I don't expect knits to last all that long, no matter what the price or brand, and how well I baby them, which I do. I can get one year out of them for looking nice, then the following year they are relegated to layering only, beach wear, then the year after that they may make it into sleepwear and lounge capsule.

Summer clothes have the shortest life of all -- sweat & sunscreen, more frequent laundering, sand from the beach, etc. I am hardest by far on my summer clothes. I also do not invest a lot of $ in my summer clothes, because I know I'm going to have to replace 80% of it the following year.

Then there are the miracle knits I find sometimes that are seemingly indestructible. For example inexpensive camisoles from H&M I purchased years ago. I wear these very frequently and do not baby them at all, frying them in the dryer, etc.... and they continue to hold up year after year with no fading.

Wovens seem to last a lot longer which is why I prefer them. I tend to grow bored of them, or grow out of them, before they wear out. I am more apt to stain a woven top accidentally. Or a top has to go because of pit stains. Or a woven starts to shine because of ill treatment by the dry cleaners. I have had a lot of clothes bite the dust after a trip to the dry cleaners, unfortunately.

Sweaters: can be all over the map. I have sweaters that are 10+ years old. Then I have sweaters that *should* have lasted years, but started looking shabby after just one. I do think sweater quality has gone way down in recent years -- even the better brands.

Jeans: I haven't blown out the knees on a pair of jeans since high school. Then again, I don't like to wear jeans all that often.

Coats: I own a lot, because I live in a colder climate. I have many that are several years old and still look as good as new. Often what happens with coats is that I'll lose a button or break a zipper or the lining will tear. These things can usually be fixed. However mostly what happens with coats is that I buy one that will "do" -- not perfect but close enough -- and it gets replaced when I find one that is perfect. My Bernardo puffer, which I love, is probably not going to last too long, because it sheds feathers like crazy. White or cream coats are prone to staining, or showing wear on the cuffs. With coats I always wear a scarf around the neck, to prevent ring around the collar.

Shoes: I baby my shoes, especially the ones I've spent a lot of $ on. If they are comfortable favorites that fall out of fashion I have been known to tuck them away until they come back into fashion. Believe it or not, I have Me-Too ballet flats that are still going strong. My tall boots are all 5+ years and still going strong. I do not ever wear my suede boots/shoes if there is any hint of rain or snow in the weather, or salt on the ground. I wipe off my boots immediately when I get home, so salt doesn't sit. I take my shoes in frequently for cobbler TLC. I rotate so that shoes have a chance to breathe. And I wear socks whenever feasible -- because I find it is the shoes you can't wear socks with that wear out the fastest.

I had a pair of sandals, worn daily in the hot months, that lasted 4 years. I only just discarded them. I never wore them on the beach, because sand is so hard on sandals. I have two pairs of Jcrew thongs. The silver pair is oldest, and starting to look ratty, so it is reserved for the beach. The gold pair is newer and is reserved for wearing anywhere but the beach. If a particular shoe works really well, I duplicate so that I can rotate. Such as the Jcrew sandals, but also including athletic sneakers, and Me-Too ballet flats, and my favorite booties (which I have in black, blue suede, and leopard).

I choose wedge shoes instead of heels if I'm going to be walking on cobble stones or grass. If I'm driving I will wear a different pair of shoes to save the back of my better heels from getting scuffed. I carefully pack my shoes in shoe bags, and stuff them, and bury them inside my luggage rather than putting them into the outer pocket where they can get squished and wind up cracking. I put my shoes away in the closet (pocketed shoe organizer) rather than tossing them in the pile with my family's shoes. I do not leave gear shoes in a hot car to protect the rubber from wearing out. I stuff my tall boots so they don't sag over in the closet.

Gear: can last but often the elastic gives out, even when not worn at all. It simply degrades over time. Sneakers can degrade as well. If you are a runner, it's good to replace sneakers frequently, whether they look like they need it or not.

Not relavent to you Laura, but just popping back to say that anything woven I have bought from Portmans (an Australian brand) has lasted forever. I have 2 dresses still going from prior to 2001.

Traci, I like your idea to work backwards and figure out how many items I need to replace each season and figure out how to fit that into my budget rather than the other way around. Combine that with Mo's seasonal replacement rates and I'll have a general structure to work with.

