I have done numerous stories on bathroom towels with retro style. I usually focus on the towels’ design. But anyone who has ever used and washed a bath towel a gazillion times knows that how the towel wears — or doesn’t — is even more important, in terms of making it a household favorite, not to mention a wise expenditure. We’ve had plenty of pretty towels start to unravel, or get pilly, or rough, way too soon. I am most definitely not the princess & the pea, so this doesn’t tend to bother me. But, other family members are *sensitive* types. Which means they are constantly, and annoyingly, wanting to try other towels every year or so. This is expensive! Towels should last a lot longer than a year! So now we get to the recommendation:
The recommendation: Simply Vera Vera Wang Simply Soft towels… but…
BUT, UPDATE Oct. 23 — The family now has washed the towels and bad news, some of the towels did not hold their color. They got that blotchy rusty look in spots. Dear Husband went online and found complaints. Although, there also seems to be info that these spots are caused by face care products. For this reason — and for other key reasons — recommendation: WITHDRAWN.
Where to find the best bath towels: Buy them vintage on etsy.com or ebay or at estate sales or thrift shops
Read through all the comments and maybe like me, you will come to the conclusion that the best value in bath towels is to buy them VINTAGE. That’s right. The bath towels made in th 50s, 60s, 70s — maybe even into the 80s — seem to have been much better made. They last forever. They may be “thinner” than the plush towels today — but *plushy comfort* aside, they seem to be more absorbent. They don’t pill… again, they seem to last on and on.
Where to find them: Search etsy.com — where I usually can find a good selection, including New Old Stock. Check ebay, too. These sellers probably found these towels at estate sales and thrift shops like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Also check with family — parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles — they might have extras (including New Old Stock they never opened) that they would be happy to give you, once you admired them.
chris says
Here’s a story to prove the old “they don’t make ’em like they used to” expression.
I have some of my parents old towels — gifts from their wedding in 1964!
These towels are gorgeous and fluffy. I started using them about 20 years ago.
So — these towels are going on 50 years old — still lovely and not all puckered at the end or frayed.
The ones I got for my wedding in ’98 are like little rags.
Bryan says
Restoration Hardware’s Turkish Cotton Terry cloth towels. In 28 colors. They are just simply amazing towels. They changed the “Silver Sage” color a year or so ago, so I ended up having to buy different complimentary color. I was ticked off, but the quality of the towels speaks for themselves. If you have one near you, I would definitely give them a look.
Peggy says
I discovered a brand I love carried by J.C. Penney called Linden Street. They are made in India. These are advertised as being eco friendly because they dry very fast which cuts down on dryer energy usage. My old towels used to take a 50 minute cycle on high and these totally dry in 30 minutes on the high setting. They aren’t thick and fluffy, but I like the interesting thread twist design and the thickness is suitable. I use a new towel each time I shower, so these are all washed once a week and I have had them over two years and they look new. I buy only white towels, so I can’t vouch for the color fastness of them.
effika says
I’m still using JC Penney towels that I bought 9 years ago. They’ve faded (of course) but remain soft and thick and absorbent. We recently got another set as a wedding present. I don’t know what the quality will be like with these new towels, but they are very soft and absorbent!
Natalie says
I LOVE my Pottery Barn towels! I have washed them every week for over two years and they are just as thick, plush, and vibrantly colored as ever.
alice says
We too have some Pottery Barn towels for our original pink bathroom and they have held up well and stay fluffy and colorful. Some of their patterns work well with the retro theme.
I also agree with Gavin, more towels, more rotation helps.
Katey says
I was a big fan of the KMart Martha Stewart Egyptian Cotton towels… but they’ve been discontinued. My biggest towel-wear peeve is when the stripe shrinks and puckers up. So in general I look for towels with no stripes- just bound edges- and I don’t wash them after every use! I also dry almost all my laundry on LOW heat, which seems to make everything last longer.
My idiot male roommate is notorious for taking my neutral colored towels so in response to that I bought a set of screamingly salmon pink towels at Walmart that he can’t mistake for his own. I bought them just for the color, at a rediculous low price, but they’re already feeling worn- they’re just not well constructed.
katie a.a.w. says
when registering for my wedding in 2008, i stumbled upon “suite collection” towels at bed, bath, & beyond. i haven’t bought any since, so i can’t speak to the (often inevitable) reduction in quality that some manufacturers do to a trusted product as the years go on, but a quick glance at their website finds that the wide range of colors is gone, the price is reduced, and they have been phased out. overall, we absolutely love these towels and it was the #1 reason that we registered at BB&B., but i guess we will have to find a substitute. 🙁
gavin hastings says
I have had pretty good luck with the Ralph Lauren line. 3 years and still ok.
