https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:49:59 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-991800 Sat, 27 Jul 2013 06:30:50 +0000 anne 991800@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tend towards wanting to wear things until they get holes in them!  But I sometimes discard other items that are pilly or bagged. I have long suspected that my standards are somewhat lower than most of YLF on this! (as in, I wear stuff that others would have discarded as too Shabby)</p> <p>My take on this has been to be VERY disciplined about how much I buy. Only one casual sweater for each winter ( and some I have skipped) which may be worn 3 times a week the first year, once a week the second year if it still looks good and then a few years of being demoted to house wear. <br />One jacket a year has been plenty (and in terms of wear, I could get buy with less) It took me 5 years of wearing my first pleather jacket for it to start cracking and only then did I replace it.</p> <p>Of course, sometimes I make mistakes etc but that is my ideal. </p> <p>I am loving the fact that now I am at work I am lowering the CPW on my old work clothes and other clothes that I bought more recently but tended to be only worn on Sundays. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-991199 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:37:44 +0000 ManidipaM 991199@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Shannon says. Also Susie as quoted above by Ornella.</p> <p>For myself, this means everyday clothes (whatever that is contextual to my current circumstances) should get worn at least once a fortnight and preferably more in their key season...or I should ask myself why. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-991154 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:00:01 +0000 Ornella 991154@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great answers.&nbsp;</p> <p>I love what Sussie said:<br /><b><i>To me it means stop thinking about the next acquisition and enjoy what I have now.<br /></i></b><br />Ditto. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-991142 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:47:40 +0000 Transcona Shannon 991142@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>To me, it means not buying something and then having it languish in your closet waiting to be worn. It also means buying an item and wearing it often because you love it and feel great in it.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-991136 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:41:13 +0000 shedev 991136@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I buy the thing that makes me happy. It might be the cheaper or the more expensive thing. This doesn't mean I get the cheapest things to get a good cost per wear. I like quality&nbsp; fair shoes and have my fair share of premium denim. But I do have limits as to what things are &nbsp;worth to me. An item has to be really lustworthy for me to pay more. On these items, I disregard CPW but the love of them does make me want to wear them often. The Ella Moss moto may not add up in terms of CPW, but it's high in love per wear. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you/page/2#post-990995 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:00:43 +0000 jayne 990995@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think most of you have the same thoughts as I do on the subject.&nbsp; Wear it, don't save it.&nbsp; </p> <p>But I wanted to support Lyn also, because I have gone far away from the idea of $1 CPW.&nbsp; My CPW is $15 because of the local costs of clothing and the need to push myself to buy better quality. Shoes for example.&nbsp; I could easily buy $50 dollar shoes (the cheapest there is here) and wear them 50 times in one season.&nbsp; But it is highly likely they will be either ruined in 50 times or painful to wear.&nbsp; I would rather wear a $200 (the standard level for quality here) or $400 (the high end that I am willing to go here) pair that are super comfortable and also perhaps has a little special look or just that perfect color.&nbsp; I am paying extra for this, and I need to allow myself that permission.&nbsp; I am trying to break out of a lifetime habit of buying cheapest instead of PPP.&nbsp; Do you others not find that conflict also?</p> <p>Of course, this limits my buying power, have to have less to afford this! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990952 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 10:01:05 +0000 unfrumped 990952@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me it has come to mean more about rethinking how many items or outfits do I really need and why, because the more I have, the less any one of them can be worn. if i buy a new pair of shoes if there are already x in the closet, which ones will get pushed aside and why? </p> <p>I take into account the season and occasion for which the item was intended. But if I'm not wearing it regularly-- hmm, weekly or monthly- I need to figure out why, or get rid of it, and if I add something, should do so because I expect to wear it repeatedly ( agree make exception for selected occasion- wear)..</p> <p>Don't hoard clothing. Buying is for wearing, not for buying. </p> <p>I don't actually demand a CPW, but thinking about it can be illuminating. At some point there is a crossover where without reasonable CPW you can't have wardrobe happiness because you will run out of $$! I mean when averaged over all your items. If I buy a pair of shoes I wear weekly for two years, that may help " finance" my ability to buy a dress I wear only twice a year (but enjoy when I do). </p> <p>I'm really thinking a lot now about number of times i will wear something in terms of either years of use versus<br /> daily- weekly- monthly or ideally, both.<br /> I can wear the same pair of black trousers once a week year- round so if they work for one year, whether worn out or not, I'll feel I got good use.<br /> If I have a printed cardigan I might think once a month is enough repeat; then will i wear it in all temps or avoid very hot or cold weather; then it turns out I'm wearing it only 4-5 x per year. If its a 3-5 year classic item that is part of my tops capsule, maybe that's ok; if I'm tired of it in one year, maybe not. