Gryffin, I do both. As far as possible, I do not save the good stuff for "occasions" because I love to wear my pretties as often as possible. Makes me happy. That said, I have to stop myself from wearing really good stuff too frequently because these items wear out too fast, are quite fragile, and quite irreplaceable. Like my white Anne Fontaine shirts. I can't treat them like my replenishable Brooks Brothers shirts. My black Tokyo suit I save for special occasions - just to keep it nice and extra pristine. Same goes with my striped Theory suit, my jodhpur jeans, Joseph coat, white go go boots, and other stuff.

Ah, rationing rather than saving Yes I would ration things that were irreplaceable. I would also be looking for something else that I would love just as much to wear in tandem with the piece I loved.

Angie - yes, that's exactly it and you've summed up my thoughts much more eloquently than I did.  I knew you would understand because so many of the items you wear are totally exquisite and unique.  Of course, all the beautiful things should be worn and enjoyed but being selective in frequency and occasion helps to keep them looking their best so they will last longer.  I don't want to wear my favorite things to death, I want to wear them in a gentle but consistent way that extends their life!!
Caro - definitely rationing!!  Another good point, I do look for things to wear in tandem although that is often a thankless and pesky task!!

Ah, Gryffin, thank you for clarifying! Then my answer is closer to Angie's. Some stuff, I do try to preserve for more elite occasions (I don't say 'special occasion' because that makes me think of holiday parties or weddings, or the opera). So I might wear that silk jacket 4-5 times a year, but it is getting worn. I'm just not going to wear it to eat fried chicken, even if it is the best fried chicken in the world

I used to "save" clothes for special occasions, and then I found that they either never got worn, or they weren't nearly as fab as I thought they were when I went to wear them.

O I don't save things anymore; I wear them. Of course, some clothes are more special than others, and some are occasion-specific (for example, no one would wear a cocktail dress to pick the kids up from school... unless it was a situation of really, really odd timing), but I do my best to actually wear things. It reminds me why I love them, and I feel better about the investment.

As others have mentioned, some things date and I always know there will be something new I love. I have very few things that are irreplaceable, and most of those are accessories, which I get far more wear from than most clothing anyway.

I have a few items that I wear sparingly so I can have them around longer. Otherwise I wear everything equally. Half of my items I used to never wear because I was always waiting for the right moment. I purchase items I love so I can enjoy them, not look at them. And while I may get sad to say good-bye to a well-worn item, it doesn't take long to fall in love with something else!

I like it when I wear things so much they die. Then I say to it - thank you for your life of service - and wish it bye-bye before looking for something else! Fickle is my heart.

To be honest, I pretty much wear what I want when I want:). Of course there are a few things earmarked for particular occasions but for me that is more about maintaining that sense of "special" when I wear it (does that make sense). I am not hard on my clothes and look after them so I don't really consider wearing them out. Also there are few things that I think will have the longevity you mention in my wardrobe for as MaryK mentions small details change and in 5 years chances are that dress I loved will start looking dated to me:)

I'm with Angie. I only "save" things that I want to protect from too much or the wrong kind of wear. I've stopped myself from wearing my Helmut Lang leather jacket to a rock club for fear of beer spillage, and that might change -- leather is cleanable, after all, but the HL is so soft and light I don't want to beat that jacket up too quickly, and I have other jackets that are more broken-in.

LBD - that is exactly it. I think my mental example was the HL jackets are not going to get ring time at a dog show (the ultimate in, dirt, hair, chalk etc) They would look like rags in a few weeks.
Echo, MicheleLee & Lyn - you two are so balanced. I honestly admire people who can liive in the moment, enjoy it's pleasure and then move on with nary a backward glance. Unforuntately, I'm more the hold on tight to what I love group. I think you guys have such a fantastic outlook!!
Deborah - that's interesting because so many of your gorgeous pieces have an avant garde feel, to me, which I know Angie has mentioned that that dates less quickly. But then you have such a wonderful eye for detail and what is unique and modern that I can see where you might find the need to continuely evolve your look.
Janet - I was thinking of your gorgeous jacket!! Of course, I had to sit on my credit cards after the "rock stud" incident!! That is an amazing jacket on you and it's cut is so unusual and flattering I hope it will always have a much loved place in your wardrobe!! After all, I need the consolation that someone fabulous is wearing it!! But exactly, do we beat it up all at once or carefully let it become loved over time?