Some of this is speculative only, because I did replace a lot of items when I lost weight last year and I don't have an overall sense of how long they will all last. I still can't imagine most of the things in my casual everyday wardrobe lasting more than five years. Before I lost weight, I regularly had to toss jeans that got worn through on the inner thighs, pants that had shrunk in the wash, knits that had pilled, anything cotton that had faded badly. I guess I should rephrase and say chose to toss instead of had to toss because some of those items were strictly wearable, and if I'd been in a tight financial situation I could have made do. I can see how if you work in an office and wear woven shirts and lined pencil skirts and that sort of fabrication, those items would last a lot longer than knit tees and cotton sweaters and denim.

I read some of the earlier responses in this thread before I went to bed last night and ended up feeling impressed by those of you that manage to keep things for a long time, and a bit chided. I gave it some thought and realized that personal preferences as far as replacement rate can be really emotional, and change over your lifetime. My parents were/are savers and 'keep it just in case'-ers and I took that approach into my young adulthood. Then sometime in my late 20s I realized I felt like I wasn't participating in fashion, or had anything in common with my peers. I was interested in the aesthetic part of fashion: proportions, colors, body types - but I didn't bother noticing trends because what was the point, I had perfectly good clothes at home. Except that most of them were dated and made me look older and heavier than I was, or just didn't fit right. I got rid of a lot of the old stuff, and even more when I joined YLF a few years ago, and bought new things, a bit trendier things, and it's made a big difference in how I feel about myself (and I think how others think about me when they meet me). I donate all my wearable items to thrift stores, and I buy secondhand myself, so I don't think I'm particularly wasteful. A t this point in my life I don't want a wardrobe of timeless classics; maybe I will in the future sometime.

To Laura's point, I recently visited my mother to help her clean her closets and she was definitely a 'keep it just it case, baby it, never throw it out' person. She also had lots of woven shirts so they had lasted many, many years with hand washing and still looked presentable.

Here's the thing, she was wearing woven shirts that I remember wearing when I was 13 (I'm 41 now), and I'm pretty sure some of them weren't bought new even back in the early 80's when I wore them to middle school with fluorescent headbands :). I actually found some that worked with current styles, (boxy woven tees), but others.... I do think a lot of fabrications were just stronger a few decades ago though.

Also gryffin if you can point me to leggings that last that long, I'd appreciate it.

Shoes = one to two dog walks on the city sidewalks before getting taps put on.

If the taps never get put on, 1 month tops with two to three wears a weeks.

I swear shoe soles used to last longer, or maybe I simply put up with worn-down shoes as a girl. I wear my shoes unevenly though, and my left knee starts to hurt. Sometimes I can barely walk when that happens.

This is something I can never figure out either.

I have a hard time predicting how long things will last because, even within the same category of stuff, same brand, or similar fabrications, there's been a huge range for me. Then, unless we're talking about workhorses or other things that would leave a wardrobe hole if they were gone, I don't necessarily think of new purchases as explicit "replacements" for a worn-out item. Instead, new things usually mean that older things will be worn a little less often while they're on the downward slope toward possibly wearing out, giving them a prolonged life.

Plus, I also have a hard time judging when something is too worn out to wear. A large wardrobe plus an outsized sense of guilt at getting rid of things that are showing their age but still technically wearable means things can live for years in wardrobe semi-retirement. Maybe they're demoted to loungewear or worn only in a few outfits or when I'm low on clean clothes, but they're still in there being vaguely useful.

This is a hard question for me to answer. I maintain a medium-sized wardrobe of about 85 items (not including lounge, shoes, or outerwear), some items I have had for more than 10 years and some items I have had for 10 days. I get rid of things because they lose their integrity (shape, color, etc.) or because they lose their appeal (fit, style, etc.). While the first is somewhat predictable (jeans should last 2 years, but since I wear them almost daily perhaps not much longer), the second is wholly unpredictable (my grey wool shift is at least 7 years old, but I consigned my citron JCrew tunic after 4 months because I just did not like how it looked on me despite how I felt the day I bought it).

