https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:50:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number/page/2#post-784737 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:54:29 +0000 cheryl 784737@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I try to track cost per wear on all new purchases and I aim to get my items to $1 cost per wear. It makes it easier for me to decide how much I love something. Oh, those Cons are 30 bucks, will I want to wear them at least 30 times, if the answer is yes, then to me its a good purchase. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-784677 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:18:45 +0000 bj1111 784677@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>my answer is, it depends. it's a function of the size of our budget, are we quantity vs quality and what the item is. i buy expensive stuff the cost of which still shocks me, but i LOVE the items and if i wear each one a handful of times before i discard them or rotate them to the back f the closet, the cpw is still reasonable to me, regardless of the amount.</p> <p>on the other hand, i hate spending any money on basics, even if i will wear the same black tank under different jackets, that the cpw is now 25cents. i just recently got over this by buying exorbitantly priced tissue tnecks from jcrew. but i have worn these so frequently and have been just the right thing to take sleeveless tunics and dresses into the cold, that the cpw will be down to maybe 50cents by the spring. still, i cringe a little everytime i remember the original price. cringing is different from shock in the above example.</p> <p>also, for me the cpw is adjustedby the joy i feel when i wear the item...</p> <p>cpw=cost/(number of times worn x joy per wear). </p> <p>many expensive items fit this category. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-784661 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:58:35 +0000 Charmian 784661@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't track CPW. As I see it, most folks use CPW to either spend higher than they're accustomed to ("it's going to be a workhorse") or to purge an item ("I've gotten my value from this piece").</p> <p>I need both, but do it in a slightly different manner. I keep an outfit log, and I set and stick to both a budget and a one-in-one-out policy. Lastly, I don't purge an item until it's completely worn out, and if it's a workhorse I'll do my best to make that item last as long as possible.</p> <p>Waiting until an item is worn out means I feel good (enough) about purging items that I don't need CPW to justify the purge. Unfortunately, it also means that I have a "hitlist" of items that I'm ready to purge but haven't worn out yet. This is where the outfit log comes in; I have a list of almost-fab outfits that I can draw upon to wear out the unfab item faster. </p> <p>The budget and one-in-one-out policy keeps me laser-focused on the items I bring in -- I'll typically have contemplated it for a season (and the outfit log is used to justify its usefulness in my wardrobe!) and had to shuffle things around in the budget to do so.</p> <p>My entire complicated system hangs together only because I live in a climate with almost-indistinguishable seasons and because my style is minimal modern classic: I don't need to jump on trendy items, but I do need items that look great in a minimal outfit (which requires a lot of sleuthing), and I can wear my items almost year-round. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-784554 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:41:50 +0000 Mo 784554@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Denise, if ever you need to re home some of these jeans of yours, I could be a potential buyer Especially any of your BF's. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-784408 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:42:17 +0000 CocoLion 784408@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My CPW calculation (and it's just a guess) comes into play when I am editing. It goes like this: you got that top for $20. You wore it once. It was a mistake. OK to purge? Yes. Another example: embroidered jeans. $90. Wore twice, dislike them now because they slide down (like a lot of pants do on me). But I can't get myself to purge them, because the CPW is $45. I guess that is what eBay is for. One of these days... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-784404 Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:18:04 +0000 Anne Boleyn 784404@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>At this point, I'd guess that the CPW of all but my nice interview clothes is under $1... but that's because I thrift, buy secondhand or at deep discounts. Even my leather boots that ended up being $50 with resoling are edging down there now that they've been worn basically daily for over a month. </p> <p>I don't track it, but I do consider it, especially now that I've realized that between my clumsiness and China's grossness, my boots probably won't last more than this year. However, I will wear them 5-6 times a week for 4-5 months, so at that rate, a $50 pair of warm shoes that I LOVE LOVE LOVE is totally worth it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-783130 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:32:52 +0000 Anonymous 783130@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I track the cost of the garment itself; however, I have a very good qualitative idea of how much I wear a particular garment. If I wear it quite a lot, in my mind, I know that it is pennies per wear. I am also aware of those garments that I only wore one or two times before they end up at the good will. I consider them "fails" and I try to figure out just why they failed for future reference. Most times they were either impulse buys or something I "settled for" when I couldn't find exactly what I wanted and opted not to wait. Always a fail. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-783008 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:16:26 +0000 Ingunn 783008@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't track CPW either, because when I tried, the results became more confusing than clarifying. I try to stick to a budget instead, and I'm more probable to spend on items that will get a lot of wear (coats, jeans, boots &amp; everyday shoes, versatile dresses etc) than special occasion wear. That way, I feel that I get the most out of my money. I'm also more likely to hold on longer to my more costly purchases, and thus they last longer in my wardrobe, getting the CPW down. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782996 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:50:28 +0000 shedev 782996@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I dont officially track it, but I do consider CPW when I'm looking at more expensive items. For me, tops and dresses are where I get the highest CPW. Jeans, shoes, and coats end up under $1 mostly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782949 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:43:27 +0000 Anonymous 782949@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't track CPW. I just know that whenever an item gets worn repeatedly, I'm getting a lot for the money. If something hangs in the closet and never gets worn, it's not a bargain, no matter how little I paid for it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782901 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:35:14 +0000 bella 782901@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My utterly, completely, totally arbitrary CPW is $3.<br /> Currently, most of my dresses (excluding formal wear) are around $5 mark. About 2/3 of my bottoms, 3/4 of my tops, half of my sweaters, half of my jackets, 2/3 of my shoes are below $3 CPW.<br /> Like Claire, I would try to wear high CPW items just to bring down the cost and that didn't make me happy. Nowadays, I am just using it to understand my current preferences, to pinpoint the high CPW items in my wardrobe and understand why they don't work for me and to inform my future purchasing decisions.<br /> Oh, ETA: I've been doing this for at least 2 years now, you shouldn't make decisions based on CPW too early in my opinion, you need at least a full year to go through all of your seasons. And then for really high quality and high price items, even a full year is not enough to bring down the CPW to a reasonable level. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782895 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:24:37 +0000 Anonymous 782895@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I used to track CPW loosely in my head but then I found myself wearing things I didn't even want to wear, just to prove a point to myself. Now I just kind of look for a "dollar cost average" CPW to even things out. I think an item's potential CPW is an excellent thing to consider at the point of purchase though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782703 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:15:16 +0000 Caro in Oz 782703@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks rae - no I've heard good things about it but can't find it here in Australia where I live. I buy online but need a good idea of size before I'll pay a lot for something. We don't have the return policies here that you have unfortunately. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782698 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:08:10 +0000 Raisin 782698@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lol, Lyn! I could see myself doing that! It would be like a contest for me to get the CPW super low....hmmm....maybe not a good idea for me to track this. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782695 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:06:05 +0000 lyn* 782695@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I used to aim for &lt;$1 CPW, but then I would do all sorts of crazy things, including wearing a pair of shoes way past their prime (down to 33 cents CPW), but I ended up spraining an elbow. </p> <p>So ... I'm not a tracker now. I say if things get decently worn in my closet, I'm happy. If I were to guess, I'd say most of my dresses are at about $5 CPW. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782689 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:57:26 +0000 Raisin 782689@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lol, that's funny Gaylene. I guess with a wedding dress it's CPM or CPH .... Cost per minute or cost per hour...ha! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782659 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:23:42 +0000 Gaylene 782659@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Talking about CPW always reminds me of my friend's VERY practical 25 year-old daughter's musings when she was looking at wedding dresses. Her CPW comments had us in stitches, as she mused how many husbands she would need to marry in order to make a dress worthwhile. For a while, we thought she might marry wearing a bedsheet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782651 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:10:11 +0000 JuneBug 782651@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like the idea of CPW but have been unable to keep track consistently for long enough to find a good average when buying clothes. I tend to spend more on items like outerwear, footwear and dresses (range of $60-$250) and comparatively less on tops, skirts and leg wear ($10-$100). I'm not sure how I've worked this out, but I find that my clothes don't really wear out quickly. It's more to do with my circulating clothes than them always being of premium quality when it comes to skirts and dresses especially and 90% of my fall/winter wardrobe is completely separate from my summer clothing. For this reason I only add about 5 -7 pieces excluding accessories to my wardrobe each season so even though it might take years to figure out the CPW for my clothes, I think I manage to budget it well. Also I used to be a big wardrobe spender till I turned 30, so I have all of that to circulate as well! The people at Goodwill are usually happy with my donations </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782644 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:02:36 +0000 Suz 782644@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like that idea, Henley. Over 10, a good buy. Over 20, a workhorse. </p> <p>And then I'll add in what Caro said. If the Love Per Wear or the Happiness Factor is very big, I really don't care a fig about CPW on one item! </p> <p>So....I don't track CPW officially, but I do sometimes think about it, both before a purchase (try to figure out what it might be) and when I am thinking about passing an item on. </p> <p>I think my "Alas, Alack" thread (<a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/alas-alack-my-fickle-fashion-heart" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....hion-heart</a>) is speaking a bit to this, perhaps. As I worked through my thoughts I realized that the CPW on the items I mentioned was actually extremely low -- yet I still wondered about myself and felt a bit guilty about wanting to pass them along (or replace them with fresher things.) </p> <p>But I think I have determined after all that overall budget is more important to me. If I want to pass something on, it shouldn't matter what the CPW is. If I am done with it, I'm done with it. And although I DO try to predict my workhorses, I'm not always right; things end up surprising me. I figure if the AVERAGE CPW is low, that is good enough for me. So if I have a formal skirt whose CPW is $50....but I also have a pair of jeans whose CPW is less than $1....well.....that's okay. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782641 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:58:38 +0000 Mo 782641@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I admit to just 'ballparking' the figures, but I expect shirts/tees and skirts to get to around $1, blouses about $3, dresses and jeans under $5, and coats/boots under $10 is a good start. I used to buy cheap cheap cheap, and I don't mean quality - just mostly under $25 pieces on deep discount or off season. Now that I, just this last year or two, allowed myself to spend a little, my first concern is getting CPW below $20 as a start, hopefully within the first year. I have some seasonal troubles with my moving from beach to snow so much (argh!) so it doesn't always happen in the one year mark. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782638 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:57:42 +0000 Laurinda 782638@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I follow an overall budget more than cost per wear.</p> <p>Would that be tracked for each item, i.e. top layer + topper + bottom + shoes + handbag? Jewelry? Outerwear? Sox? Knickers? Even at a modest $1/wear that would add up to $8 or $9 per day. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782628 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:51:58 +0000 Anonymous 782628@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've started tracking it since I joined YLF, but like Caro, the results are all over the place. I have low CPW for the black brogues I bought at Payless, but a very high CPW for a Theory blazer. But I love them equally. ;p So I don't know how to judge the CPW. I think I may track how many times I've worn something in a season to figure out if it was worth the $. I figure anything I wear more than ten times should be declared a very good buy and anything over twenty a workhorse. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782621 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:44:55 +0000 Makrame 782621@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>When I track, I am most interested in which items don't get worn - as long as something gets worn fairly often, I am OK with any CPW number. I also noticed some less expensive items wearing out/fading before CPW goes down to a "respectable" number.</p> <p>If CPW gets below $5, I consider that to be good, especially since I forget to track what I am wearing pretty often, so in reality it may be closer to $3. I find that unless something is very cheap to begin with (like a cami or a t-shirt that may cost $10-12) it is very hard to bring CPW close to a dollar.</p> <p>I find tracking very useful; not so much to determine the actual CPW but to find out "current trends" in my wardrobe and steer away from buying those types of things that don't get worn. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782619 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:44:38 +0000 Raisin 782619@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yah, that's mostly the way I feel about my clothes too Caro. I've just sort of gotten curious about what the number would be for some of my items.</p> <p>Have you ever tried Lululemon workout gear? It's very popular in Canada, sort of a cult favorite actually, but it's very well made. I run almost daily and have had the same gear for years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782614 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:36:48 +0000 Caro in Oz 782614@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I used to track it &amp; it varied so much I gave up. I discovered the cpw wasn't always related to the lpw (love per wear) which seems to be more important for me. If I love something then the price is irrelevant as long as I'm on budget. </p> <p>The thing that annoys me the most is items that look shabby or get holes or lose their shape before I have a chance to wear them enough to make them worth buying - exercise gear I'm looking at you. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782599 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:23:53 +0000 Raisin 782599@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting Lisa that your less expensive items usually end up being more CPW. I guess they are wearing out before you can get them down? </p> <p>I agree overall budget is very important as well, I was just curious for those who do track it, what is considered a good CPW. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782590 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:16:39 +0000 Lisa 782590@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I track CPW and I try not to donate/discard anything over $5 CPW. I want the items I donated to be under $1 but I notice some of my less expensive up front items tend to wear out or pill or shed etc before the end of a season and those are often my higher CPW donated items.</p> <p>My priciest items in my wardrobe (premium denim jeans, boots) are $99-$189 up front cost. And every item is down to ~$2-$8 so far. And all of these items are in great shape. I expect each one to get under $1 per wear quite easily. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782583 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:10:08 +0000 Sylvie 782583@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My goal is to make it under the &lt;$1 CPW mark. Even excluding those purchases that have no chance of making it (formalwear) I know I won't get there with all my clothes. It still helps me to have a goal. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782581 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:07:35 +0000 JR 782581@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't track it, myself. But I have a fairly small wardrobe, and cycle through things pretty faithfully, so I think I normally do pretty well in that department. If I do buy more expensive items, I expect them to last a lot longer. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/cost-per-wear---whats-your-number#post-782571 Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:57:00 +0000 MsMary 782571@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Honestly, I think cost per wear of any given garment is less important than my total clothing expenditures for the year. I track the total, not the cost per wear per garment. </p>