Gryffin, you are extremely eloquent, gracious and sweet. And high five. We have the same "rationing" philosophy. Thanks, Caro. xo

Interesting that there are so many different reasons for being hoarders. My natural tendency is to be a "saver" in terms of preserving good things (hey, I grew up in a house where my mother draped sheets on the living room sofa and kept the plastic covers on lampshades so that they wouldn't get dirty, though this was probably not a bad idea given that I remember spilling blueberry pie filling on the sofa sheet cover). However, in the last few years, I've come to realize that with clothes, at least, this tendency just contributes to closet overgrowth. So I'm trying to make myself wear the things I really love. I mean, what's the point of spending money on clothes I adore if I never use them for the intended purpose, which is to be worn?

Besides, only a few things ever get worn out before I get tired of them in any case. I will admit that I loved one cardigan so much that when it became hopelessly pilled, I actually thought about taking it to a seamstress to see if it could be duplicated. But I haven't done it yet as I think my style my be changing.

Trix - my husband's mom and my grandparents had everything swathed in plastic too!! In the end, only the plastic kept those chairs together, if they had taken the wrappings off I think the whole thing would have disintegrated before their eyes! I totally agree we should wear things we love, but for me I rather wear them slowly than all at once, if that makes sense. I have many, many items that I've literally worn out. I have a couple of jackets that I've thought about using as a template but I've been afraid the copy would not live up to the original and it would be money wasted. Such a tough choice. If you do it I really hope it works out for you!!

LOL Trix, my mom kept the plastic on lampshades too! I think I was 15 years old before I realized the plastic wrap was NOT a part of the lampshades.

I think Lyn* has nailed part of my philosophy -- I can be fickle too. I can't ration too much or I miss the window of love (which probably averages 3 years and maxes out at 5 years for a really special item).
I'm still agonizing over my spendy purchase of the Derek Lam top that I am having difficulty styling. Fortunately, I have gotten help from you all with ideas and I still love it, so I have time left to wear it before it goes. But I know that I won't love it forever....so as soon as the snow melts I need to get that baby into rotation so that it has a good life before I send it on its way....

Viva - you have a great philosophy. If you know your window of love is short you can really wear the heck out of that baby and will not feel a jot of remorse at the end of the day. Honestly, I so admire this ability but I am quite the opposite. Enjoy your Derek Lam top!! Can't wait to see you rock it!!

I'm sitting here with a scarf covering a slight chocolate stain on a shirt I just had altered. Two or three washings and it is still there, but I think one more will eliminate it entirely.

The one rationing rule I try to adhere to is not to wear the same footwear two days in a row because it allows the footwear to dry out and it saves feet from the same pressure points. I think sweaters and the like also need to air.

I used to save clothing, but now I'm not so sure I have anything that I really want to last forever. I now recognize that even if my weight stays the same, my dimensions do not, so an item may not look so good on me five years down the road, not to mention that it will probably look dated.

The frugal side of me is much more satisfied if I wear something until it is too shabby to leave the house than if it is fifteen years out of date so simply too embarrassing to be seen in public.

DonnaF - sorry to hear about the stain but it sounds like you've got in on the run. I do the same thing with rotating footware. Definitely better for the shoes and I think it's probably true with any natural fiber. Good point about how our bodies change and we just have to respect that. I've been pretty fortunate about staying the same weight but pregnancy (I feel your pain scarlet o'hara) really messed with the waist line. 2 inches that no amount of crunches or twists have taken off. So agree totally. Fortunately jackets, tunics, sweaters, blouses, leggings are more forgiving!!

