Fashion math and wardrobe limits...

Laura J

I saw this post yesterday and it made me wonder how you all decide whether a wardrobe purchase is "worth it."

http://corporette.com/2014/05/.....fashion-ma

I'm refining my wardrobe, changing my style, and rebuilding my shoe collection. I've decided to put numerical limits on how big my wardrobe can be. Do any of you do that? Do you use fashion math like in the post above?

11 years ago

General

14 replies

Latest reply was from Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Lisa

Veteran

An interesting article. I like to consider how often I think I will wear something before I purge it, but that's it. Interesting thought to also consider compliments and pride of ownership.

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Lol. I guess I do the same basic thing, but in a much more, um, breezy manner. I estimate what I think a thing is worth v. it's price. However, my variables are more like fair price for labor, added-value of middlemen, quality of materials, design, attention to detail...

Re. # of items. I have a project (*The Great Purge*) to get all my things down to fitting into the one closet and shelves I have... with some room to breathe. So, I'm working on that!

11 years ago

cheryl

Veteran

Most everything I buy is already on sale or clearance so I don't really do this but this was an interesting article to read.

11 years ago

Karina

Active Member

I loved this article, thanks for sharing! I definitely do something like this, though on a much more intuitive level. I am probably about 2/3 of the way through a major personal wardrobe overhaul so I enjoy hearing how others make purchasing decisions. One of the main things that has changed for me is moving to a much warmer climate, but I'm still having a hard time paying for "summery" items even though I can wear them 9-10 months out of the year. I need to change my thought process to allow for this. It would be a fun exercise to set up a personal math equation like this one for my specific situation, especially as I'm more at a refining point right now. I like the idea of having caps of certain numbers/types of wardrobe items, and also lower limits for basics, so I have a range I'm comfortable with for # of items owned/stored. It helps me to have a sense of "enough" which is something that I find I desire from my wardrobe.

11 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Do I do fashion math?? Yes, and yes. Not like this, though. I have never, ever considered whether an item would garner compliments and 'factored' that into purchasing decisions. I do consider CPW (cost per wear) but in a general sense. For instance, I have a list of items that have CPW over $20 until they get below that upper threshold.
As for number of items, I'm the queen of formulas for that! I figured I'd only need 6 skirts and 6 shorts, and 12 tanks as a minimum basis for warm weather wear. I have 7, 7, and about 14 in the FL closet presently.
As for upper limits of what I will spend per item, I'm getting better. Again, that CPW, and happiness factor need to be considered.

11 years ago

Suja

Veteran

Thanks for sharing this article.

I am also in the midst of a wardrobe overhaul and have just managed to get everything other than coats, workout clothes and pajamas into one half of the closet I share with my husband. Yay!

I have a set number of shelves for shoes and a set number of hangers. I am not allowed to buy more and must work with that space. I also practice 1-in, 1-out which keeps the closet size in check. Every purchase has to be an upgrade from what I have in terms of style or quality since it is bumping one from my closet. This helps me tremendously in avoiding unnecessary purchases. I also feel good about donating nice clothes to charity because someone shopping at Goodwill is going to be thrilled to find something nice.

As for CPW, I haven't really got my head around it yet. Special occasion wear has a very high CPW but pajamas are very low. I'm not sure what I should aim for in each category. I mostly just buy if I am comfortable with the price, am ok letting something go from my closet to accommodate it and believe I will wear it several times.

I do sometimes think of new wardrobe items in terms of a portfolio. Some are sure bets and I am ok spending more on these. Some are experimental styles for me and I prefer to shop at the low end for trends I am just trying out so I'm not risking much if I tire of it quickly.

I love topic of wardrobe and closet management so thanks for starting the conversation.

11 years ago

shedev

Veteran

I like the idea of a formula but don't really think I'd rely on compliments. I'm thinking on this.

11 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

I consider CPW and track it fastidiously because it's fun for me (my goal is below $2 CPW after a year). I also have an overall budget for clothes for the year.

