Some people, like Ms. Day, find labels uncomfortable, while others object to having another person’s name or corporate logo on their clothes. Still others think tags detract from the attractiveness of garments, particularly when they show through something sheer or flip up so they are visible above a collar or waistband. (All the more distressing when strangers, or your mother-in-law, tuck them back in for you.)

Susan Fisher, 56, of New York, who wears designer clothes by Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera and Jil Sander, uses nail scissors to snip the stitching around labels and tweezers to pull out the threads. “Why leave them in there when they’re only going to annoy you?” she said. “The washing instructions are meaningless to me because I err on the side of caution and dry clean everything, and I don’t really care who made it as long as it looks good on me.”

Those who are sensitive about their size may also be quick to cut out labels. Rozlind Power, 27, an events planner in Houston who used to sell clothes in a high-end boutique, said it’s common for people to remove labels if the size is bigger than their self-image. “It’s understandable when sizes vary so much,” Ms. Power said. “I wear an XS at Banana Republic but have a bridesmaid’s dress by Betsey Johnson that is Size 10, which I would probably cut out if I had to look at it all the time.”

Zak Graff, 34, a marketing consultant in Los Angeles, said he likes the cut and fit of the Spanish brand Zara, but “the labels drive me crazy because they are 2 to 3 inches long and stacked one on top of another.” (Any clothing sold in the European Union must have attached labels translated into every member country’s language.)