https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:07:58 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1645193 Fri, 15 Apr 2016 22:25:44 +0000 Lyn D. 1645193@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Late to this, but I wanted to add that I have found tracking wears on the 'Stylebook' App. has been very useful indeed!<br />I have considered passing-on items, checked to see their wear history and realised that I have worn them more than I thought and that they were in fact useful in certain outfits and worth keeping.<br />Pieces I thought would be workhorses have not worked out, and the wear count has reflected this too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1643858 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:51:57 +0000 DonnaF 1643858@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What does it mean that I'm not too fond of either cooking or baking (DH does the cooking) but I love, love, love to eat!&nbsp; And I am better at thinking I should track wears and CPW than actually doing so.&nbsp; . . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1643706 Tue, 12 Apr 2016 17:37:42 +0000 Helena 1643706@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't count wears per se, but I do employ various analytics and am constantly seeking tried-and-proven formulas (e.g. you should have x pants, x tops, etc.) and that sort of thing. This is definitely personality-driven for me - I am an analytical person and never met a spreadsheet I didn't like.</p> <p>FWIW, I think sometimes (not on this forum really, but in general on the internet) there is a right or wrong attitude towards this type of wardrobe management i.e. you MUST do this or you are NUTS if you do this - whereas I think Angie is right, for some people it's fun, for some people its a killjoy, therefore, follow one's own clothing analytics bliss! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1643465 Tue, 12 Apr 2016 04:48:27 +0000 Sal 1643465@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting, I like baking AND cooking.....and I don't count wears, nor do I plan to, but I do like to plan my shopping, within a broad budget.</p> <p>I only vaguely plan my weekly outfits (aside from special occasion). &nbsp;Today I wanted to wear my new dress for a lunch with friends, so i did not wear the dress on Monday. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1643457 Tue, 12 Apr 2016 04:25:02 +0000 SarahTheWhite 1643457@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So fascinating! I love the numbers people - they make the world sane. But counting wears, calories and pennies makes me want to break out in hives. I'm on Jaime's 'big messy bag of tricks' team. "Knowing too much about it would take away the magical quality" has to be the best quote ever! </p> <p>And for the record, count me in on team cook over team bake - the best meals come from whatever's left in the fridge (and can never be duplicated) while there is simply no magic in carefully leveling scoops of flour. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/3#post-1643447 Tue, 12 Apr 2016 03:37:03 +0000 Jaime 1643447@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It is not in my nature to count wears. I can be very analytical and detail oriented, but only in narrow realms that take all my focus. My wardrobe is more like a big messy bag of tricks for me - knowing too much about it would take away the magical quality. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643345 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 21:43:06 +0000 Anonymous 1643345@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I do a ton of planning but don't track wears. I'm somewhere in the middle of being creative and analytical.</p> <p>My well-thought out purchases are always my best ones, so I do feel like I have some common ground with the counting YLFers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643327 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:59:46 +0000 Anonymous 1643327@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Angie</b> wrote:</p> <p><i>Sterling, your wardrobe buying plan directly affects your style, don't you think?<br /></i><br /><b>Rabbit</b> wrote:</p> <p><i>Counting helped me develop my style by guiding it closer to my real life needs and my yearly preferences.</i></p> <p>I personally never felt that my spreadsheets dictated my style. &nbsp;I always thought it dictated my buying plan and then YLF focused my style <u>within</u> that buying plan. &nbsp;</p> <p>For example, I might decide that I need a pair of casual bottoms based on my spreadsheet. &nbsp;I use YLF to decide to purchase white jeans or cropped pants. &nbsp;Then based on the purchase of the white jeans or cropped pants, I buy coordinating shoes. &nbsp;</p> <p><b>Rabbit's</b> post was wonderfully written. &nbsp;I agree with everything she said. &nbsp;I think at one time, I worried about wardrobe churning too. &nbsp;I don't think that is a factor today. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643323 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:42:19 +0000 rabbit 1643323@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was thinking about this question today, and my number one reason for tracking is that I think I have a great memory, but the data says differently .</p> <p>Memory is fallible. Basically, like <b>shedev</b> said, what I think I wore, isn't what I really wore. It's like tracking what you eat or when you go to the gym, the act of paying attention makes me more mindful, and accurate. Yes, I know what my workhorses are, and I know when I haven't worn something in a while, but results wouldn't be 'surprising' for so many posters if we all had infallible memory. For example I'll remember trying something on, but that doesn't mean I wore the outfit that day.