Getting to 30 wears

Sal

This won't be of interest to all - please feel free to skip if counting wears is not your thing.

I do track my wears - I don't bother any more for lounge wear, active wear or gear - nor accessories outside shoes. But I like doing it to justify my habit of buying somewhat expensive clothes......

As I am in the last couple of weeks of wearing summer clothes I noticed a few more pieces have got to 30 wears between January and now. These are all between 6 months and 3 years old (the black silk shirt is the oldest purchased August 2023, the sandals the newest, added in July 2025).

White tank
Black shirt
Black dress
Green flats
Black Mary Janes
Tan and black sandals

I also note that all my heels and 80% of my dresses won't get there.

I am not adding new heels any more, but I do love and keep adding dresses. I don't plan to stop but I do need to be mindful of this and be moderate about those additions.

Outside these categories unless a piece is a poor purchase, then most of my pieces do get to 30 wears if I keep them 2-3 years. I do have examples of things that have worn out prior to 30 wears (disappointing) or that I don't like enough and won't make myself wear to get there.

Thanks for reading and I am interested in what categories for you won't get there.

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3 weeks ago

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Sal

Sal

Veteran

These are the pieces that are unlikely to get to 30 wears (not dresses, not heels)

I do like the olive wrap shirt but don't wear it an awful lot. The cream jacket gets worn about once a year for eight years....but it is occasionally the right thing, and the cardigan is never what I want to wear......but I still own it.

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3 weeks ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Well you know it’s my thing! I have been doing it for almost 10 years and apart from Angie’s PPP principle it’s what has really helped to turn what I used to call my “clothes addiction” into a wardrobe that really works for me.
Some of my clothes take many years to get there, often some unforeseen issue like the neckline problem on my embroidered cream summer jacket. If I love the item still and am not bored with it (as per my earlier thread about how old is old and how long does it take to get bored with your clothes) then I will keep it and just wear occasionally. I have just been swapping around positions of clothes in the wardrobe sections, and looking at my lists.
The 3 2025 summer tops are not there, but my favourite of the 3, the white seersucker-like top from Max, has 18 wears already. The new cobalt block buster pants have 28 wears already since spring.
Skirts can take many years to get there, the 2008 Laura Ashley silk skirt is my oldest and it has 29 wears even now.
Dresses are very slow, I own 8 summer dresses and only one of them is there, so I have not purchased any since 2022. Age of dresses ranges from 2009 to 2022.
Cardigans get there in 2-3 years usually. My Max dark green cardigan from winter 2024 has 26 wears by now.
Jackets can take a few years also, especially if dressy. The embroidered one I mentioned is from 2021 and has 28 wears, it would be more if not for the neckline issue which means I only like it with tanks.
Will do shoes separately later!

3 weeks ago

Sal

Veteran

Jenni - Dresses do take a while - occasion wear pieces probably won't get there for me and even sundresses take a few years.

I don't intend to stop buying them but I need to be realistic that I will own them for many years so I don't want something I could tire of easily.

3 weeks ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well I don't track wears but it is still interesting to think about what gets the most and least wear in my wardrobe. In my case it is definitely certain shoes and jeans that get the most wears and dresses and skirts the least.

3 weeks ago

Lisa

Veteran

I enjoy tracking wears for all the reasons you mentioned. I especially find that tracking wears helps me feel good about editing items and knowing what brands can last multiple seasons and which do not. Plus it's just interesting and fun to do!

For my wardrobe, I don't get to 30 wears for dresses. They are my least worn items. I only added them last year to my wardrobe after many years of not wearing dresses and while I enjoyed the change, they were not my go to throughout the spring, summer, fall season last year. (I do not have any winter dresses). I specifically purchased consignment dresses when I decided to dive back into dresses because I know I won't hold on to them for long. I'm a jeans, trousers, joggers, shorts gal. It was fun to dabble back into dresses but it's not a staple style for me.

Heels and workwear (suits, trousers, blazers, blouses) are also items that don't reach 30 wears before an edit. I rarely wear these items to the office (I mostly WFH) and often the styles change, my size changes, or my preference changes and I'll end up doing an edit for these categories before 30 wears.

I don't currently own any special occasion outfits, but in the past they never got past 1-3 wears before an edit.

3 weeks ago

Star (Lise)

Veteran

Have you tried wearing the cardigan that you never wear buttoned up, like a regular pullover knit? I don't track shoes, accessories and lounge wear. I also stopped tracking between December to end Feb as it is deep winter and I wear the same heavy knits and cords regularly. I know what I wear and need in those three months and don't find any benefit. For the rest of the year my clothes that get the least wears are tops because I just have too many. I do not consider 30 wears nearly enough but do use it as a sort of measure when I have made a thrifting mistake and want to edit. I feel a bit better if it is near or over 30 wears. I also find that my neutral items get the most wear. Initially this was a big shock as I thought I was a colour lover. Now when I buy I go easy with colour.