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990920 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 07:43:00 +0000 Lyn D. 990920@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wearing more than once or twice </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990918 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 07:40:14 +0000 Deborah 990918@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think for me it means wearing and enjoying my clothes, and not feeling that I can't wear something because it's too good, too dressy, etc. I want everything in my wardrobe (save evening wear) to be rotated regularly. I am really having to get past the mindset of not wearing something too often, ie. I can't have people see me in the same thing all the time. I realise that is silly thinking and I it denies me the enjoyment of wearing the garments I love often.</p> <p>ETA: one of the things that has really helped me to get he wear out of my existing wardrobe is the concept of Shopping Your Closet. Before YLF, any time I had something on, it could be an event, but it could be going to the moving with a girlfriend and my first thought would be "I'd like something new" and I would go shopping, now my first port of call is my closet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990884 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 05:04:58 +0000 lyn* 990884@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, Elly - I think it's true what you say - dresses do take the place of a top and a bottom.</p> <p>I also put my clothes through pretty rough use - I used to be mad that my shoes fell apart after a year or two, but realized that I wear them for &gt; 30 hours on a shift, and that would be equal to at least 3 normal "work days". So it's really like 3 to 6 years :p </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990879 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 04:49:15 +0000 Ariadne 990879@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Everyone's answers are so fascinating - thank you!</p> <p>For some reason I really want a specific goal *for myself.* &nbsp;I think it boils down to wearing an item for at least 2-3 years, at least once every 2 weeks. &nbsp;This is for everyday clothes - special occasion clothes get a pass (but I rarely spend a lot on them - I go consignment almost always for those). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990844 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 03:25:45 +0000 Anonymous 990844@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I feel like "wearing the heck out of your clothes" means to enjoy them now and wear them often. Thanks to Suz's suggestion, I'm working on changing out the closet four times a year. With just summer things right now, I hope to average at least once a week wear for shorts/clam diggers and MOTG tops. Some of my summer things are now on their third summer. I admit that, no matter how much I loved them when I bought them, each year I'm less enthusiastic to pull them out unless very basic pieces. Best to wear them lots when they are most loved. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990829 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 03:00:19 +0000 Mia 990829@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am back to wearing clothing to the point it needs to go or be demoted because it's too worn or shabby looking Also my cpw has gone down due to more considered purchases that get in the rotation more often and just went down again using Elly's math. Brilliant!</p> <p>I still struggle with "saving" my best pieces for gosh knows what reasons.? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990789 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 02:06:29 +0000 velvetychocolate 990789@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm with cinnamon fern and shedev on this one - to me, "Wear the heck out of your clothes" means <b>not </b>waiting for some unnamed special occasion to wear favourite pieces. I've been really, really bad at this the past couple of years. That said, I recently realized just how much "what I wear" matters, even in the context of working at home. </p> <p>I'm not shooting for some sort of CPW formula at all, but the truth is - I have been struggling with thinking of myself as, "just a housewife" and thinking I'm&nbsp; just cleaning, cooking and taking care of everyone else. </p> <p>Yet, I'm working on a major project. I might be at home - but the project I'm working on in my "spare time" (as a favour - family, what can you say??) is probably one of the biggest projects I've ever done. Sales are way up.&nbsp; </p> <p>And here's me, thinking of myself as not really doing anything, and wearing ultra-casual clothing to reflect that feeling. </p> <p>Dressing up a bit is helping me feel a lot better about myself. </p> <p>So, to me - 'wearing the heck out of my clothes' means wearing my clothes somewhat <i>out of context</i>. It's helping! </p> <p>Seems dumb, but certain clothes are helping me feel more important and valued. More productive and focused. Better about myself and the work I'm doing in my 'spare time.' </p> <p>Hope that doesn't sound weird. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990774 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 01:43:32 +0000 Elly 990774@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think for me, it is two-part.