Before we can go shopping, we need to understand the first cardinal quotient of purchase evaluation.
Cost per wear = Cost of the item/# of times you will wear it
Imagine you and I at the clearance rack. Cutting our way through closely stacked hangers in search of wardrobe recruits. Suddenly you spot a $10 price tag on a jersey skirt that is only one size too small. You ask me is this $10 cute? A small tear will fall from my eye as I look at this lazy, excuse for a skirt. $10 is more than I would pay for torture. That skirt’s primary purpose in life is to turn bottoms into lumpy potato sacks? I assume you will only be able to endure the pain once, but should you attempt to wear it again, don’t worry it will lose color and ball up in the wash.
Then as we persevere on, you hold up a $99.95 jacket and ask me if I think it is overpriced. My fingers will quickly dart to examine the double stitching on the princess seamed structure. The little bit of detail that speaks to your unique personality. I’ll imagine you pulling it out of your closet at least 100 times over the next three years. Enclosing your midsection in svelte confidence. $1.00 or less per wear for an industrious blazer that goes with everything? No I don’t think that’s overpriced.
The question is not, how much does it cost, but how valuable do I feel when I put it on. Clothes are just a cloak for the confidence beneath, but they are an easy way to amplify your best self.
We’ll get into more math tomorrow, but start wrapping your mind around this fundamental truth today.
I appreciate the story and the food for thought, however, I – like many of your readers I suspect – have a very hard time digesting advice about using so much money to fill our wardrobes. Many of us live on a budget. Especially in these hard economic times. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want or deserve to be stylish.
I would like to see you give more budget friendly advice – such as alternatives to buying everything at one of the most expensive stores around (anthro).
I agree that you get what you pay for.
I agree that one well made item will serve you better than 10 poorly-made items.
However, since I cannot go to work naked except for a stunning $100 blazer, I have to buy clothes for my entire body at a price I can afford. And I don’t need to wait until I’ve finally collected all of the right expensive pieces to look good.
And since I am a single mom of 3 children, I cannot spend $100 on a blazer (just using your example). I need $100 of groceries instead.
Is your target audience only those who can afford to shop at Anthro? Surely not – that would be awfully descriminatory. I believe you want all of us to feel pretty.
I know full well that the outfits I can buy at Target might fall apart in 20 washes, but like I said, I still have to cover my butt and I’m not afraid to use my money for more important things right now.
Please, please consider your blog audience. Most of us cannot afford the garments you recommend, but I’m willing to bet I’m not the only person who loves your style tips. 🙂
Please give us more affordable options and don’t bash our decision to choose that skirt that will eventually fall apart. That only makes us feel not-so-pretty.
Thank you so much.
thanks for the great advice! it really helps to put things in perspective when shopping. I totally agree! looking forward to more shopping/style tips in the future!
AMEN!
My husband is so tired of me telling him this concept…
The older I get the more true this advice becomes. Can’t wait for more tips.
Like the first commentor above, I also struggle with spending a lot of money on clothing for myself. HOWEVER, I truly believe that what you’re telling us is absolutely true. Quality items will be well worth the money. I think the biggest stumbling block for most of us Moms-in-the-trenches is admitting that we are worth it. We usually put ourselves last on the priority list.
I love reading your blog because you help me to realize my inner goddess! I look at the copious amounts of clearance rack items in my closet and realize that the “cost per wear” on all of it is outragous.
Thanks for everything Reachel, and I can’t wait for more tips!
This is great advice. I think whether or not you have 100 bucks to spend on a blazer, the same principle applies with cheap clothes. We shouldn’t just buy something, even a $5 item because it is cheap; on the contrary, I have found many $10-15 items that I wear at least 100 times over 3 years. Is that a crime?
i have always known this was true, but that didn’t stop me from shopping those clearance racks and picking up a few jersey skirts now and then, if you know what i mean. however, i really gained a testimony of the cost per wear idea this christmas. i bought myself some fancy jeans. i spent more on those jeans than i have on any other clothing item in my whole life, including my wedding dress. but you know what? i have worn them almost every day since and they make me feel fabulous. so it was totally worth it!
I completely buy into the cost per wear advice. Lets say you are like me, and fall into the trap of buying (throughout the year) 10 items off the clearance rack for 10 dollars each. Then, to your chagrin, you end up not loving these items, or they end up not fitting you well, or they fall apart. I, for one, would rather have spent that 100 dollars on one item that I LOVED, didn’t fall apart, and fit perfectly. It’s about Quality not quantity.
Amanda-
Finding something your LOVE for $10-$15 is certainly not a crime. It is either the result of very good luck or very hard work, either way it is a lovely treasure.
Rachel-the prices I used in this example were for illustration purposes only. There are many good options to be found for under $100. And I don’t expect anyone to sacrifice unnecessarily or go into debt for a wardrobe, I just expect them to invest in the best they can afford. I do feature Anthropologie clothing, primarily because I work there and I am intimately familiar with how each item fits and flatters. And I completely recommend looking for sale items there. Every Tuesday there are mark downs, and I have found many items there for under $20 and even under $10. Stay tuned, I promise to go shopping at other locales this week, but before we can go shopping, we have to learn the rules. Please be patient, I promise it will pay off.