3 weeks ago

avicennia

Veteran

I don’t track wears, never have, and doubt I ever will. But, but I find it fascinating to read about those of you who do. Thanks for posting this Sal!

3 weeks ago

Sal

Veteran

Jaime - me too with shoes and jeans. All my footwear outside heels gets there easily. Jeans usually in a year. "Splitting wears" in shoes can be a good thing....

Lisa - I can see that for you. You are a jeans/pants/shorts person and you are wise to focus on those areas.

Lise - interesting about the colour! I have worn the cardigan done up, open it flaps too much. I can see myself wearing it with jeans in the weekend in autumn - it's too bulky and hot right now.

Thanks Avicennia.

I also think 30 wears is not really enough but if it gets there I think it wasn't a bad buy. Except for shoes and jeans - I really like them to get over 100 wears. I am fine with occasion wear not getting there, and we all make the odd mistake or get a stain on an item.

Tracking has helped me not be afraid to buy more expensive shoes, work pants, coats, bags etc.. But I am more cautious with tops...

The dresses below are either 30 wears or may get there in the next year or two. The long sleeve floral has 20 after two years, the white linen 24 after five years, the black and white stripe is 10 in one summer.

The lilac, maroon floral and black sweater dress are all at 30 wears but the lilac has been edited out due to wear, the maroon floral is now loungewear, and I will see about the sweater dress - I am sick of it.

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3 weeks ago

Sisi

Veteran

Interesting Sal! My least worn pieces are Summer pieces - dresses and sandals. It makes sense, Summer lasts only 3 months. All the other pieces of clothing get worn for the remaining 9 months and easily reach 30 and more wears.

3 weeks ago

Star (Lise)

Veteran

Sal wrt to the sweater dress that you are sick of. I get seriously sick of my winter items too and then pack them away for a winter or two. I have struggled to find a good sweater dress. They usually too thin and clingy or just don't drape right. If it is a good piece my advice is to give it a long break rather than editing it. If it was a goodie before it could well be again. It is a classic dress.

3 weeks ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Jaime said! I don't count wears, and am happy to read about your experiences, Sal

How much does it matter and affect you - and other counters - if wears don't get to 30 before you're done with the item - or are passing it on for other reasons? Or the item hasn't reached the target of 30 wears within a 2-3 year period?

Are there consequences?

2 weeks ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I only track sporadically, but I still find it interesting to hear the thoughts of those who do it consistently. I do find that even as a sporadic tracker, I have gained some similiar insights, i.e. what it makes sense to spend more on (because I will wear it more), what it makes sense to accept as a lower-wear type of item. I don't actually have a 30 wears goal. Or any goal, when I track, except to see what I'm genuinely wearing the most and what I don't need more of. Dresses and skirts are lower wear items for me, for sure, as for most here. But I do enjoy them and don't plan to stop replenishing them entirely. I'll just be mindful about it.

2 weeks ago

Roberta

Veteran

I don't count where's, but I am aware of cost per wear in a general way. I have a few things that I paid what was for me a lot of money and do not wear very often. In most cases it's because they only work in one or two outfits, like the COS vest, or are limited to a certain kinds of weather, like the suede jacket. I therefore make an effort to wear them more than once or twice a season, and I also plan to keep them in good condition and for a long time.

I'm curious as to how we arrived at 30 wears as a benchmark. Do you think about this as three times a year for 10 years? Or is that a reasonable number for something to last until it's not suitable to wear anymore. I wonder about the fashion math.

Nordstrom

COS Oversize V-Neck Wool Vest

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Treasure&Bond Fringe Suede Jacket

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Donald J Pliner Elynaci Snakeskin Embossed Monk Strap Shoe (Women)

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2 weeks ago

Jenni NZ

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Roberta the idea was from Livia Firth, the ex-wife of Colin Firth the actor. It was a campaign from at least a decade ago, I would have to look it up but I learned about it from Jenn who is a Fabber who used to post frequently. It was a campaign to wear our clothes more to help the environment, to offset the carbon credits etc involved in making them. The 30 wears campaign I think is the term?

2 weeks ago

Roberta

Veteran

Thanks, I'll look it up!

2 weeks ago

Carla

Veteran

If you don’t mind the patina of age, you can certainly get 100+ wears out of denim! My Levi 501’s are at 146 wears. Merino lasts better than cotton knit. I’m babying a green cotton knit that has 57 wears, because it’s a perfect match with a floral skirt I like, but it is looking a little faded and pilled. On the other hand, I have merino sweaters from Uniqlo that have 55 and 49 wears that look like new, and one that I got in January that has 15 wears already. One flannel shirt got worn around 25 times each year for 4 years, and is now in year 5. A synthetic floral turtleneck has 57 wears. My Marvel T was thrifted, but in the 2 years I’ve owned it, it’s reached 54 wears as has a J.Crew stripe that was passed on to me by a fellow YLFer. Another 6 items are at the threshold for 30 wears.

I’m not a big dress wearer, but a dress bought as part of a summer refresh mid 2025, got worn 11 times last year, and went on vacation with me last month!

