YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you track wears?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you track wears? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:29:47 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php chadya on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1405220 Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:41:56 +0000 chadya 1405220@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ @Aziraphale  ♥ Technopeasant AnnieMouse on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404863 Wed, 03 Dec 2014 17:56:42 +0000 AnnieMouse 1404863@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I live and die by my spreadsheet, but it seems like I run mine a little differently - since most of my shopping is via thrift stores and similar, I don't really track my costs as much as others.  I track my outfits by date, as shown in the pic, which allows me to pull the data out into another sheet and sort by item or activity - if I want to see how many times I've worn "hot pink maxi," for example, I can sort by that column, and see all the times I've done, and with what - and if I wore it for travel or work, or how often it's been casual outings, and so on. In another page, I keep a log of my purchases, so if I really want to look into those numbers, I can compare them against the wears I find in the above; that part is pretty simple math 1) Sample of data tracked  2) Tabs that I use to collate data across the various sheets chadya on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404844 Wed, 03 Dec 2014 17:12:23 +0000 chadya 1404844@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't do any spreadsheets for my wardrobe but do the hanger thing, which involves putting my clothes into the closet with the hangers facing one way at the beginning of the season and once worn turning the hanger the other way. FYI for those who are new to spreadsheets those in Google drive are much easier to navigate than Excel and free Aziraphale on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404693 Wed, 03 Dec 2014 05:27:04 +0000 Aziraphale 1404693@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lol, Claire. So I guess it's typical, then? DonnaF on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404604 Wed, 03 Dec 2014 01:49:05 +0000 DonnaF 1404604@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I keep track of my clothing purchases in the notes section of my gmail contacts by my email address.  I note both original price incl. tax and the price I paid, probably to assuage my guilt at my spending.  I keep track of what I wear on a spreadsheet with columns for top, bottom, topper, and footwear.  I used to include accessories and comments but I got lazy.  My wardrobe turnover is relatively minimal so I don't generally count CPW.  I did count when a cheap pair of shoes became trashed within a couple of months.  I also know that an item or two for which I paid full price really earned their places in my closet.  The amount I wear an item can fluctuate from year to year.  Anonymous on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404438 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:24:44 +0000 Anonymous 1404438@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ @ Aziraphale: people forget prices?! thimblelina on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404432 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:10:18 +0000 thimblelina 1404432@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm the same: nearly photographic memory of price paid, where bought etc. I work with a kid with Prader-Willi syndrome, he has a photographic memory of meals & foods... he teases me & says I have 'the prader-willi of shoes.' Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404406 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:06:16 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1404406@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thank you, everyone, for your helpful and interesting replies. I am leaning toward a paper-based solution at least to start with. I had Stylebook for a while and the photo editing felt never ending. And my computer generally lives in the opposite end of the house from our closet. Maybe I'll adapt Gigi's idea of noting everything down in a notebook and then updating a spreadsheet every few days. lyn67 on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404303 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:03:59 +0000 lyn67 1404303@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/  "I cannot forget prices" Aziraphale, neither me:-) CocoLion on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404269 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 07:28:43 +0000 CocoLion 1404269@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't use a spreadsheet but maybe I should.  I was doing well in October with one in, one out but here I go again with all of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday action and have shopped a lot.  Time to get back to one in, one out. This is really the best I can do.  And one in, one out works for me because it's a form of tracking.  If something is new and I'm considering keeping it, I have to go review my wardrobe for a potential purge.  I give myself a few months to waffle then stuff is gone.  I have tried all sorts of analysis but it doesn't seem to make any change in my behavior, in which I tend to overbuy for an imaginary lifestyle.     