</p> <p><b>Sterling </b>summarized a lot of my reasons, &nbsp;but in general for me:</p> <p>-it guides future purchases both in terms of the amount to spend per category and in identifying needs for my real life</p> <p>-it provides hard data that makes it easier to cull items that aren't getting worn and I don't love</p> <p>-I track outfit happiness so I log outfits (it helps to know what to repeat), and it's just as easy to track wears while I'm at it.</p> <p>-wardrobe management helps me enjoy the clothes I have without buying more. For me it doesn't suck joy, it's a daily 2 minute thing when I go online to check email. &nbsp;Setting up my spreadsheet took a few hours, but after that, it's fast.</p> <p>-it lets me know the true seasonal windows for wear and spurs me to wear items I love during those windows. &nbsp;In general it helps me to wear 'special' items more.</p> <p>-it's helped me develop my style by guiding it closer to my real life needs and my yearly preferences (based on wear patterns I can see when I'm not into skirts as much but loving jeans, as another poster mentioned.)</p> <p>-like <b>Suz </b>says it shows me that I get the most wear out of an item while it's new, so I should go with that, and wear (and repeat) new items a lot. </p> <p>-it guides me towards the wardrobe size I should aim for. This is a little tricky as my wear patterns change a bit year to year, but I know in general which areas to edit, and which could use more variety. I'm not exactly one in, one (or more) out yet, but that's a goal.</p> <p>-it gives me data about how long certain items are going to last before wearing out.</p> <p>-<b>cobalt </b>said:&nbsp;<i>I started tracking wears b/c I feared I was churning my wardrobe more than I'd like, donating items after very little wear simply to make room for something shiny &amp; new. &nbsp;</i>This, it helps me be more mindful. Having a limit on the number of items I could purchase per year/season &nbsp;would do this too -- I need to think about that.</p> <p>I can definitely see why tracking might not be something I was interested in if I had a small wardrobe, and I felt completely comfortable with editing it without needing to justify to myself each decision. &nbsp;Also if I didn't enjoy shopping and purchased relatively few items per year. </p> <p>I'm an emotional shopper too, and very intuitive. My work is very intuitive/creative. &nbsp; But I do have an analytical side and do the taxes, investing, and budgeting/shopping for our household. &nbsp;I don't bake and my cooking is mostly salads :)</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643320 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:37:37 +0000 Anonymous 1643320@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I do not count or keep track of wears of items in my closet. I find it a bit depressing and not fun. I think I can make some close guesses and leave it at that. A year ago I was trying to keep track but only found that I wore everything more than I thought I did because of often changing clothes during the day. I would rather spend the time making capsules and outfits. Now to go read the other replies. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643311 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:16:17 +0000 Windchime 1643311@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wrote on another thread today--Maneera's?--that I like keeping an up to date inventory of my closet, including when everything was purchased and for how much, and I make an effort to rotate through much of it somewhat evenly. But I wouldn't want to keep written records of number of wears per item. As long as I stay within my budget and wear everything I buy, I'm happy! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643303 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:04:44 +0000 shedev 1643303@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo got me interested in wardrobe analysis. I'm pretty much an information junkie so it is interesting to me. I use pen and paper. It has helped me to narrow down my wardrobe size, currently 170. It gives me the history of my wardrobe. It helped me to stop saving for good, when I see that something isn't getting wears, I figure out why.When I started tracking, I had a shirt that I felt I was wearing all the time, but at the end of the season I'd only worn it a few times. I've eliminated a couple brands that didn't hold up. I like to calculate CPW, but I'm more into the idea that something got a lot of wears over a $ amount per wear. It feels more representative of joy per wear&nbsp;Shirts get the lowest amount of wears for me. I was a big fan of cotton, but I'm starting to branch out into other materials. Everything else gets a reasonably high amount of wears. </p> <p>I bake and cook, but I enjoy cooking more. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643288 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 19:51:04 +0000 Elizabeth P 1643288@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I sort of track wears... I track what I wear in stylebook, and it tracks it, but not in the easiest way work with.&nbsp; I'm not quite sure what I'd do with the info, if I decide to "use" it, so I'm also following with interest.&nbsp; </p> <p>I'm not even sure how to use CPW... if an item is new and loved, it's CPW is likely to not be as good as older and worn somewhat frequently.&nbsp; I guess it's really cost per wear per season.&nbsp; But even that is misleading... our springs can be only a few weeks long, but you need 3/4 sleeve cotton sweaters, and light jackets, then it's over.&nbsp; A CPW of 3 times might be almost living in something.&nbsp; But a CPW of 3 in winter is pretty much an orphan.