So how much time do you spend on fashion/clothes? - YouLookFab Forum

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So how much time do you spend on fashion/clothes?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Rachylou's thread about online shopping (and returning) made me think about a connected question: how much time do you think you spend on your wardrobe - not just shopping, but shopping, time on YLF, maybe taking some pictures to post, browsing catalogs/websites, returning items that didn't work out, keeping a budget if you have one, maintaining your clothes, the periodic cull and trip to the thrift store, etc? If I were honest with myself I probably spend a couple hours a week on it, more of course if I count doing the laundry, which is a bit of a combination thing since I also wash my husband's clothes and household items. I probably go to the mall or a clothing store once every couple of weeks, at least to browse. And I probably spend some time online or looking through catalogs that came in the mail every day or two.

If I put together all the time I've spent at YLF since I joined, I probably could have written War and Peace in the interim, but then, fashion's a hobby not just a practical necessity for me, and I suspect for most of us here.

General

35 replies

Latest reply was from MsMary

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I'd spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hrs a day - it's my primary hobby and a lot of my friends and I love to gab about clothes ... sometimes it spills over into work too, when someone wants to come in and talk to me about what they should wear for an interview, for example

I don't really have other hobbies, so I'm pretty fine with it. There's a range of stuff that I do with "fashion" anyway - some of it's more chores stuff (tailoring, laundry) and some of it's fun (YLF, browsing catalogues) and some of it is financial (selling, buying), and some of it is just eye candy (mall walking, usually).

In terms of money, I spend between $400 and $600/mth recently on clothes, but I had a few big holes to close up, and now I'm pretty much done.

columbine(erin)

Veteran

Edited because I misread the question. Hmm. Probably spend several hours a week, including time spent browsing here.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

Ugh. I'm in a bad cycle right now, where it's at least a couple of hours a day every day. I'm trying to wean myself slowly, but I might need to go cold turkey!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Here in FL I spend an hour or two a day I'm sure. Back home in Tahoe that dwindles to an hour or two per week. What can I say? I have time to kill and no ride, man. lol

Tina

Veteran

I'm not telling.

Seriously though, B&M shopping is next to none because there is really nothing where I live. We go to a major city about once every 3 months or so, then I'll spend about 5-10 hours in the mall in a 2-3 day span.
Time on YLF is easily 30 min to an hour a day. I don't do a lot if other online reading though.
YLF has been good in that it has lessened my online browsing, I think it's helped with keeping my shopping in line (how's that for justifying my time here:-)). Other clothing related time, an hour or so a week maybe. I don't take pictures, I imagine that would be somewhat time consuming. I do enjoy the WIWs on this forum a lot.

minimalist

Veteran

A *LOT* more than it looks like.

Lyn D.

Veteran

Probably at least 2 hours per day!
Even when I am walking, sleeping I often find myself thinking about YLF and fashion generally.

shedev

Veteran

Mine is at least a couple hours a day. I also spend a fair amount of time on fitness and cooking.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I think I'm less "into it" than many on this forum, but I do like clothes and talking about fashion. I stumbled across YLF five or so years ago while searching for information about (if I remember correctly) how to keep your jeans from sliding down, and got hooked. But YLF is the only fashion website that I look at. I don't regularly read any other fashion blogs, I don't use Pinterest for style ideas, and I don't spend a lot of time shopping, online or otherwise. I don't even read the Wednesday YLF posts because it's always about some random woman, and I don't care enough about fashion to be interested in what she's wearing.

What I DO enjoy is feeling stylish, and keeping up with the current trends by following what Angie has to say helps me do that. Also, I like Angie. She's got class. And it helps that I agree with her judgment most of the time. I used to read Sally at Already Pretty, but she often posted selfies wearing outfits that I thought were terrible, and then she got her hair cut into a style that is, on her, unflattering (to my eye, anyway), so I stopped trusting her sense of style and eventually lost interest in reading.

I like the other women on this forum, too, which also helps keep me coming back. Sometimes people ask interesting questions. And also, sometimes I feel like sharing, so I start a conversation. I think for me, it's as much about the community. I'd spend less time each week thinking and talking about fashion if I stopped coming here.

I have to say, though, that when I DO go shopping, I really enjoy it. Especially if it's shoes. I just love having good shoes.

deb

Veteran

Probably four or five hours a week.

sarah

Veteran

These days, what with work being so crazy, probably about 15 min./day.

kkards

Veteran

including time on this forum, 5-10 hours a week, but as lyn* said, fashion is my hobby.

Echo

Veteran

Way. Too. Much! In my defense, however, I live in the middle of nowhere so brick and mortar shopping trips aren't often nor are they productive, so most shopping must be done online. And I buy much of the clothing for the kids online as well. What can I say? It's a hobby!

Catnip

Veteran

Between shopping in real stores, online shopping, reading YLF and a few other fashion blogs, laundry, going to the cleaners and the tailors, etc., probably 2+ hours per day. That will hopefully fall to no more than one hour per day when I finish updating my spring and summer wardrobe. I'm spending much more time than I used to before YLF, and am hoping that eventually all this time and effort will pay off.