Gigi on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404264 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 06:45:34 +0000 Gigi 1404264@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I use a spreadsheet. I have it set up so that I type in the dates I wore the items (in separate cells to the right of the clothing entries), and then the spreadsheet automatically calculates how many cells have dates in them, which gives me the number of times I wore the item. I do keep a paper log also, and then I just type in the numbers at the end of the week. Keeping a paper log lets me put smiley faces to the outfits that I liked best. :) I use the spreadsheet to calculate CPW too. Aziraphale on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404236 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 05:25:41 +0000 Aziraphale 1404236@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting replies. It looks like I'm one of the few technopeasants who still prefers to use a pencil. :-) One thing I could add: I don't calculate cost per wear. I just guesstimate. But I could probably tell you quite accurately -- to a precision of, say, five dollars -- how much every single item in my wardrobe costs. I cannot forget prices. Is that weird, or typical? Elly on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears/page/2#post-1404224 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:14:53 +0000 Elly 1404224@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have few enough clothes that I can usually tell you most of my wears per season with very simple calculations-- some things get worn almost every week without fail, some things get worn every two weeks, a handful of things rarely get worn because they are failures, and a few I can count the wears per year on my hands because they are special occasion clothing. I'm thinking about making a list or spreadsheet of costs to see what items were in what price range to see how they wear over the long term. I do have a budget, but often don't know how much I spent because all of my liquid cash that isn't earmarked for savings or bills goes into one account and is used for extras like chocolate, eating out, gifts, hobby purchases, toiletries, etc. I always know the balance, but haven't been tracking clothing versus other expenditures (although I frequently transfer remaining balances to savings). MsMary on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404222 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:09:18 +0000 MsMary 1404222@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I was doing great starting in January, but it went by the wayside when I moved into the construction site!  LOL  I only tracked new pieces -- when I purchased something I entered it into the spreadsheet with columns for description of the item, where I bought it, date of purchase, purchase price including tax and any shipping costs, date(s) worn, total number of wears, and then a calculation column that divided total purchase price by number of wears for cost per wear.  It was super enlightening.  And it also nudged me to actually wear my new things, which I thought was a benefit. Anonymous on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404201 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 03:12:39 +0000 Anonymous 1404201@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I just started this fall and very low tech...pencil and paper like Az. I am already finding surprises. My most casual pieces are getting the most wear and the CPW of my cotton Target tanks in black, white and blush/nude is down to pennies. Pieces less than 2 years old get the most wear. Older stuff needs some serious editing. Suz on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404194 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:34:39 +0000 Suz 1404194@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Marley, I'm officially a dummy!!  I think I need to google those instructions, too.  Elizabeth P on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404191 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:16:29 +0000 Elizabeth P 1404191@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Another stylebook user here.  Yes, it's a bit of a pita to set up, but if you start by just photographing what you wear each day, it's only a few photos per day.  New items can be pinned, or the photo copied right from a website, then use that photo... love stores that do a polyvore type photo of the items!  Then when you have some time, pick a pile, or a category, and just run through them.  Cardigans today, jeans tomorrow... I find the packing feature a lot of fun... I play with 333's, capsules, etc that way.  Oh and packing :) And you can track what you don't wear any more by creating a category of things you've purged, with as many subcategories as you please.  I've started putting my OOTD photo in with the items as an "inspiration" so I can see how I accessorized something (I don't put jewellery into stylebook) and how it ACTUALLY looked.  Very useful. Lisa on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404177 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:43:00 +0000 Lisa 1404177@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I use a spreadsheet in excel.  Deborah on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404175 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:37:35 +0000 Deborah 1404175@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't:)  Part of me would like to but I am not particularly geared that way. krishnidoux on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404172 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:08:41 +0000 krishnidoux 1404172@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just wanted to chime in and say this thread is fascinating and so educational!  thimblelina on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404168 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:56:14 +0000 thimblelina 1404168@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Maybe I should give style book a go again. I loved the little thumbnail outfits. But the photo editing!! Gah!!! Dee on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404161 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:43:06 +0000 Dee 1404161@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ All I can say is "Wow"!  I had no idea that so many fabbers were tracking their wardrobe and CPW this way -- or any way.  I am still at the point where I just try to pay attention to what I am wearing and how much I am wearing an item.  I do find that, now that I have discovered the YLF forum, I am paying more attention to my wardrobe and how I am pairing items so maybe a low tech recordkeeping is in my future.  LOL  Marley on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404152 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:22:51 +0000 Marley 1404152@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I kept track several years ago for a little over a year - and it was really helpful.  I put it all on an Excel spreadsheet along with formulas to figure things like CPW (and for the record, I had never before worked with Excel - I just googled 'Excel Instructions' and was able to figure it out - and I am right-brained to a fault - so . . . if I was able to figure it out, pretty much anybody should be able to figure it out!)  