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643264 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 19:07:54 +0000 rachylou 1643264@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am weak. I can't do better than 'not wearing that much' and 'wear this a lot,' lol. I can barely get my inbox emptied every month, if that. Lol. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643256 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:49:05 +0000 Gigi 1643256@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, and I'm in agreement with those who say it helps them sort out their style. I used to be a big skirt wearer, and then I bought some pants and started wearing those. I enjoyed the pants but still wore plenty of skirts. I was quite surprised after tracking a year's worth of wears that I was actually wearing the pants quite a bit *more* than I was wearing skirts! So I learned that pants are actually a very important part of my style and that I don't have to worry about getting too many of them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643251 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:44:44 +0000 Gigi 1643251@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've scanned only a few of the above responses (I will return later), but there is a part of me that just likes keeping lists. I respond to my clothes emotionally, and I wear what I *feel* like wearing (not what a spreadsheet would tell me to wear)--but by keeping track, I am able to let my intellect join in the fun too.</p> <p>I like being able to look at my spreadsheet to see what the numbers tell me about how much use I've gotten out of something. I find it interesting to see how the numbers compare with what I'm feeling. It also helps me make better purchases, because I can see from the numbers that a top that I didn't particularly care for got a lot of wear simply because it went with lots and lots of items. So that way I learn that I don't have to *love* something to buy it, as long as it's going to fill a practical spot in my closet. I also learn about how many wears I can expect to get out of an item before it starts to look worn. I also learn about how much money I am willing to spend on a particular item to get my money's worth out of it before I tire of it.&nbsp;</p> <p>When I look at the numbers, there are often some surprises, and that tickles my fancy.</p> <p>I don't ever use my spreadsheet to "force" myself to wear things just to get so many wears out of them. But tracking things is an easy way for me to see my wardrobe at a glance and see that I'm not wearing item X, and then I can ask myself why that is. If I still love the item, then I find out what I need to make it work. If I don't love the item, I start deciding what to do (consign, etc.).</p> <p>I've also found the spreadsheet very helpful when online shopping and trying to determine whether to buy a particular item. Sometimes I wonder whether I will have any items in my wardrobe that will go well with the new item. Rather than get up and paw through my wardrobe, which can be exhausting, I can just pull up my spreadsheet and look through it for ideas. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643243 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:39 +0000 goldenpig 1643243@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't count wears. I can barely keep track of my kids, much less my wardrobe! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643238 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:31:06 +0000 Anonymous 1643238@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Speaking of wearing something to death, several years ago I bought a top that I just loved and wore every chance I got. I didn't realize, until my DDs pointed it out to me, that I was wearing that top for my driver's license photo, for my passport photo, <i><b>and </b></i>for my new driver's license when we moved from one state to another. It was then that I decided that maybe I needed to retire it, lol.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643221 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:09:16 +0000 Eliza 1643221@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I improvise like crazy in the kitchen, pay bills on time, have a lifestyle that I can manage and don't count either number of clothing items or cost per wear. I am fascinated by the discussions of generating data here to inform wardrobe decisions. I am learning how to manage my wardrobe needs and size intuitively; counting would take the fun out of this hobby for me. </p> <p>I can make assessments that are accurate enough for my purposes if I keep my wardrobe size reasonable (which I now know means visible mostly all at once, with a bit of space around it). I have categorized my clothes in my closet, not on a spread sheet, but by using a couple of sets of these dividers from Amazon to identify areas in my closet:<br />Simple Division® Garment Organizers, 12 white Garment Organizers plus 60 Sorting Labels</p> <p>They would make counting like items easier, but I can get a rough idea of ratios of items and gaps by looking at how much space each category takes up. I love the organization and allocate prime closet real estate to frequently worn items. If I find I never go to my newly created silk blouse category, then I will use that information to determine what not to keep or not to buy. &nbsp;So while there is a wish for control and not overload, I manage it both abstractly with emotional and intuitive preferences and concretely with a good storage set up. Tracking numbers aren't part of my system, though in application, having the right amount of stuff helps. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643219 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:02:18 +0000 Anonymous 1643219@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>No, I am the person who buys something new and wear it to death. &nbsp;LOL</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643192 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:29:11 +0000 skylurker 1643192@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't see counting wears as a tool for improving style (a helpless cause in my case anyway, lol), it's a wardrobe management tool, probably why you have no interest in it Angie.