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Girls borrow clothes from one another as casually and naturally as boys poke each other in the ribs and see who can eat the most pizza. But there is some basic protocol to be aware of when borrowing a friend’s clothes.
Borrowing clothes can be preplanned. If you know that Brittney has an adorable baby-blue sweater that will go perfectly with your brown jeans, you might call or text her and ask if you can borrow her adorable baby-blue sweater to wear to the movie on Friday night.
Or borrowing clothes can be an act comparable to spontaneous combustion when two or more girls gather at one house to get ready to go out—“out” being anything from walking four blocks down the street to the park where the boys’ soccer team practices or to a kick-off-the-seventh-grade party in the school gym.
Girls arrive at the staging house carrying tote bags stuffed with potential outfits to audition for the other girls. The hostess’s closet is raided, and by the time the group leaves the house, no one is wearing anything—except underwear—that belongs to them.
YOU DO
Ask before borrowing an article of clothing, pair of boots, or piece of jewelry from a friend, a sister, or your mom.
YOU DON’T
Take something thinking they won’t mind or that you’ll get it back before they notice.
Why
Borrowing something without asking is almost like stealing and you would never do that. Besides, you are bound to run into the person you “borrowed” the plaid skirt from while you are wearing it.
YOU DO
Understand the boundaries for what is acceptable to borrow.
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YOU DON’T
Borrow underwear, makeup, hairbrushes, or anything with the tags still on it.
Why
Borrowing underwear is far too intimate, even for sisters. Sharing makeup or hairbrushes may result in sharing far more than you bargained for. The first person to wear a new article of clothing should always be the person who owns it.
YOU DO
Return the item of clothing cleaned, wrinkle-free, folded, or on a hanger.
YOU DON’T
Return a dirty shirt, a knotted necklace, or mud-spattered shoes.
Why
Being a responsible borrower is as important as being a courteous houseguest. You are a temporary caretaker of someone else’s property.
YOU DO
Return what you borrowed in a timely fashion.
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YOU DON’T
Wait until the person you borrowed something from has to come and retrieve it.
Why
Borrowing is a temporary lease, not a permanent trade or purchase.
A lady does not borrow something that she knows is too small for her.
A lady launders or dry-cleans clothing that she borrows before returning it.
A lady replaces something she borrows with the identical item if she stains, tears, or otherwise makes the item unwearable. If that is not possible, she offers to reimburse her friend with cash for the ruined item.