My biggest takeaway from counting wears is that it isn’t the wearing of a garment that ‘wears’ it out - it’s laundering. Hanging things to dry helps mitigate some of the damage. Summer is hard on garments. More frequent washing, to be sure - but also exposure to sun. I retired a cotton jacket after many years when it became severely discoloured over time. I know it was mostly from the sum, because the colour under the flap pockets remained true and much darker. When DH and I go over his golf shirts, we flip the hem of the shirt against the upper back. Where the sun hits across the shoulders will be much faded when compared to the front abdomen that is tucked inside shorts or pants!

Alas, I will admit to passing garments on before they reach 30 wears - and some with as few as 10 wears - possibly less. Excessive pilling, fabric that stretches or ‘grows’ when being worn, fits that end up not working (shoes, ugh!). Sometimes I’ve done irreparable damage - like catching a garment on something and tearing it, bleaching/staining an item, or experiencing un anticipated shrinkage.

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2 weeks ago

Star (Lise)

Veteran

ANGIE not getting to 30 wears in a specific period does not matter or have consequences for me. It is not a goal. It does give me some sort of peace of mind though if I want to edit a piece. I know that it has been given enough opportunity to work. If it is way below 30 and it is blatantly not working out it goes anyway.

I have a coat at the moment that I am considering letting go. I like how it looks but when I put it on it feels heavy yet is not that warm. I have worn it around 45 times. I will let it go with peace of mind. Also it was thrifted and not expensive so that helps with the peace :). I think you call it 'passing on an item with a happy heart'.

2 weeks ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Angie I think the consequence for me would be guilt. I know guilt is a problem for me, it’s upbringing, I am better than I used to be! That “get your money’s worth” saying was prominent in my childhood and teenage years and still affects me. Plus now there’s the added guilt about the environment, that it offsets the emissions involved in making the item if you can wear it at least 30 times. However I do remember the sensible advice Suz gave me once here, and which made me laugh, that it wasn’t really helping the environment if the clothes just sat in my wardrobe unworn! So true.
But I do feel better for both those reasons if I can wear the items a lot, and so trying to use your PPP principle when buying feeds into it by choosing well and thus being likely to make the #30 wears. The usefulness of the tracking to me is not just trying to make that number, it’s seeing what I really do wear on a daily basis and that therefore I should buy more in that category (pants and tops) rather than what I very seldom wear, which turns out to be dresses and skirts, hence why I have not bought a dress since 2022. I am less concerned about making 30 wears with thrifted items since they cost less and have also already been worn by others unless new with tags, as far as the environmental impact of them goes. I did buy one skirt late last year because it was pretty, but it was thrifted for $10 so less of a concern money-wise or environment-wise. And what do you know… it’s a summer skirt, summer is over, and I haven’t worn it yet.

2 weeks ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for your explanations, Star and Jenni!

2 weeks ago

Sisi

Veteran

Angie - the pieces that do not reach the 30 wears are generally mistakes. The "consequences" are that I get angry with myself for having made—again!—a mistake. My mistakes typically are buying the wrong thing for my style or buying hastily a placeholder. But thanks to YLF's advice, I have to say that the mistakes have decreased considerably over time.

2 weeks ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I found the "30 wears" idea a helpful sort of benchmark the first time I tracked. Just recognizing that it might take me 3 months (or less!) to get to that with some items—and 3 years (or more!) with others was useful.

Whether I'm tracking or not, I don't aim for 30 wears. I won't force myself to wear anything I don't want to wear. If an item turns out to be a poorer fit or lower quality than I expected on purchase -- out it goes. If an item doesn't make me happy any more or I am tired of it or I can't style it in ways that please me, out it goes.

What I do like to do is a sort of rough factoring -- how many items in my wardrobe (and which ones) will far exceed 30 wears and how many would take years to reach that threshold. And then, in my purchasing, I aim to source more types of items I know I'll wear a lot, and a lower propportion of those I know won't get as much wear.

I do make exceptions, though. Occasion wear, for instance. I don't wear it often but I do need it. So I try to ensure I have what I need for the various types of occasions that do come up for me, regardless of the fact that those items will probably never reach 30 wears. (Though with a capsule of occasion "separates" that is far less true.

2 weeks ago

Sal

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Thanks all for your comments from those who track or not. I heard about #30 wears from Jenn I think - and I guess it intuitively makes sense. And is easy to remember. As a concept I think it’s worth considering at the time of purchase - can you see yourself wearing something 30 times? And if not - then to proceed with awareness of that.

Carla - I am okay with patina on denim and my jeans get over 100 wears. That’s better than other types of pants excluding activewear. Work trousers are not as easy to keep going with when they are showing age.

And I don’t see it as a hard and fast rule - occasionwear is unlikely to get there, and some seasonal items as well can be much more lightly worn.

My climate is much more temperate than most - we don’t get very cold and we don’t get very hot. I could wear jeans tee and blazer almost every day of the year with sneakers.

2 weeks ago

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