</p> <p>I don't enjoy collecting the data, but it's very quick and easy. I did enjoy analysing the data at the end of the year and found the results really interesting and surprising.</p> <p>It had an impact on my shopping plan this year, because it shifted my attention to the newly discovered workhorses. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643191 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:28:35 +0000 Keix 1643191@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've only started counting wears recently, but chalk me down as someone else for whom it adds to the joy of dressing. I love spreadsheets and had already tracked my entire wardrobe long ago, so adding a column for wears was easy. I don't know yet if it will prove to be that useful, but it's fun and kind of keeps me "accountable" for wearing statement pieces more frequently. I'm happier if I feel properly dressed but don't always feel motivated to do so in the morning.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643186 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:25:35 +0000 Janet 1643186@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Haha! High five, Angie, i feel the same way you do about this. I also have the "control freak" tendencies, and I am quite analytical by nature, but the idea of spending hobby time with a spreadsheet does not excite me, to put it mildly. I'm not bad with numbers at all, especially for an artist, but I don't care to look into them all that deeply. My husband knows that I glaze over when we get too deep in a numbers discussion. </p> <p>I don't need to keep a written or electronic record to have a pretty good idea of how much I've worn something. I know, just pulling an item out of my closet, whether I'm getting wear out of it, even though I have a pretty sizable wardrobe. I have a good visual memory, so maybe that has something to do with it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643181 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:19:40 +0000 carter 1643181@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Sterling said, with one exception. Counting wears has helped me sort out my style. It never occurred to me that I was happiest as a formula dresser. I crave variety, so I kept buying "different" just to have something different. But I kept wearing the items that fit into one of my favorite formulas (skinny jeans, semi-tucked knit top, wide belt / long over lean / boxy volume over slim, simple sheath dress). The blouses that looked best tucked, the billowy trousers, skinny belts, skirts, etc that constituted my "different" weren't getting worn at all. So all the "one and done", "don't split wears" advice offered on other sites was antithetical to the way I wanted to dress. Now my variety is found in different items that function the same way within a given formula. I hope that made sense.</p> <p>I'm also an information junkie, so I just can't help but gather information, even if it's not entirely clear how I may use it;-) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643177 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:12:38 +0000 Angie 1643177@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Partly right, Elisabeth. I <i>do </i>have a hard time allowing others or delegating others to do things because then I can't control the situation. &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643175 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:09:32 +0000 Aziraphale 1643175@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b></b>Angie, I don't think you're really a control freak either. You just like to be organized in very specific ways. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643173 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:07:47 +0000 Angie 1643173@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elisabeth, we posted at the same time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643172 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:06:15 +0000 Aziraphale 1643172@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>*OK, "control freak" might be a slight exaggeration, but I have a hard time with surprises and just "going with the flow" when it comes to other people's schedules. I wish I wasn't this way. I try to be flexible but I have a hard time when plans change at the last minute! And a baby is the ultimate test of flexibility, lol.&nbsp; </p> <p></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643171 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:05:49 +0000 Angie 1643171@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elisabeth, your science brain makes complete sense, and I can absolutely understand why you like and enjoy creating this type of data. (I'm a control freak too, so I guess I keep my freak jollies satisfied in other ways).&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/counting-the-wears-of-items/page/2#post-1643168 Mon, 11 Apr 2016 17:03:52 +0000 Anonymous 1643168@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Since I do all of the bookkeeping for home and office, I know what I'm spending, and I do enough spreadsheets at work that I don't want to create them at home. I can only take so many numbers. That said, if counting wears helps someone take stock of what they have and if they're getting their money's worth, then I think it's an excellent idea. I also see the wisdom in making sure you haven't purchased things that are not really your style and don't work with other things in your wardrobe. </p>