Polyester?

[Jerekson]

I just a new suit on eBay, it says it is made from %100 polyester.

Tell me, is this a good or bad thing?

 

[dakotanorth]

All poly? A wee test...

You can answer that question by answering mine:
Do you like to sweat?
Do you like knowing your suit is dishwasher safe?
Do you enjoy the thick, slimy feel of plastic-based material on your skin?
Do you feel good knowing your suit wouldn't fade if you left it in a desert?
lol

 

[Jerekson]

Uh, thanks...

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Polyester can make you sweat, but it isn't entirely a bad material. It's partially made of oil. I have a pair of pants and 2 lounge shirts that are 100%. They are still nice.

100% polyester tends to wrinkle whereas polyester blend (cotton/poly) doesn't, and it isn't flame proof (what clothing material isn't?)

I would say as long as it looks good and you are satisfied with it, there is no problem. Plus you won the suit, and that's a good thing to be proud of.

 

[dr greg]

all a matter of taste

A mate of mine bought a Dries Van Noten suit for $5000, and it was polyester, and he loved it...I thought it made him look like someone who would sell you stuffed toys from the boot of a car.

 

[slicedbread]

I think that my biggest issue with polyester is that it doesn't drape well...I have one polyester suit that is entirely formless and can't even hold a crease and on the other hand I have another polyester suit that is incredibly stiff and the pants have NEVER lost their crease even when thrown in a crumpled heap and left for days at a time.

That said, I wear the pants to the stiff suit all the time and I love the way they look...Not only that, I don't have to be nervous about getting htem dirty or ruining them because any stain comes out =)

Also for the record I wouldn't have bought either suits had I known they were polyester.

 

[Jovan]

This reminds me of the episode of Wings where a guy inherited a bad '70s polyester suit from a co-worker whose grandfather just died, and tried to ruin it several times to no avail so he wouldn't have to wear it around her. He tried spilling coffee on it, exclaiming, "Oh no, the suit is ruined!" to which she calmly goes up with a damp rag and says, "It's not ruined." [wipe] "Remember? It's polyester."

 

[Rooster]

Here's one of my nifty Poly suits. I don't wear it in the summer as it's a bit hot, but the rest of the year it's comfortable.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Miracle fabric. When it's hot you're hotter and when it's cold you're colder.

I wish more fabrics were so trustworthy.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Poly-wanna-cracker?

Let me say one word... EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!!

Polyester is plastic fabric; synthetic fabrics are not healthy for one's skin. They do not breath like natural fibers and are more dangerous when near flame.

A polyester article of clothing could not only burn like most clothing can if in a car fire or a house hold fire but, it will melt, and bond to one's skin!!!

100% polyester is tough fabric; it doesn't really wrinkle much, but, why people seem to like it today is because it's easy to wash and such.

It doesn't hold a crease very well at all... that's why so many trousers in the 70's that were made of 100% polyester had sewn in creases! lol

It makes me itch; I can't stand plastic clothing... it holds body sweat smells and also clings to tobacco smoke smells for years!

So, to answer the question if 100% polyester is a good thing; the answer is NO!

 

[Jovan]

Miracle fabric. When it's hot you're hotter and when it's cold you're colder.

I wish more fabrics were so trustworthy.

lol :eusa_clap

 

[Jerekson]

Oh boy...what have I gotten myself into?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Let me say one word... EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!!

Polyester is plastic fabric; synthetic fabrics are not healthy for one's skin. They do not breath like natural fibers and are more dangerous when near flame.

A polyester article of clothing could not only burn like most clothing can if in a car fire or a house hold fire but, it will melt, and bond to one's skin!!!

There was a story about this in the last week or two. Some senator on some appropriations committee got one of his home-state companies a huge contract for supplying polyester t-shirts & underwear to the military...and it's a huge boondoggle because a fortune in tax dollars was spent to buy stuff that the military is forbidden to use for just those reasons - it melts and bonds to skin and does worse damage than cotton burning off someone would. His quote was something along the lines of back when he was in World War 2, he just hated it that his cotton underthings got all mildewy down in the South Pacific...

But friends who work for the airlines have always said, always wear natural fibers on the plane and comfortable sturdy shoes in case of emergencies so you can get out and get away fast should the need arise. Not much help at 30,000 feet, but if you make it to the ground or something happens on the runway...

 

[Jovan]

Uh... cool?

 

[MrBern]

From what I'm told, vintage Polyester suits tend to retain stink.

But I do like some polyblend travel shirts that are iron-free.

 

[Jovan]

I much prefer the treated cotton ones for that, however. They may cost a bit more, but the comfort is worth it!

EDIT: Anyone notice this page is slowly becoming a column of Spocks?

 

[Forgotten Man]

It's a cheap fabric... I get itchy when I wear it... I find heavy tough wool fabric more comfortable then polyester!

I recall growing up and having to wear flat front polyester pants to church as a kid... I recall how I couldn't wait to get those things off when I got home... my cotton jeans were just so much nicer to wear.

Funny thing, from what I've been told by some tailors is that Dacron Polyester was first used in the 1940's and that's why some of the blends of wool shine on the seat of the pants. Said that it's the polyester that makes it shine... not sure if that's true but, I know rayon will do the same thing.

 

[Jovan]

Well, yes and no. If I recall correctly, pure wool can shine if it's over-ironed or you sit in leather seats too much. But I have done neither, so I cannot speak from experience.

 

[Smithy]

Unfortunately Jerekson, a lot of what has been said negatively about polyester is true. It doesn't breathe and as Mike mentioned because it's basically plastic it'll burn like nobody's business.

Natural fibres are IMHO far nicer to wear. You might however be one of those that ends up loving the suit so wait till you get it to make your mind up.

Just one piece of advice, don't go standing too close to a candle whilst wearing it.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Just one piece of advice, don't go standing too close to a candle whilst wearing it.

Good advice however, a candle will not burn a polyester suit that easily and I have a story to support it.

A good number of years ago, I drove out to a farmer’s field with two friends when it was all dirt before planting. This friend of mine had a 100% polyester suit from the 1970’s he bought at a thrift store… he ended up not liking the suit at all so, he decided to burn it. Now, he had a bag full of fireworks such as Roman candles and a few other fun things.

Well, he hung the suit on a 2x4 he brought a long and stuck it into the soft soil. He lit a Roman Candle and started to shoot fireballs at it… nothing happened! He tried again; they just didn’t catch the suit on fire. He took out a lighter and tried lighting it on fire… it didn’t take to flame… it just melted and bubbled in the heated spot.

So, he then took some gasoline and doused the suit… then shot another fireball at it… it finally took to fire and burned to a pile of melted ugliness.

After our experiment was conducted, we arrived at the conclusion that Polyester isn’t flammable when exposed to flame, unless it has some help from Shell Oil lol Or, it’s consumed by a full out blaze… Even then, it will just melt to your skin.