The trouble with mending, and all the cute visible mending trends especially, is that mending is predicated on the idea that what you have is an essentially sturdy garment that has worn out in a high-wear area or gotten damaged/torn. Whereas what most of us are actually dealing with is cheaply made shit that has simply given out at the first sign of adversity. If you mend something that's weak to begin with, it's entirely likely that it will just tear at the edge of the mend, which will suddenly be the strongest part of the garment. Or if your shirt has worn through or ripped out at the seam, it's just a crap shirt, and you can fix that seam, but another will give soon, and you have to make an honest assessment of whether the work you put in is worth it. My cheap Hanes white cotton socks blow out at the heels far faster than they ever used to, and fuck a bunch of that, but I'd never bother darning them. They'll just blow out at the toes in a month.
I don't have a solution to offer for this that doesn't involve spending either more money or more time. It is still barely possible to buy quality clothing, but it costs more than most of us can afford. And you can still make your own clothing, but as the skills and tools become less common, it's all the harder to learn. All I can say is look around, make a real assessment of your resources (like, say, Grandma still has a working machine and a stash of probably unfashionable but maybe cute fabric, or you think you can afford two pairs of good work pants a year and then keep them mended), and do your best.
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