Spinning off Mo's "how much is enough" post... 52 times?

Mo

Hee hee! I bet most of my closet has seen about a dozen wears, besides shoes or jeans. Maybe a favorite jacket, or two.
And I aim to change that. Heck, even 26 would be a much better number than what I've been averaging.

12 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Jackets, blazers, shoes (boots and flats), cardigans - probably get up to the 52 mark for me.

Some poor dresses don't make it to 10. Bah. I should really be more careful too.

12 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

For me it'd be some boots and shoes, jackets, coats, watch, sunglasses, bags, jeans, and loungewear.

I need to curate more.

12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Very interesting thought. Winter outerwear, and outerwear in general, for sure. Winter boots, yup. A lot of other items, hmmm, it does give me pause.

Although, getting pregnant and having DD didn't help matters much, nor did the breastfeeding afterwards. And the massive body changes accompanying all of that.

12 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Yes! I've really been thinking about that a lot.

I think of breaking it down as, is this a weekly-wear item (shoes might be more than weekly)? Or is it biweekly? or only monthly? And is that for all 12 months or one or 2 seasons (hot summer or mid-winter). Plus, is it theoretically weekly ( a great pair of black pants!) but I've got several similar so I really am not wearing any one of them weekly. Then, is it just for one year? Does it look like it'll still be in the picture for 2 years? What items really go on to a 3rd year?

That really sets up the math, and then add the item price.

The most telling part of the equation is, do I have things that fill the same bill and so I'll never wear one or the other enough. ("Enough" being debatable, of course.) I don't worry as much about having some special occasion or dress up items at the ready.

So, I've had to pause over several items that I really do "love" (and bought).
I think it's quite easy to fall into something I might only wear a dozen times in one year and so could have a high CPW unless it has real staying power and is used for 2-3 years

I tend to get excellent "wear times" out of comfortable shoes, most pants (because I wear pants so many days of the week, year-round), lighter weight jackets or trenches, and some of my simpler T-tops. Tops & blouses turn out to be tricky because I think overall I collect too many and am not asking the key question... if I get this new top, usually in order to wear it often, I have to not-wear some other top, so what top will I stop wearing and why? (ergo, good questions from YLF'ers on, are my sweaters I posted too similar--are they too much dupe's).

It's not all just a CPW calculation. Not saying that. In particular, I don't think it's important to judge any individual item on CPW. But the math is such that it becomes quite costly to maintain a large wardrobe of good quality pieces bought at retail prices if the items generally become outmoded in one year or so. Whatever your budget, it is reached by some combination of: actual numbers of items; purchase price; and longevity ( rate of turnover).

12 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

Work out wear, for sure. A few pairs of shoes and jeans--but that's about it.

12 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

And, as an aside, I find it odd that most of my very worn items are the ones I tend to spend the least on - layer camis, etc. Weird how that works.

12 years ago

K. Period.

Veteran

Mmmm. Okay. I'm totally guilty. I don't have many things that make it past the 25 wearings, I'm pretty sure. And recently I started giving myself a break on that. Really, if you think that there are 52 weeks in a year, you'd have to wear something every week for half the year to get to 25 or every other week for two years. And to bust the 50 barrier, you need to wear it every week. I have more and more items that do that and I've been working to limit my closet so that I can wear fewer things more. But at the end of the day is there really so much wrong with acknowledging that you need variety? And that by extension that means wearing more things less frequently? With that said, you guys are tired of seeing my cobalt BR Sloans, but they'll be in rotation all this winter too. And my cobalt skirt.

Anyhow, my over-52s are going to be outerwear, blazers, shoes, watch (16 years now), jeans, purses (which easily make that in the first few months) and suiting. Those are the items that I either wear as essentials or that I buy with a focused eye toward longevity. Suiting especially. I expect three years. Or maybe one year of wearing to death, followed by two years of recuperation in my closet with occasional wearings.

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having variety - I need it! But it is true that I now wear a few things more times and much of my closet goes unused, despite changing from work to casual every day. Just a good way to stay aware of my hoarding tendencies!

12 years ago

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Way too many Especially shoes and other things I'm not happy with. What a great wake-up call....

12 years ago

amiable

Veteran

Ooh - guilty as charged! According to my spreadsheet, I have worn nothing more than ten times since May. Yikes!

More food for thought.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I think I have a decently large closet but I also keep things for a long time so many items in it have probably reached and exceeded the 52 wear mark. These include:

--a good number of shoes - the comfiest ones for sure.
--outerwear - wool, trench, and my black leather moto
--handbags - I tend to use one handbag for about 2 work weeks in a row because I'm too lazy to do a daily switch, so that's 10 wears each time!
--some of my favorite jeans
--bras
--probably some of the many black tees that I own, if they don't fall apart beforehand. I admit to sometimes wearing the ones that are starting to get holes as layering pieces.
--watch, specs, rings
--loungewear (which is mostly demoted so it started with wears already!) and sleepwear
--workout stuff
--and some other random favorite items that I've had for ages

My blazers have probably not reached this point yet, but I bet they will. It's because I only started collecting them in earnest after I joined YLF, so they have not been in my closet long enough. Same for my newer leather jackets.