I guess I would say that I expect every item to last at least two years, with the exception of shoes that I know I will be wearing hard. In that case, a season could potentially do them in. I really do not like to wear worn-down shoes. I have shoes that are old (my cowboy boots are older than my marriage -- at least 25 years old) but they tend to be really well made and rarely worn. On the other hand, trendy shoes that are worn often are sometimes ready to go after a season (case and point: my SE Cruz sneakers look like crap, but I wore them almost every day this summer).

The wildcard is really that second factor: will an item lose its appeal? Will it start to fit differently because my body changes? Will I lose my love for a style? Any of those could shorten a lifespan pretty dramatically.

Laura brings up a good point when she says "At this point in my life I don't want a wardrobe of timeless classics." I tend to agree with that. Even assuming there is such a thing (about which I have my doubts; I think Una totally nailed it here), I consider clothing to be a consumable. Generally I don't expect any particular item to last a lifetime or anywhere near it. Styles change, tastes change, I get tired of wearing a particular item, so I move on.

The exceptions would be accessories (as discussed in the thread linked above) and certain footwear like my 28-year-old cowboy boots. Or something so crazy and awesome that it was never in style, so will never be out of style, like Angela Merkel's awesome silk tunic. But generally I don't aspire to building a wardrobe that will stand the test of time.

I will stand by the potential of timeless classics. With allowances for changes in hem length, the pencil skirt is my go-to example -- with no shoulder pads, lapels or armholes, it's not as tricky as an upper-body garment. I also very much believe in items that are so unique as to be outside time, as well as in the cyclical nature of fashion. Others may prefer to buy the new iteration when a trend comes around again, but I love plunging into my personal, family curated collection as well -- I've resurrected any number of boxy '80s blouses in the past couple years, and wore others a decade ago underneath a pullover that reigned in their (then-unfashionable) oversized armholes. I am also shameless in altering vintage garments to tweak them just that little bit, although I deeply regret over-shortening a few skirts in the late 90s. Nowadays I would leave plenty of allowance in the hem to let them back down again.

With respect to how long I would potentially like a garment to last, I'm with gryffin, although, to Suz's point, most of my clothing is of very high quality and I have a larger wardrobe. I would also expect leather good -- belts, purses, etc., to last even longer than she suggests, with good care and a good cobbler. I'm still wearing pencil skirts (both wool and linen) and cashmere knits of my mother's that are 30+ years old. Because I usually have relatively few outerwear pieces in rotation, I do find that I have preferred to pass them on when they get to the needing to be re-lined point--which I find to be about 10 years as well--rather than refreshing them, although my last wool/cashmere coat certainly could have kept going with a new lining.

Exceptions to the expectation of longevity are t-shirt type knits (although I do have a number from J. Crew that are on year 5, they are slightly oversize and were quite fringe in 2009 but are now perfectly mainstream), underthings, socks, pj's, gear, much-loved jeans, and the occasional delicate silk blouse, if, again, it's particularly well-loved; I've also found that ponte pants don't last more than a couple seasons as they tend to pill, if not between the legs, then where my bag hits my hip. Dry cleaned clothes usually go to the cleaners, at most, twice a year, sweaters get shaved when needed, and all leather goods and shoes get cleaned and conditioned once a year, if not re-heeled or re-soled. I’m also a regular mender and a patron of my local re-weaver.

I am quite hard on shoes. My exceptional cobbler can keep most shoes going indefinitely, but sandals and plimsolls usually last just one season, and I've recently discovered there are limits to the magic he can work on patent leather. Also, again to one of Suz's points, when I was living without regular air conditioning, my summer wardrobe consisted of cheap, cotton gauze dresses from Zara, which with frequent laundering often started to shred after a season. I've lost a lot fewer shirts and tops to underarm stains since I stopped using conventional antiperspirant.

Of course, all of this isn’t to say that I don’t temporarily or permanently retire items due to changes in fashion. For that sort of planning purpose, I find that I tend to favor particular silhouettes for about 3 years at a time.

