Wardrobe category spending - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Wardrobe category spending

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

This week I’ve been contemplating a purchase- a pricey dress that is kinda “meh” on its own but goes with so many pieces. And it hit me: it’s a completer piece!

For some reason I’m happy to spend a lot on a statement piece that will not get much wear. But I begrudge a high-priced completer—— to me, it’s just not as fun to buy.

How about you all? Which wardrobe category gets the majority of your $$$$?

Shopping

35 replies

Latest reply was from cheryl

Carla

definitely shoes and boots, my weakness ...

Anonymous

Shoes, boots, and outerwear.

rachylou

Veteran

I spend on shoes and coats. I tried to set a goal of spending a ‘whopping’ amount on a pair of trousers or a skirt or a blouse, but I failed utterly. I felt like if it was going to be a lot, it should be a classic; but I’m so not a classic dresser. I also am loathe to spend a lot on essentials because I wear them so heavily - price is not gonna bring me longevity.

Gigi

Veteran

Shoes for sure. Shoes are the easiest item fit-wise for me, and there is also no lack of interesting styles.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Interesting! I also love spending on shoes since they’re pretty and always fit.

Sisi

Veteran

Interesting! It never came to my mind to split my expenses by category. Now I check and will come back with the results.

Sisi

Veteran

Hmmm, interesting. My analysis shows that I spend much on shoes and toppers. I like them to be high quality. But I found out that sometimes I spend a lot on a HEWI. When I finally find a HEWI I am so exasperated by the long hunt that I buy it no matter the price. It just happened with a couple of wollen sweaters.

jussie

Veteran

Hmmm shoes and special occasion dresses. Not that I have many but they’ve tended to be pricey.

Anonymous

Work clothes. My Work Capsule takes up more than 80 percent of my spending. Luckily, at this time, my Athletic and Lounging Capsules are in pretty good shape so the only thing that is suffering is my Casual Capsule. I will work on that later this year.

Synne

Veteran

Interesting indeed! A very timely question for those interested in analyzing (and bettering) their wardrobe inventory. Lately I've been accumulating pricey hosiery and socks. I'm so sick of pulls and tears after minimal use. But I think I've fooled my self, because the quality doesn't seem to hold up to the price.... Isn't there a name for this? Planned obsolescence anyone? Frustrating...

Runcarla

Veteran

Underpinnings - bras and undies, followed by shoes and boots.

LaPed

Veteran

I'm willing to spend more per-item on footwear and outerwear. I'm not sure if those are the categories I spend the most on, as I keep a pretty small assortment, and coats in particular last a long time. I'm tempted to say pants probably eat up the largest portion of my budget. They're never as cheap as tops, and I chew through pants like nobody's business. They're the part of my outfit I always manage to spill oil or bleach on, or snag on a fence, etc. I'm always in awe of people who get by with just 5 or 6 pairs, because if I tried to do that, I'd be replacing half of my pants every year...

Bijou

Veteran

I find spending $ easier on statement pieces for sure. Coats, boots and shoes, dresses and hand bags are usually my statement pieces.

Jessicams you provide a great insight, because like you I recently bought a completer dress (a sheath in ink blue) and was really meh about it. I wear the dress a lot because it just works, washes up well and fits perfectly. $ per wear, this is a great value and hard working item for me, yet it did not thrill me at the time of purchase and it is only now that I am appreciating how it has really pulled together a number of outfits for me. I think I may need a change of attitude and priority.

Mainelady

Veteran

Due to necessity my top budget item is outerwear, including boots. Each item has to meet a lot of criteria and handle multiple wears. I do shop sales, but the items I need are still costly. The good news is that they will last for years.
Next up would be shoes, bags, scarves and jewelry (although my most expensive pieces have been gifts or family pieces handed down). These will also last for years or multiple lifetimes. I have 2 silk scarves my grandfather used to wear with his wool coats back in the early 1930s.

always trying

Veteran

I spend more on items necessary for special activities like waterproof footwear like hikers or shoes that I can run in for agility with my dog. I hate wet cold feet, and the grass is always very wet in the mornings. next would be shoes, boots and booties. I am just now trying to by better quality casual items for hot weather. I have too many ugly t shirts and knee length pants that I only buy for out hot months. These things are hard to find and most don't fit well.

cindysmith

Veteran

Cost per item:
coats, & handbags, and boots are the most expensive. These are generally my investment items (sometimes, the investments are so large that Santa Claus AKA DH has to get them for me). These tend to last a long time, though, as my tastes haven't changed much in these areas in, well, forever.
My bags don't last quite as long as coats and boots; I'm seriously abusive to my bags. However, they do last more than long enough that I feel I got my money's worth and then some.

Amount of churn:
Tops first, then pants. My lifestyle and my job chew up clothes at an alarming rate. Even shopping thrift & places like h&m, I spend quite a bit on tops and pants, simply because I go through so many of them each season; I almost don't have time to get bored with tops and pants.

