'm suddenly seeing more and more of these sneaking clothing combos that aren't really combos at all.

I've met women who swear by these. They extol the benefits of getting dressed without a thought, having a layered look without having to match proportions and colors and eliminating an extra layer of fabric so they never got too hot. For then it's an investment piece because they can look put together without spending any time of their look.

Those are all good arguments, but I can't buy into it. I'd rather have the versatility of individual pieces. Since that cardigan is attached to the little "tee" panel, I can't wear it with any of my other shirts. If I get hot, I can't take off the cardi. I also can't layer the tee under anything else. It's a one-trick clothing item, which makes it a poor investment in my book. I like my clothes to multitask. (By the way, I don't mind two pieces that come together if I can separate them. That's just economical!)

Also, I have seen some of these "layered look" clothes that really do fool the eye, but I've seen more that look poorly constructed and don't lay properly after a few washings. I'd rather pair my own basics and have the fit the way I like washing after washing.

How to you feel about pre-assembled looks? Are they a nice break for thinking about what to wear? Or are they a poor investment for lazy dressers?

Comments

Anonymous said…
You're very kind to call them "pre-assembled looks." My sister-in-law calls them "cheaters," lol.
Annie said…
Ha, I've heard the term "cheater" as well. I don't like the idea of getting dressed without a thought. I like thinking about my clothing. I like mixing & matching & stumbling onto something new & unexpected. These take the fun & spontaneity out of dressing yourself. They're worse than Garanimals.
Heather said…
Hideous, evil things! They pander to people's laziness (is it actually THAT difficult and time consuming putting a tee and a cardigan on all by yourself?), they're usually pretty ugly AND people will totally start noticing that you only ever wear those things together and will be on to your secret! Yeah, I feel way too strongly about these things...
Caitlin said…
I've ALWAYS hated pre-assembled clothing. UGH!
Sarah Dee said…
poor investment for lazy dressers!!! and there is the fact you would always have the same outfits over and over. how mundane

Sarah
theantiquepearl.blogspot.com
Kaye said…
Ugh, I hate them. I like to be able to mix and match and I HATE the idea that you wouldn't be able to take the cardigan/vest part off if you get hot. You can wear the same cardigan with completely different outfits more than once a week without anyone noticing/caring, but having it stuck together with a shirt is just so darn limiting.
rachel said…
LOATHE!! With a fiery passion. Japan is full of this kind of crap clothing right now. "Skirts" attached to "t-shirts" with a "cardigan" on top. And you can tell. You can always tell.

And because it's related, my word verification is "cheap."

Haha!
Unknown said…
I loathe them. Not only do I often think their combinations are putrid or ill matched, but they are limiting! There is no mix & match of your own. You can usually also tell they are sewn together. Ugh!
Kibs said…
I don't care much for them myself. They might look cute on the hanger but when i try them on the bottom layer never fits right lol. Personally I'd rather just cut the piece inside out and take the cardigan by itself.

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