What I didn't do is figure out the number of items to stop at. I should have read more of Mo's posts and thought about formulas before starting the great wardrobe rebuild. :p I think from now on it's going to have to be one in, one out, or 1-2 purchases per month because the shared closet is groaning a bit.

I'm not so into the other categories, but caro in oz has mentioned 'happiness per wear' before so I'm trying to give all my clothes a 5 star happiness rating (includes comfort, interest, how they look on me, how they work with others), with 1-2 star items (usually they've been around awhile) on the purge list.

11 years ago

Zibbets

Veteran

Interesting! I do that, but not with such precision. I like her formula.

I consider how often, where and how I'll wear it and whether I will have to spend a lot to wear it (on accessories, shoes, etc). I'll spend bigger $ on better brands and classic items that should be around for a while, or ones that will fill a wardrobe hole.

11 years ago

Laurinda

Veteran

Some CPWs are very low (socks or a thrifted jacket) while special event wear might be quite high. My overall budget is what is most important for me, so my fashion math looks at average CPW based on a year's worth of 'Wearings'. Allowing $1 CPW each for a top, a topper, a bottom, and shoes would come to $4/day. Therefore a person under an annual budget of 365x$4 = $1460 is averaging < $1CPW.

Works for me

ETA: Winter months would add outerwear, for 5 items, evened out by Summer months that would be sans toppers, so I'll keep the average at 4 daily pieces.

11 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

This would be a dangerous game for me, especially with the compliments thing ... I'd probably put more weight on how this article makes me feel.

11 years ago

MsLuna

Veteran

The moment I read MATH, I usually run the heck away. Fashion and math together?!?!?! Why combine the things I both love and hate????

Anyway - interesting article though vague: how many times you wear the item? Per year? Per week? Per month? How many times I pat myself on the back? Errrr... Compliments? How many seasons? Clothing care?

I got a bit overwhelmed, but since I'm in a wardrobe minimalism project, here's how I justify purchases that are worth it:

- I feel good in it. Like... Reaaaally good. Physical and emotionally
- it's multifunctional (as far as my dresses go). Can I wear them for at least two different occasions/settings (example, a versatile dress I can wear for a smart casual work environment, a job interview and a wedding)
- can I move in it?
- is it versatile enough for multiple seasons?
- does it suit my lifestyle?
- will I wear it often?
- does it go with many items in my wardrobe?

Your criteria might be different, but I thought I'd share my thoughts, given that I'm actively rebuilding the wardrobe

11 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Like rabbit said the pleasure an item gives me every time I wear it outweighs CPW for me. I still want to get a reasonable CPW but I know that my heels & evening clothes will have a much higher CPW than say my everyday bag or shoes. That's why I'm learning to keep my evening capsule to a minimum & spend a decent amount on everyday items, which should help to balance everything out. I can't fathom the compliment idea as a basis for buying clothes either, but whatever turns you on

11 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I'm shady on the compliment thing as well. I mean, certain items - conversation prints, red shoes, graphic tees referencing a certain thing - are going to garner comments / compliments, but no one other than my DH is going to mention how nicely a pair of my jeans fit. If I bought based on that, my outfits would be bizarre.

It is hard to tell if something will be a workhorse ahead of time, as we've discussed several times. Even something from the same brand in the same cut can have a slightly different fabric or fit.

I tend to take the Mo approach and figure out about how many items in each particular category I need, and once I've filled that quota i switch to a one in, one out approach where the new item has to be better, more current, etc. than whichever item it's going to replace. Someone posted links to the Into Mind blog recently and she talks about this with seasonal wardrobes (which she calls capsule wardrobes, a bit different than what Angie means by this term). Basically the idea is to identify one to three main silhouettes that you're planning to wear for the upcoming season and/or specialized activity. Then, once you know how often you want to repeat items/outfits, you know how many items you need.

11 years ago

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