</p> <p>I agree that part of "wearing the heck" out of clothes is giving ourselves permission to wear the nice stuff, new stuff, and pieces that make us want to wear them despite maybe not feeling that our life or the occasion "warrants" such finery. It doesn't mean that grubies or second choice items don't have a place, but it is about not allowing things we actually do enjoy languish. </p> <p>For me, "wearing the heck out of my clothes" is also literally about wearing clothing often until it is showing signs of better days or has outlived its usefulness and the life I anticipated for it. I do wear holes into my jeans, wear my undies and socks until they are stretched and faded and occasionally have holes, I wear bras until they are done, and tees until they have holes or have faded and pilled (and sometimes those get demoted), same with jackets. It means I aim to purchase clothing that will function well for me. </p> <p>Now, I don't actually expect to wear holes in my button downs, my pencil skirt, ect. but then again I don't have a lifestyle where those items are something I wear everyday. I will toss them or demote them when they no longer look nice enough to wear for work events, interviews, funerals, ect. However, this doesn't mean I'm not going to wear them every opportunity I have, including dressing down the pencil skirt for a special date night and taking my button downs out to dinner or to work on days I can guarantee I'm not going to get too grungy. It also means that I am going to wear the same dress to 2 graduations, a presentation, and a wedding. </p> <p>For an item that I need on occasion, but only occasionally I still feel good about letting things go when they give steady service (whether that be once a year or 6 times a year) until they no longer do their job. I'm ok with having a pair of heels that is only worn on a couple special occasions a year and ok with passing them on when they are no longer comfortable enough or make my special occasion outfits look good or look dated, CPW be damned. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990665 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:57:31 +0000 Mo 990665@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tried twice to reply. &nbsp;My computer doesn't want me to lol. &nbsp;I agree with Cinnamon Fern and Linda.<br />It means to wear my nice stuff and not save it. &nbsp;I have ended up 'saving' to the point where it goes out of style before I've gotten decent wear out of it. &nbsp;<br />Likewise, I need to wear what's in that closet before I go looking to buy the newest thing.<br />I have a medium sized closet and many items only get worn 4 or 5 times a year. &nbsp;I should be aiming for more like 10&nbsp;times a year I think on most articles and shoes. &nbsp;Of course, favorites come to the forefront but that doesn't mean the majority should languish. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990662 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:54:05 +0000 rachylou 990662@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I guess for me it means I consider you (i.e. the item of clothing) on a regular basis. You're on display in my closet and not packed away in deep storage (as opposed to seasonal storage).</p> <p>My work clothes are in heavy rotation. Everything in-season worn several times a month.</p> <p>Off work clothes don't really get much wear, since I've only got a one-day weekend. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990660 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:51:25 +0000 Aziraphale 990660@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>To me, "wearing the heck out of something" means to&nbsp;wear it a lot,&nbsp;until it is too damaged to wear anymore. &nbsp;This means different things for different items, of course. &nbsp;For jeans, I might wear them even after wearing small holes in the knees, but I wouldn't wear a holey sweater or tee shirt. &nbsp;If it goes out of style or I simply get tired of wearing it before it actually wears out, then I haven't worn the heck out of it. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990644 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:34:06 +0000 Suz 990644@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, Elly, that is smart. And I think it illustrates the importance of factoring CPW quite individually, based on our actual wear-patterns and our particular lifestyles. Shedev and I wear jeans a lot so we need to look at those, but I still need some dresses and skirts for other parts of my life and it is <b>okay</b> if those don't "boil down" to the same numbers as my jeans.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990643 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:33:32 +0000 Caro in Oz 990643@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Linda &amp; Krista said - I want to be wearing everything &amp; feeling great in it when I do. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990632 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:17:20 +0000 shedev 990632@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like that Elly, makes perfect sense to me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990616 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 22:59:37 +0000 Elly 990616@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lyn, I think in terms of dresses that it is important to remember to factor the "2-in-1" aspect of dresses into CPW. Sure, you may not be wearing it one day a week, but essentially every dress in your wardrobe replaces 2 other pieces that you'd need to wear otherwise to make an outfit (top and bottom), so if dresses are a wardrobe staple in someone's wardrobe like they are in yours, I feel that dresses deserve twice the CPW allowance of say a top, a skirt, or a pair of slacks since they are essentially double duty. Basically I would figure that they only have to be worn half as often to truly maintain the same CPW as a blouse. So that would mean your $100 dress could reach $1 CPW (actually $2, but CPW of $1 for the top of the dress and $1 CPW of the skirt of the dress) in a year worn approximately somewhere between every week-and-a-half and 2 weeks.&nbsp; Maybe this is girl math on my part though, but IMO it makes sense for a prolific dress-wearer like yourself. </p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990555 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 21:21:20 +0000 deb 990555@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I take it as&nbsp;wear it until I am tired of it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990553 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 21:18:15 +0000 shedev 990553@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Everybody has their own number in their head, $1 is mine, the math is easy and it fits my income. I just use it as a rough&nbsp;estimate as to whether an item is worth it to me at the point of purchase. I may not wear a dress once a week for&nbsp;2 years but since I wear jeans as part of my work uniform, wearing a $100 pair once a week for the same time period is possible. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990536 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 20:59:11 +0000 TraceyLiz65 990536@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>To me it means where them in several different combinations and different seasons where possible. &nbsp;It means use them! &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990528 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 20:42:31 +0000 Krista 990528@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Linda said resonates with me the most - the concept of not keeping things specifically for work or casual (occasion specific items not included) because items can cross categories if styled correctly. So wearing the heck out of my clothes means that items are crossing many lifestyle opportunities because they're great, great quality and styled in a great way. This is wardrobe success to me, and what I didn't realize I was striving for until now, I just hadn't been able to put it into words! So thanks for the topic, Ariadne, and thanks to Linda for helping me get there! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990512 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 20:17:05 +0000 lyn* 990512@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@ Shedev - but if I buy a $100 dress, that would mean I have to wear it one day a week for two years to go for &lt; $1 CPW ... and I don't know any dresses that can stand up to that! LOL. And I think I'd get bored Good for you though, for being able to make it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990506 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 20:11:41 +0000 shedev 990506@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>To me it has two meanings that are intertwined. The first is not to save our clothes for good. The second is get value for our money. The shoes that we pay $20. for end up more expensive than the $100. pair that we wear once a week for a year. Another Angie directive, PPP, should help keep us from buying the cheapest thing.<br />Lyn, I aim for the $1 per wear, but really high happy per wear trumps CPW. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990490 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 20:05:08 +0000 Suz 990490@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great question! I've wondered this myself, and what I've come down to is something like the following:&nbsp;</p> <p>Having a closet the right size for me -- not too big, not too small. </p> <p>&nbsp;I will wear almost all the items in it &nbsp;at least once during their season -- although there are always exceptions (e.g. the fancy occasion that does not materialize because the wedding is called off or postponed; the funeral that - thankfully -- does not happen.)&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, <b>most</b>&nbsp;items will be worn many, many times per season. </p> <p>But the amount does vary&nbsp;depending on the specific item, and "wearing the heck" out of a fancy dress or even a pencil skirt, for me,&nbsp;might mean wearing it twice or even once, whereas "wearing the heck" out of my jeans probably means wearing them at least 20 times in a 3 month quarter. That would change if I were working out of the home in a more formal occupation, of course. Then I'd probably be wearing my jeans a lot less and my pencil skirts a lot more. But you get the idea. Because I have more tops than bottoms, I probably wear most tops a bit less often than bottoms, but even there, I have some sweaters that I wear literally once a week in winter time. And winter is long where I live.&nbsp;</p> <p>I tend to feel uncomfortable or guilty about clothes that I haven't worn at least 5 or 6 times per season, and unless they belong to a special occasion category or the weather has been very unusual (and has thus prevented me from wearing something I had good reason to expect I would wear, when I bought it) then I often get the urge to purge them. At minimum I ask myself tough questions about them, as in, "Did you buy this for your fantasy life?" "Did you have sales goggles?" Etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>Some items get even more wear. My winter coats, my bags, (I only own a few), my winter boots, my gloves.&nbsp;</p> <p>I don't really calculate an actual CPW, but I do a rough estimate when I am about to buy something and take that figure into consideration unless it's unrealistic to do so. (For instance, occasion wear will always have a high CPW, but you still need it.) I also try to estimate happiness factor, although that's often more difficult to predict. But something that will give me <b>great </b>happiness even though I won't wear it to the ground may well be worth it to me.&nbsp;</p> <p>I don't necessarily&nbsp;<b>expect </b>to wear my clothes out, but in fact I <b>do</b> wear a fair number out,&nbsp;after a couple of seasons (or one season, if they are lousy quality). Shoes, frequently worn jeans, knits, and even the odd jacket have been known to wear out on me.&nbsp; </p> <p></p> <p>ETA: I notice that for others the issue seems to be not saving their things for "good." I don't have this problem -- but I do think in terms of capsules and my work-at-home capsule is different (though overlapping) with my smart casual capsule &nbsp;for city trips.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-does-wear-the-heck-out-of-your-clothes-mean-to-you#post-990475 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:50:36 +0000 Susie 990475@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>To me it means stop thinking about the next acquisition and enjoy what I have now. Wear that favorite top one day to work this week, again this weekend, and with a different bottom in a week or two. Maybe sort of plan out (in my mind at least) when I might wear a new article- to get numerous "first showings" but wear it, don't save it. </p>