Rabbit - I am currently on leggings hunt. I used to wear only danskin supplex 1562. I had read on amazon that danskin changed their factory and they were not that well rated. To date, I tried capezio - they run small and short. I really want legging no more than 1" above my ankles and I'm only 5'3". I tried danskins cotton leggings and did not like them. I currently have the danskin supplex and hue leggings on order. Legging must be totally opaque and thick or I don't like them. I wash them in a lingerie bag but regular cycle. I'll let you know if I find something acceptable. I have a few new pairs squirrelled away (princess duplicator here) but this could be a long hunt from the reviews. I'll keep you updated!
Suz - you are right in that I work in an office, so it's climate controlled (other than my formerly unairconditioned ancient car!!) and I do wear a lab coat at work so that cuts down on wear and tear for sure. Brands that survived were mostly old Ann Taylor, Episode (which I'm not sure still exists), Dana Buchman when she was in the designer section - so more mid tier but I think clothes were still better made back then. I do agree I have a very defined style but I find the few long jackets available are very similar in silhouette to new pieces that are coming out. I think it's how and what you style a piece with that keeps the look current for me - but I am also much less concerned with whether I look current than if I look great in an oufit!

I'm increasingly thinking it's not about how long you have something in your closet, but about exactly how many times you wear it, and for how long each time. For example I have skirts that have been around for 10-15 years, but I think I've probably worn them less than 10 times each year, so it's not really about their durability.

Also as caro has pointed out (and I've noticed to) unless I really track this, I have a tendency to overestimate how much I am wearing any item. So I have a black bag I bought in January that I could swear I wore daily during the winter and spring, and at least a few times a week since then. Still, in tracking it's had only about 90 wears. A lot, but not the 200 or so I would have otherwise guesstimated.

Just for me right now as a metric, a piece of clothing that isn't a one off special occasion dress or something, has to have at least as many wears as dollars I spent for it to be worth it to me. I'd really like more durable clothes (as opposed to clothes that burn out) to go under a dollar per wear regularly too within a year.

gryffin - I mostly have fleece-lined leggings, Hue and other brands, but am finding that they pill with abrasion, even with very little washing by hand. I can shave them, but it's annoying. I should probably look at more athletic/gear options in colors besides black...

It's hard for me to do this in years. I worked so much last winter that the only thing that really got a lot of wear was a $20 Hanes hoody that I only wear at work. It is at just under 60 wears. My most worn shirt this summer was the flora mortis tee, it only got 5 wears. I can extend its season by wearing it under a jacket.

I'm working on a 4-5 year turnover plan. I have a goal to see how much of my wardrobe I can get to $10 CPW. So I'd wear a $10 sweater once, and a $100. sweater 10 times. It's got me thinking about where I put my wardrobe $$. $230 for villous jacket, can wear most of year, possibly good buy. $230 Thick knit sweater from All Saints, 2 month window=maybe 4 wears, not good buy. I'm either going to price stalk or keep a lookout for similar sweater at lower price point.

I'm still working on the right size wardrobe for me. I know my 230 is still too big. I did all the big purges. I got rid of all the no brainer type of items. It's harder now that I'm evaluating stuff that is from 2013-14, and worn very little. I have a Michael Kors navy packable down that I bought last year. My co workers love this coat, but I feel sort of frumpy in it. It's at $2 CPW, so I'm fine with letting it go to consignment. I feel like I'm splitting wears with better stuff.

This fascinates me. I used to be someone that hung on to my clothes forever, it seemed. The fact that I wore the same size from the time I was about 16 to 46 helped. I still have a pair of waterproof boots that I have had for 25 years ! And a beautiful blazer that my mom made me 32 years ago. And they look awesome. Everything else is gone because my body changed dramatically after my cancer diagnosis. After a couple of years, I decided to build a "minimal" wardrobe from scratch and two years later, I feel as if it is too much....and I don't think of long term wearability because I still have one more year of treatment and I have no idea where it will head. I can say that I bought some nicer jackets with an eye toward having them tailored : whether I gain more wait or scale down a bit. So I do look for that in nicer clothes, the ability to be altered. I don't know how to do it myself but I have a good eye in determining the potential of a piece.

I go through t shirts rather quickly. I had cashmere and wool sweaters that lasted me 15 years. These are the types of things that I took very good care of .

I suppose that I would like my nice, wool outer coats to go at least 10 years. My jeans kinda have a life of their own now and I don't have too much of a longevity expect ion for them. I wear these the most. Though I would like at least 3 years. I definitely overbought when I started over and I am finding that I probably will not get a ton of wear out of things because I simply have too many things. And I don't have the type of life that warrants it. : )