My mom tends to keep her "good" clothes and brings them out to wear to church or a special event. I used to do the same thing. Several years ago, during a closet purge, I donated clothes that were practically new, but completely out-of-date. It was so disheartening! I don't buy a lot of clothes anymore, but what I do, I love and wear. No more saving for me.

I understand where you are coming from. I used to buy loads and then i outgrew them before I wore them.
Now, i can't bear to wear my quality nicer pieces....But it is good that the items I bought are considered classics.
I do buy a spare occassional. And sometimes it is too late to buy a spare cause the item is no more on sale.. So I try shopping for a replacement and end up with poor imitations of the original. So I am careful with it nowadays.

A very interesting thread gryffin. I feel like my "wearing the heck out of my clothes" equals your "rationing" eg once week!!
I am very careful to take off work and "good" clothes when I get home and that is my main way of saving clothes. When I started work after a few years of being a SAHM I had a bunch of clothes that I had mostly only worn on Sundays or the odd night out that were very useful to bulk out my work wardrobe.

For awhile I was very wary of wearing white to BBQs which YLF persuaded me out of - after all I love wearing white in summer and most summer entertaining in Australia consists of BBQ's (and none of my white stuff cost more that $20 anyway!)

Cuffcat - it sounds like your system works well for you and that is absolutely all that counts. On Angie's recommendation I bought the Aqualalia Undy boots and Stuart Weitzman Hammer OTK boots which were totally spendy even on the sale price. They wree so comfy and I felt so stylish that I wore them alot and needless to say when I started to see signs of wear I freaked out. So now I limit their wears. They are definitely in rotation but not in heavy rotatoin. But as long as you are happy with how long your lovely things last and how they wear than whatever your doing is perfect for you!!
Springfiry - It's such a balance isn't it. How much to wear the most precious things and definitely as seen above different for everyone. I do find duplicating is a big help to me. Just like a second pair of shoes alternating wears keeps them clean, in rotation with less wear and tear. Of sometimes, I wear one and take it to town knowing that I have a back up when the time comes. A tough and very individual call!!
Anne - I too find work clothesand "sunday" clothes are pretty much the same thing and always good when things can do double duty!! I applaud anyone who wears white. I think it's absolutely gorgeous but I'm such a dirt magnet that it's not for me. I think the trick, as Angie pointed out, is if you could replace that item happily with something similiar than it's less important to ration!! Plus, that is why there is oxy and bleach!! So enjoy your whites!!

I don't usually wear the same thing for several subsequent days but not because I save my good stuff: I just get bored to wear the same things period. However I don't "save" anything for those special occasions because I don't have many of those occasions at all. As long as something is appropriate for the activities of the day it will be worn if I feel like wearing it today.
On the other hand I still don't have anything really high end and expensive (I think my $250 leather jacket and $300 wool coat are my most expensive clothes): maybe I would feel more inclined to save those pieces...

Sveta - that's interesting. You are very creative in your outfits. I think I am more of a uniform dresser. I could be happy with a very limited closet with tons of repeats, which is why I would literally wear my clothes to pieces if I did not consciously limit my wears. But I could eat the same meals daily for years and be happy too. Plus mixing it up definitely helps preserve your garments integrity. You know how I feel about your coat!! I hope you enjoy wearing it!!

Only thing in my wardrobe that I want to save are my silk saris which invariably ends up getting rationed as they are in India and I end up only wearing them once s year:).
Other than that I may think twice about using my handbags but invariably end up wearing what I want:)

Since I am a cheapo most of my items are replaceable ;). I always wear the heck out of my most loved clothes mainly because if I love something I almost always reach for it over the less loved items. I have still not reached the fashion nirvana stage where I would buy items that I would love for years to come. Fast fashion it is .... for me ... For now

Ramya - sari's are so gorgeous and so special. I hope they last forever!! Handbag..do you change them out? It's the one piece I use everyday. I have to say I duplicated the coach annabelle bag. It was not too spendy and it's taken me years to find my perfect bag, so I would have trouble taking it out all the time if I did not have a "fall back" option!!
Neel- but you are happy with variety!! If change makes you happy then I think it's wonderful to embrace it. I wish I could be more like you!!