Sweaters I have A LOT of, since I knit, but I also keep them until they fall apart in general so I expect they'd get to 52 wears at some point.

I think in general, if it's something that I like and that continues to fit me I'm not really worried about hitting some minimum number of wears. I tend to keep things for years and if I wear them even just a couple of times per season it's OK by me.

12 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Though I've not been of a spreadsheet mentality until now, I'm sort of tempted to start keeping track of wears -- for new items as I buy. Because it's really impossible to estimate how many times I've worn some things. I think I know for sure some have reached the magic 52, but do I really know? Or does it just feel like that because I am sick of them?

Like, say...winter coats. I've had two of my coats for two years and one for one. I am 100% sure that I wore that last one more than 52 times last year. (Oh, I love my VC colourblock pea coat!!) I have certainly worn my puffer that many times as well. But my beloved red wool coat? I'm not sure. It is dressier -- hence it does not get as much wear in my life. On the other hand, it is no where near worn out and I am no where near sick of it. So it has many wears to go.

My workout wear -- no question. My jeans -- no question there, either, except for select pairs that turn out not to be as wonderful as I'd imagined when I bought them.

Winter boots...again. These get lots of wear.

But everything else? It's truly debatable.

12 years ago

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

Workout gear, pj's, undies, commuting shoes and boots, trench coats and winter coats, jeans, shorts, cami's in white, black, ivory, taupe (other colors not so much), silk blend short sleeve shells in ivory, taupe, navy - all get tons of wear. I do make a point of wearing everything in my closet at least a couple times a year and I keep things for several years before passing on - but yes, there's a lot of things to rotate through.

12 years ago

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I keep most of my things for a rather long time, so they usually get a lot of wear. The main exceptions are pumps (I buy them thinking they would be staples for my office job, but it's usually too wet to wear them here) and my faux fur jacket and faux fur vest. I LOVE those, even though they're not every day wear.

Lesson: stop buying pumps

12 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

52 times..at least once a week on average over a year. As of now definitely my report booties, michael kors agate print dress, fergie booties (worn lots more last year with different job!), black docs, worishofer sandals, now retired sofspots huaraches, karen millen coat. On track fo this year: black shrug cardi, brahmin, tr bf jeans, gibson blazers, olivia moon skirt, timberland booties,yoox skinnies. Hopfuls include burberry trench and ugt boots!
This is so much better than the past, when I would buy and purge weekly due to flea market binges!

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I have bags and boots which have definitely passed 52 wears.

I have an old sweater of my dad's I sleep in which has surely done its duty.

Workout gear has definitely been used and reused. I just now tossed out a tank that predates my daughter. She is 9.

Other things though, I just am not wearing enough. Some items get a pass for being pretty and making me happy that they exist, though. Even if I only wear them once a year.

12 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I live in the SF Bay Area. Unlike everyone else's experience, my true outerwear like my trench rarely gets worn. I think I need more vests, since my recently purchased utility vest seems to be the right weight to keep me warm without being OTT. Will have to scout boys' departments for dressy vests.

Workout wear and underwear get more than 52 wears. Other stuff not so much.

12 years ago

Anonymous

This is really food for thought. Unfrumped's comment "Then, is it just for one year? Does it look like it'll still be in the picture for 2 years? What items really go on to a 3rd year?" Had me thinking about this since a turned over my entire wardrobe a few years ago. In Year 1, I tend to save the new (or new-to-me) item, working with it to form outfits that work and possibly that means buying something to wear with it. Year 2 means that it is worn regularly and enjoyed. Year 3 it may start feeling dated to me unless a new way of using it is found. If it is packed away for Year 4, I may not be very happy to see it when it's season rolls around.

12 years ago

Elly

Veteran

Uh . . . other than a few tops that have some issue, my 4 dresses, and my "interview" clothes, by the time clothes in my closet are 2 years old they have all seen 52 wears or have been pitched or purged because they were worn out or have some fatal flaw, like a zipper that crawls. Pretty much everything falls into the category of worn out or 52+ or into the category of failures with 5-10 wears or less. Sometimes I will give something that is very seasonal a 3rd year to catch up to the 52 wears.

12 years ago

MsLuna

Veteran

For me it would be uncomfortable, non-walkable shoes (working on curbing this pretty footwear collection addiction because my feet killing me these days!), jeans (some of them don't suit me - like a pair of BF's), leggings.

I've been experimenting a lot with my style lately and I seriously have to stop purchasing things I can't commit to (like pretty uncomfy shoes and styles that don't suit me or match my personality).