I don't really know why I stopped doing it - just got lazy I guess.  BUT, last week I had a meltdown around the number of items in my wardrobe and the disorganization of my closet - so, I started tracking it again.  It is a good tool for me to use to keep my impulsive shopping tendencies in check. ETA:  I downloaded Stylebook onto my phone about 5 weeks ago and have been working on recording my wardrobe.  It's time consuming to take the pics, etc., but once you get that part done, it is really fun to mix and match and track CPWs! thimblelina on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404147 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:06:49 +0000 thimblelina 1404147@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ And tights make me grrrrrr. My next pair will be wolfords. Anonymous on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404143 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:05:07 +0000 Anonymous 1404143@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, I just take my pocket knife and make a notch on each wooden hanger... just kidding. Having such a small wardrobe, it becomes apparent pretty quickly each season what is being worn and what is not. But maybe I should try keeping track. I like thimbalina's idea of doing it in the notes section of her phone.  thimblelina on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404141 Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:04:12 +0000 thimblelina 1404141@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks Rabbit! Yes, I've considered doing something similar with clothes collected in one of my semester 'seasons': calculate an average price for that group & make a single CPW goal for all items based on that amount. Anyway, I'm still sorting it out. Thank you for sharing that! deb on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404139 Mon, 01 Dec 2014 23:59:44 +0000 deb 1404139@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have tried to do this but failed miserably. It was too time consuming for me. I also tries stylebook but the set up was horrendous and I gave that up rather quickly. I am happy I tracked all purchases this year. Baby steps for me. also, at this stage in my life, I really do not care. Sad but true. Suz on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404133 Mon, 01 Dec 2014 23:50:16 +0000 Suz 1404133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Tights often have a high CPW for me because they run!!! :(  Fascinating breakdown, rabbit.  Bettycrocker, I have what I would call a "moderate" wardrobe for a 4 season climate -- about 150 items, including coats and footwear but not bags, gear, undies, hats/ scaves, mitts, or PJs.   (Basically, I'm talking about almost all "public" clothing apart from bags, which I own very few of, not being a "bag lady" or at any real risk of becoming one. Technically, my belts and scarves are also on view, but you get the idea.)  Last year I felt that I got a pretty good picture of what I was wearing simply from noticing. But I decided to keep strict track this year anyway, and it's been really interesting.  First, I was right on the whole about the items getting most use. But even so, I underestimated some -- and overestimated others.  I'm not doing anything with the information I've gathered so far. It's still too early in our autumn/ winter season for me to do that. But at the end of the season I'll do a calculation of CPW and other factors. And consider what to do for my shopping next year.    Anonymous on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404119 Mon, 01 Dec 2014 23:19:18 +0000 Anonymous 1404119@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My wardrobe isn't that large, so I don't have a tracking record of any kind other than noticing which items get frequent use. rabbit on "How do you track wears?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-track-wears#post-1404099 Mon, 01 Dec 2014 22:40:47 +0000 rabbit 1404099@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ thimbelina,  part of it was that I was wardrobe building this year and bought a lot of clothing, (and had little legacy clothing), so I really wanted to see how my new wardrobe size was working for me.  Was it too much? too little? How much did I enjoy variety? etc.    So I set myself a goal of under 2$ CPW for everything bought this year by the end of the year, and wore things strategically so I had a real sense of how it felt to wear an item often enough to make that goal.  Sometimes it felt a bit onerous--it was clear which items were okay but not great, sometimes I quickly flew past a goal and something became a workhorse. I also found that some high happiness items were going to be difficult to make that goal, so I wanted to see if the overall wardrobe would average that goal.   (I also did some cheats, like use income from items consigned to cover part of the price of certain higher priced items to reduce the overall spending). So I basically totaled the column of my current CPW dollar amounts for each item, and divided that by the number of items/rows.  So my number of items bought this year = 125 (eek! I know, I know, does it help that I count tights, shoes and accessories too? basically everything but undies ).   Total expenditure = 1,211$, Total of all the current CPW = 102$.   So that tells me my average cost per wear near the end of the year is 82 cents, even though some items might be higher and some lower.   I want to break this down further by item type in the future - like you say, some categories are easier to reach than others.   For me, tights unfortunately actually still have a really high CPW before biting the dust.  It also told me that I wasn't that happy with too much of any one category, buying too many tights, leggings, and tops meant it was a struggle to wear each of them regularly, even with very low initial purchase prices. ETA: also thinking more about this, I figured I could add up my number of wears and figure out the same thing.  Result is that the average number of wears for any one new item so far is 12 wears,  for my legacy (previous years)  items it's 5 wears.  I think this could be more useful to look at per category rather than overall, though it tells me I need to wear or cull more older clothes.