Marmee

Veteran

I afraid to add up my time. I feel like I spend too much time B&M shopping and returning, or returning online purchases. My health club is two blocks from Nordstrom.

You've inspired me to at least log the time I spend on shopping and returns. I'm just not sure how I can go about it more efficiently.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I would be afraid to tally it up.

A LOT of time.

Pretty much all of it here, though. I almost never look at other fashion blogs (and usually only if linked to on here) and I don't really do much online browsing unless I am trying to fill a wardrobe hole. Although if I am trying to fill a hole, I can spend a fair bit of time online looking for it.

And I think I am here as much for the community (or more so) as for the fashion. I love Angie's blog and trust her advice, but I also love having fashion friends because I don't have them in my real life. In fact, when we were deliberating about my going to the Boston meet up (which was a splurge for me and felt a bit crazy with the amount of travelling I have to do in general over the next few months) my husband noted that I really hadn't spent much time with female friends for a long while and he felt as if my YLF friends had become as close as some real life friends so it would do my soul good to spend some time with them.

Style Fan

Veteran

When I think about it I spend a lot of time. Reading, thinking, planning, shopping, etc.

When I was working (I retired 2 1/2 years ago YIKES!!) I spent a lot more time and money shopping for clothes and planning outfits. I also lived in a city with malls and boutiques. Unfortunately I did not know about YLF. I always loved fashion and read lots of books but nothing has come close to Angie. She is amazing.

Now I live in a rural community and I rarely shop. I do when I go on a trip somewhere but I do not wear the same clothes as a few years ago. I spend time reading YLF and trying to figure out what I should buy and where. Clothes and fashion are one of my hobbies. I spend a few hours a day on this but not buying. I talk to some of my friends about clothes. I use Pininterest. I look at online stores but have not really bought clothes that way. I prefer to shop in RL. I also organize my clothes and maintain them. I am a bit of a nut that way. My clothes and shoes last forever.

Jules

Veteran

Wayyyy too much?

Deborah

Veteran

I am too scared to actually work it out! On the three days a week that I am at work, I have YLF open on my desktop, so I pop in and out as I get a moment. The other days depend on what's happening but I am usually on line each day. That's YLF, but I also browse online, play in my closet and think about fashion a lot. It's one of my main interests.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

YLF is hobby and therapy for me. An island of civility in a sometimes not so civilized world. I also thrift and sell clothes as a hobby/mini-business. Putting it altogether I would say I have three part-time jobs and this is one of them!

deb

Veteran

Really, how can you put a time or price on something as good as YLF???

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Deb, I like the way you put it.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Fashion is a hobby of mine. But I also do lots of other things. And this little corner of the interwebs has had a net positive influence on my life. Mostly because of the real people I've met here and become friends with over the years.
In other words if you ever get a chance to meet a YLF'er in real life, GO!

Gigi

Veteran

I like how shevia put it: YLF is hobby and therapy for me. I probably spend 2-3 hours a day on clothes (online shopping/browsing plus YLF). I don't get out much, so being able to interact on the forum is a big social event for me. Plus, I don't have any friends who are into fashion, so YLF helps me nurture that side of my personality. I think that fact that this is an online community with a lot of "regulars" whom you get to know helps it become more than just entertainment...there's real, meaningful social interaction.

Adelfa

Veteran

I didn't click on this thread for a few hours because I was afraid to think what my answer might be. I still don't want to add it up. I will say, though, when I briefly thought of giving up fashion and ylf for Lent, I immediately noticed that I started spending my time in ways that didn't seem to have as restorative an effect on me.

Dee

Veteran

Probably more time than I should! At least five hours a week, I would guess. I used to spend a bit of time daily reading fashion blogs but quite a few of my favorite bloggers shut down their blogs. Now I've been spending more time reading here. And then a bit of browsing/shopping on the weekends. Don't do much online browsing though, unless I need something specific. I'm relieved this isn't completely outside the norm for this crowd!

magpie

It totally depends. A couple of times a year, for a stretch of a few weeks, I get really into it and spend a couple of hours a day on it. (It doesn't help that I'm in that weird in-between-plus-and-misses-sizes area around 14/16, so I spend a lot of time online just looking for websites that sell stuff I like and can wear). The rest of the time, maybe a couple of hours a month reading blogs or flipping through magazines.

Neel

Veteran

I think I spend 18 hours a day thinking about fashion/ylf/shopping (closet/online/b&m) .... barring the 6 hours for sleep. I sometimes even dream fashion o_O! BUT I have a real life and real needs too. So I am mostly multi tasking. Like while I read this post and replies and typed a reply ... I have made breakfast and set the table and kids are now eating .... Obviously it takes longer to read and respond to one post ... But then I can't think of a continuous break free time for my hobbies for now

Oh I am also on whatsapp 24/7

carolbee

Veteran

Much more than I should!! Although as I'm retired it doesn't really matter, but I have been finding that my closet contents are expanding, and I don't want to continue doing that, so my have to curtail things.

Suz, your DH is a real sweetheart, I am way impressed at his encouragement.

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