12 years ago

cloud9

Veteran

In honestly I'm not sure I have anything that gets 52 wears in one year (besides the underpinnings or coats, shoes, bags). A piece of clothing has a typical life cycle in my wardrobe:
- fresh off the rack- 1st year: At best weekly for a season. At most 6 months, which is 26 Times. After that either season change, or I will be tired of it if wearing it weekly for 6 months!!
- 2nd 6 month period - 1st year: Typically wrong season, so hardly would get to wear it, maybe a handful. So 6 times.
- 2nd -3rd year: Depending on the condition of the item, I may wear it more or less. regardless, I never have anything that I wear weekly that's at least a year old. There is always some new favorite. At best once every two weeks, so 13 times, plus a few times off season, round up to 20 times each year.

So 26+6+20+20, grand total of 72 for three years, and that being the best case. In reality probably even less, I think 52 wears over 3 years probably is More likely. Any item definitive has diminished return (frequency of wearing).

And these are just quality items in the favorites category that actually last, not to mention the doesn't-quite-work orphans, or the quick-to-fall apart/pill/stain/shrink variety.

Like i mentioned in Mo's thread, I have been semi conscious about all this. Thus I'm really only adding new items Only if they really catch my eyes AND practical for my lifestyle.

12 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

Workout wear, footwear, jeans, and coats hit 52 and beyond easily for me. Layering tops, t-shirts, really any of my knitwear, doesn't run that high before it needs to be passed on or I just tire of it. Eventually I would like all my items to hit higher numbers but that's still a work in progress. I anticipate this winter season all my boots (except one new pair of booties) to break the 100 mark. All of the high number items are 3 years or older.

12 years ago

Glory

Veteran

Mo got us all wondering and counting. I have loads of things that get so little use and I bet those are mostly copycat buys (have seen it on someone and they look so great I want it to) aka lemmingitis.
I also have sales goggles and think great deal - not returnable when my sense returns to me.
And then... the fantasy life. Yep - I guess that is what pinterest could be used for
Oh, I also tend to duplicate items I do like. I am not sure where I picked up that crazy notion. I now remind myself that the shelves will not be empty later.
But winter coats, winter boots, jeans etc. These get tons of use. I should list out the high use items and make those my investment pcs.

12 years ago

donnat

Veteran

Work out wear, underwear, my columbia puffer coat, some high boots.
That would do it. Nothing else would see that high wear factor. I am happy if i get 20 wears.

12 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

This all came about in an effort to see how much is too much. By crunching the numbers I realized that once I start to amass any more than about a dozen items in any one category (cold weather stand alone tops, for instance) the opportunity to actually wear them decreases. By using 52 wears as a barometer for the total lifespan of an average item, I found that with bi-weekly wearing over a half year season, these items would get worn out after 4 years at this frequency of wear.
My problem was/is that I don't get this much wear out of my things and I usually am tired of it at about the 4 year mark. Some things I keep longer, some get tossed after 2 years, but again, it's a safe average. Therein lies the rub - I'm ready to be done with the item, but it hasn't gotten a fair amount of wear. I'm purging before wearing out things.
The more things I have, the less I get to actually wear them. I wanted to see what was 'enough', at least for me.

12 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Mo, I especially like your identifying some approximate number of items in a category. That is the bottom line and the connection to the "value" or wears or whatever.

There are different ways to think about it, but it overlaps with capsule concept, using capsule in all its interations. "Hot weather work tops capsule". Your cold-weather stand-alone tops. Early fall capsule. Date night capsule. Cashmere sweater capsule. Cardigan capsule! Winter boots capsule. 2-week work outfit capsule.

The numbers of items, and/or outfits, are different for different folks, but taking it all together, there'll be a range in which we can start to see items languishing with little wear. And it will vary according to the occasion- or use-capsule. The Canadian fabbers can utilize larger winter boot capsules than can I. I can use boots --mostly short, but boots/bootie--for 5-6 months of the year, but in the other months they start to be too hot or just look too covered up and non-seasonal. And even in winter I may not want to wear boots every day. That sort of thing.

Then add in the turnover factor. A certain turnover time is not right or wrong but it does affect the $$ factor! So if I determine I have a high desire for "fresh" items in one or more categories, I'll need to watch the total numbers, or cost, or both, carefully in order to achieve my goal of having some fun there. If I can identify other areas where I like to have "keepers" or can find items with better longevity, that adds stability and helps keep costs down or frees up $$ for better quality or for the trendy items.

I'm also starting to noodle over how I can translate that into budget categories, which some people do already--x for great "essentials", x for trendier updates, x for mid-season refresher. I don't think I'll actually get down to the penny on that, but just thinking that that's kind of how shopping works.

12 years ago

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I'm a bit like Mo in that the more I have, the less I wear them, and a few favorites shove everything else out of the way for a time, because I get in to a routine.

Seeing Angie's ensembles helps me to think outside the box, so I can begin the counter on a few more items.

Sweaters will now start getting some action whereas my boots and booties have been very busy all year long.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I have just inventoried my winter clothes, work and casual. There is no way I could hit 26 let alone 52, which means (and I knew this) I have far too many

I did this partly to make myself aware of what I had and partly to figure out cost per wear. I hope to make a cull of the closet in the spring when I see what I really wear.

12 years ago

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