Whatever size your wardrobe budget, most of us are conscious of spending those dollars wisely. So what’s the best way to know if a particular purchase will “earn its keep” in your closet?
Surprisingly, it's not about finding the lowest price or the biggest mark-down. In fact, all that red ink often leads to foolish, wasteful choices. And so do emotional fantasies and last-minute desperation shopping.
The real answer justifies the seeming splurge of buying fine quality garments, and spares you the buyer’s remorse of discarding a supposed bargain 2 years later – tags still attached.
It’s all in the numbers: the cost-per-wear and the test-of-three. So press the calculator function on your cell phone and let’s try some cost-per-wear examples:
· Example 1: Killer cocktail dress, half price at $129. After one party, all your friends have seen it. Wear it again at an out-of-town conference. $129 divided by 2 wearing = $64.50 CPW
· Example 2: Designer trousers in your key neutral - $250. Feather-weight wool you can wear nine months of the year. Blend with so many tops and sweaters you wear them twice a week in season. Quality fabric lasts 3 years (or more). 2 wearings/week x 36 weeks x 3 years = 216. Divide that into the price for a CPW of $1.16.
· Example 3: Turquoise silk sweater set - $189 both pieces. Year-round fabric, the set works with summer white pants and winter black skirt. The shell works under suits in black and royal blue. The cardigan goes over a cream shell and chocolate brown pants. Too memorable to wear every week, but at least one piece is in use 3/mo. With careful laundering, the set still looks fresh 2 years later. Three wearings x 24 months = 72. CPW $2.62.
Example 4: Dana Buchman pale blue linen jacket reduced from $379 to $29.99 with 15% extra discount coupon. Total $25.50 – WOW. " Not really my color, but maybe I could w ear it over black. Too straight for my curvy body type, but maybe I could add darts. A size too small, but I was going to lose weight anyway, right?" I can’t even calculate a cost for the ZERO times I wore that supposed bargain – hopefully it found a happy new owner at the Goodwill store.
Assure a lower CPW by applying the test-of-three to prospective purchases. Can you combine this purchase at least 3 ways with items you already have in your closet? The turquoise sweater set above passes that test easily. So do the classic trousers.
A one-piece dress often doesn’t lend itself to mixing and matching, so in that case ask if you have three different contexts in which to wear it. My brown and cream jersey dress, for example, is fine at a client meeting, nice enough for a dinner date, and so comfy and wrinkle-free that I wear it nearly every time I hop on an airplane. Its CPW is less than the cost of a candy bar by now. Now that’s a true bargain!
I'd love to hear about the best - and worst - CPW in YOUR closet.
