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 For this reason — and for other key reasons — recommendation: WITHDRAWN.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.
ReneeK says
I love my WalMart towels. They are also the type made to dry faster. They are soft and fluffy and not too heavy. Soft Indulgence, 100% cotton.
I, too, have some of my parent’s wedding towels. 1956, frayed but still going strong. Let’s face it, we’re all here because we know they just don’t make ’em like they used to.
Carole says
Good to know about the Vera Wang towels (the update). Not that I can afford them anyway. lol
When we were married we were given a set of JC Penny towels, and they lasted nearly ten years (they were still good when I tired of them actually lol)! The cotton didn’t ‘rough’ up, and the color didn’t fade. During that time, because we were young marrieds and on a tight budget, I bought some extra towels at Kmart, the Martha Stewart line. They were pretty good, but didn’t stand up to the Penny’s towels in the long run.
I eventually headed for the Penny’s rack. The new towels were not nearly of the same quality as our gift towels, and didn’t last as long, but, the quality was still pretty good for the money. The last batch I bought, the towels weren’t as thick as previous purchases, and though they didn’t fade, they did rough up after only a year. I believe because of a lesser quality of cotton. No more Penny’s towels. The price went up, the quality went down.
We can’t afford Ralph Lauren and other ‘name’ brand towels, and with quality a real factor with anything these days, I’d be cautious in buying anyway. For right now we’re buying towels from IKEA. The quality may not be up to par with some of the high end brands, but they’re affordable, and are working out well for us right now.
Laurie Johnson says
We went with the Fieldcrest from Target, chocolate brown and white with brown detail. Have not been disappointed in the look or the quality.
pam kueber says
I love my 450 thread count sheets from Fieldcrest from Target. I was just in the store the other day and noticed there now are 600 thread count… Might have to put that on the Christmas list…
Beverly says
“Magnificence” by 1888 Mills. They’re a good, sturdy quality, finished well, not too thick and not too thin. I haven’t bought any towels yet, but did order several wash cloths and hand towels. A lovely bed and breakfast we stayed in in Asheville, NC, The Queen Anne”, stocked the rooms with this brand. I loved them! And they’re made in the USA – a plus for me.
Ericka says
I try to buy only made in usa products. Where can I buy these towels?
pam kueber says
I don’t know, Ericka, sorry.
cloudsandskye says
Here you go:
http://madeinusaforever.com/mabatomainus.html
Andrew says
You can also find these on amazon.com. My wife and I have been looking for better towels and we’ve went through 1 full set of towels and just bought another full set (both full sets were bought at JCPenney and the latest set was one of the few brands that weren’t actually made by JCPenney themselves) and we’ve only been using our own towels for 1 year and 3 months. This latest set we’ve only had for 2 months and 1 of them is already starting to fall apart. We will give a long hard look at these 1888 towels. They look to be really good quality. Thanks
KittenPoker says
Regardless of the towel, make sure you DON’T use a dryer sheet. The sheet coats the fibers for softness but makes the towel less absorbent.
We have also have Restoration Hardware towels. I snagged them on sale in 2006 and they’re still pretty awesome. I’ll have to check out the Kohl’s/Vera Wang for my guest bathroom!
Patty says
I hate really thick towels or any towel like a velour. I especially like thin towels for my hair. The ones I use for my hair now are 20 years old and getting thread bare but I doubt I could find suitable replacements. I probably bought them at a discount store.
Towel preferences vary widely.
Kitty says
Patty, my daughter didn’t (she grew up and moved out) like thick towels either. K-Mart still carries a line of thin, but seemingly durable, small sized bath towels.
Dulcie says
I don’t have any towel recommendations, but I discovered a way to really reduce my weekly laundry. I bought 3 towels for each my kids, each kid has a different color and/or pattern. They’re not allowed to leave their towels lying in the bathroom, they must stay in their room and they’re not allowed to use any towels but their own. This way, they reuse towels without having to worry about being infected with sibling cooties plus, if they leave a towel lying around so it doesn’t dry properly between showers, they’re stuck drying off with a damp towel since they aren’t allowed to use any towels but their own. I don’t even keep towels stored in the bathroom anymore, taking away the temptation of ‘borrowing’ someone else’s. I’ve gone from washing 4 or 5 loads of towels a week to 1 or 2, which is pretty good considering I’m living with 3 teenagers.
kim/reluctant renovator says
This is brilliant! We’ll be moving into our new house in a couple of months and I’m on the hunt for all sorts of product and organization advice. I’m going to try this with my two teen/tween boys.
bepsf says
Three Words:
Lands’
End
Supima
http://www.landsend.com/pp/SupimaWashclothHandBathTowels~225485_669.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::DTK&CM_MERCH=IDX_ForTheHome-_-Bath-_-BathTowels&origin=index
kitty says
I bought Lands End towels in 1984 that I still use. The ones I bought last year were awful and I sent them back. Don’t know what I’ll do when the old ones are really gone.
Kate H says
I have Ralph Lauren towels now and they are fine, but they didn’t change my life or anything. I don’t use dryer sheets or Downey, as those both affect absorbency.
gavin hastings says
One other thing:
Towels are the one household item that I put on a charge card. Why? Because I would never stand in a department store and shell out over $300/400 for this item.
By charging it…I can play “Mr Big”, spend more than I really should, and pay in digestible bites.
You pay more in the end- but it is the one expense that I think is outside the rule.