Single most expensive item last year:
The lace tunic I wore to my sister's wedding. I'm so grateful to Angie and all of you for helping me find something that I can see myself wearing repeatedly, styled less formally. It was expensive in relation to my usual budget on a garment, even if it was very moderately priced in relation to a lot of what's available these days. I've already got ideas for wearing it this summer in some 'hard & soft' outfits, so it was a good investment for me

Katerina

Veteran

Interesting and what a good question! I would say I spend most on blazers, scarves and shoes. Blazers, jackets and scarves are my favourite pieces to wear, so I love buying them and I don´t mind them taking up a lot of my wardrobe budget. When it comes to footwear, I am not as interested, but feel that I want a decent quality for comfort and long lasting.

anne

Veteran

In terms of the essential/ statements/ completer categories, which is what the original questions was asking, I think, then I'd have to say that those categories are not something that I think too much about. I'd say my wardrobe is essential-heavy but since I don't have a very large number of clothes, or a big clothing budget,(I add about 12-20 a year) I suspect I don't have many completers.

If in terms of the categories that most of you have used, then, like many of you I spend more on footwear. It wouldn't be unusual to spend nearly half my total clothing budget on them, and only get 3 pairs.

Marina

When it comes to how much I spend per category, I don't really use the essentials/completers/statement usual definitions. I spent $ in order to keep a reasonable proportion of all sorts of clothing items and accessories according to function/use/purpose/need, but I spend more on timeless/classic/basic/versatile items of each kind than in colorful/exotic/detailed items. About 2/5 of my $ goes on basic/neutral/specific use items, 2/5 goes on versatile items and 1/5 goes on different items (versatile = things I can use in many different situations and/or in many different ways; different items = things with some specific vibe/style, different/eye-catching details/color/pattern, etc).

When it comes to price per piece, considering average non-brand prices as a reference, I only pay more than average for:
- durable, timeless, good quality coats/jackets that I will be able to use for a very long time
- bras, jeans, shoes and must-have essentials when I find "the perfect ones" (but perfect really means perfect and I'm very picky, which means I don't pay above average 99% of the times)
For everything else, I will stay in below average/average price range [ps.: a regular custom-made item like a shirt, dress, or blazer costs about the same as the average non-brand equivalent around here].

Suzanimal

Shoes and handbags. Mostly because my wardrobe is very basic and I keep it spicy with shoes and handbags. If I need or love an essential or completer, I don't mind spending money on it. It only bothers me to spend money on things I have to have (say, for a wedding) that I know I'll never wear again.

jill58

Veteran

Without question, shoes, boots and handbags.

BrieN

Veteran

Per item, definitely shoes and boots.

My spending by category changes over time depending on what area I'm focusing on updating.

That said I typically don't spend much on statement pieces. I'm a pretty subtle person so a statement!! with a high price tag!! just feels way too risky...

Barbara Diane

Veteran

My most expensive items besides an inherited ring are my shoes. I have challenging feet to fit and comfort is important. But the CPW is low. Next are purses, but again, low CPW. My clothing items cost less per item but they don’t last as long so most have similar CPW’s but the CPW of the dressier items is higher.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Bijou and Marina, such wise thoughts—

Liz

Veteran

I share your struggle to spend money on items that aren't as fun to buy -- the completers and essentials. I've been working with a really small clothing budget for a few years now, and have had to force myself (force!) to buy the essentials first, before I can look at all the pretty statements that I really want to buy. That means I've had to buy the long-sleeved essential or completer top first. It means shopping hasn't been as fun -- like spending money on your completer dress isn't that much fun -- but it's soooo much easier to get dressed these days. So yay for your expensive completer purchase!

SarahD8

Veteran

I don’t really think of my wardrobe in terms of essentials/completers/statements, but I suspect I’m most likely to spend more money per item on essentials (especially shoes and to a lesser degree outerwear). I will also occasionally spend a high per-item amount on statements, because coup de coeur. Definitely have a hard time feeling like shelling out for completers is worth it, I suspect that explains a lot of the weakness in my tops capsule (and, now that I’m focusing more on tops, I really notice my resistance to spending in that area — you want me to pay HOW much, for a plain old shirt???). I’m also guilty of neglecting basics (she said, brushing off the crumbs of disintegrating elastic from her pajama pants).

Kate

Veteran

I spend the most on shoes and outwear. And am happy to do so, because these are my favorite items to wear. But I will shell out for something that is out of the ordinary, regardless of category, if I believe it is an item I will enjoy and get use out of.

Thistle

Veteran

Footwear. I have fussy feet and a bad back. I will spend a lot on comfortable not-too-ugly shoes.

Outerwear is next. It gets cold here, really cold.

Depending on who you ask, I spend a lot for bras. I'm actually willing to give more for a really good bra than I am for a lot of other things. I'll wait for cashmere to go on sale, but if I find a bra I love, I snap up a couple in each color!

Anonymous

Ahh- Thistle I hear you! Most of my wardrobe budget goes to sensible footwear (in my "next life" I want to be able to wear really cute shoes)
I have learned over the years-I no longer mind spending money on basics (pants, dresses, blazers) that will give me that cost per wear love fest.
Several years ago we went on a summer (July 4th)cruise to Alaska. I had brought a coat from home but it was freezing! So- I (and every other woman on the ship) bought a coat at the ship store. Cha ching!!! I was very upset about it at the time but when you calculate- I think I am about 1/10 th of a penny on the cost per wear.(yay!) SO-
If the dress will give you what you want and need for your wardrobe to function go for it with no regrets!

12