I think the secret is buying ALOT of a towels- so that you are constantly rotating the stock. An extra 50 bucks might buy you a few more years……
There are 2 people here in the house. !0 bath and 12 hand towels.
gsciencechick says
I’ve always used JCPenney towels, but I don’t think they even have the same quality as we bought 5 years ago when we got married, that they have changed their line. However, they do have an excellent color selection. Our main bath towels are yellow and azure blue, which I can’t really find the azure anymore to replace them.
Target seems to have a good variety of colors, but I don’t know anything about quality. Same thing for Bed Bath & Beyond.
katie a.a.w. says
we have some great hand towels in our bathroom (i had to get white, though, because i couldn’t find the right color blur or green to go with our retro crane fixtures and vintage wallpaper) from target. they are sort of ribbed and the tag only says “home” with the target bullseye. i recollect that they had a specific name for the line, but the tag isn’t giving me anything.
anyway, have absolutely loved these towels. i just bought them a quick freshen-up for the bathroom, but would absolutely buy again. very durable, yet the softest towels we own.
JefferyK says
I believe the ribbed towels from Target are the Spa Home line — they are 25% bamboo rayon. Not super absorbent, but soft and, most importantly, NO LINT. I bought other towels from Target that were a little cheaper and 100% cotton, and they never stopped linting (is “to lint” a verb?). I mean, after 10 washings they were still leaving lint everywhere: me, the floor, the walls. I hated them.
katie a.a.w. says
yes! the target at home spa line. that is exactly right. i spotted them in this week’s circular on sale and rushed in here to add the info, but you’ve already hit the nail on the head. i really do love this particular line of towels.
generally, i have had great success with bamboo and beech/modal products. plus, bamboo is naturally anti-microbial. i notice that these towels don’t have any musty stink after many hand dryings. some towels do. i mean, let’s face it, the bathroom can get musty sometimes.
pam kueber says
Hi Katie, I just read that the FTC is not allowing companies to say textiles made from bamboo are anti-microbial, because the processing required strips that property away. That said, thanks for sharing your experience with these towels — I’m betting the color selection is good and the price is right.
katie a.a.w. says
hmm, that is interesting. in my previous job in outdoor retail we sold bamboo clothes for travel/backpacking/camping that had the anti-microbial claim as their main selling point/appeal.
pam kueber says
here is what I read, I was nosing around the intertubes studying the issue of environmental and sustainability claims, another big interest of mine — http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/08/bamboo.shtm and http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/us-consumer-watchdog-says-shoo-to-bamboo-textiles.html
Amber says
Brookstone has some nice bamboo towels! I want to check them out. I love that they don’t look crazy-thick. http://www.brookstone.com/Bamboo-Yarn-Towels
Nancy says
Towels! How I long for Martex Patrician towels of yore….made in America, soft and fluffy when machine dried, fabulously rough when air dried, absorbent and long lived. Of course, next to nothing is made in the USA now and the “zero twist” options available from China, Pakistan and India are super soft but like rubbing down with a piece of polyester. I’m thinking I might try a set made in Turkey or Portugal next and would be delighted to hear any other suggestions from your readers that share my pain! And don’t get me started on bed linens!
So enjoy your blog….
weed30 says
Nancy – you must try Kohl’s Luxury Collection 600 Thread Count Sateen Sheet Set ! Here is a link:
http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/bedroom/sheets/solid/PRD~c4090/Luxury+Collection+600Thread+Count+Sateen+Sheet+Set.jsp
They are the only sheets I have purchased in years. Sort of a brushed cotton, so they are soft right out of the package – I hate how most sheets need to be broken in. They are also what I call ‘temperature neutral’ – they don’t feel cold in the winter! You could buy just a couple pillow cases if you want to test them out.
They really are great sheets. The down side is they don’t come in the greatest colors. I have white and pale blue, but I don’t see pale blue in their current offerings.
weed30 says
YIKES! I just saw the current pricing! No way did I pay $180 for sheets!! I think at the time I bought them, they were $149 full price, on sale for 30% off, and I had an additional coupon. That is one thing I am irritated about with Kohl’s – about 2 or so years ago they really jacked up the prices on everything. 20% or 30% off these days seems to get you down to the old full retail price. Hmph.