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What proportion of your wardrobe is new?

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

As some of the recent threads have highlighted, when we feel bored by our style/wardrobe, we often turn to purchasing something new in order to inject freshness. This had me thinking about wardrobe age: what percent of your wardrobe was purchased in the last 1-2 years (or however you define "new")? And does this inversely correlate with how bored or frustrated you feel with the state of your wardrobe or style?

General

52 replies

Latest reply was from shiny

RobinF

Veteran

New to me would be purchased this season. I would guess that maybe 20% of my wardrobe is new? Although I think I tend to wear new items more than older items. I think I am always looking to inject freshness into my style. Since YLF I have found that I am pickier and have an idea of what I am looking for rather than just looking.

LaPed

Veteran

From a very quick scan, I'd say about 50% of what I have in my wardrobe has been purchased between December 2015 (when I made a cross-country move) and now. That's a pretty high percentage for me: the past two years have been a process of major wardrobe rebuilding (which is how I ended up at YLF!).

I fully expect that % to drop; I don't anticipate adding as much next year as I did this year or the year before. I'd say that for me things feel "new" for about 2 years, or 1 year for things that are very high-wear (eg casual shoes, jeans, hoodies).

I don't think I get bored easily. Most of my shopping is driven by filling old holes (I've been looking for a replacement for a certain sweater vest for more than a year, and still haven't found the right one), rather than by boredom.

Sara L.

Veteran

Good question! I'm not sure without counting. I like to thrift and there is a neighborhood clothing exchange every season so I have plenty of new pieces every season, but they aren't new and I don't spend much. I tend to hold on to my clothes which makes my wardrobe fairly large, although I wear the newer stuff more often.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

There is a huge difference between the clothes I wear frequently--about 60% purchased in the last couple years--and what I own, probably 25% new.

Christina F.

Veteran

Too much. I finally got a real job after years of being a grad student, and I have replaces most things. Partly due to wanting better quality in some cases; partly due to wanting better fit; and partly because my tastes also changed within the last year or so. That's all well and good, but I need to slow down now.

Sisi

Veteran

Interesting question! I made a calculation: from January to September 2017 I have worn 66 pieces of clothing (including shoes). Out of these, 41 pieces are "new" - bought in 2016-2017, the remaining 25 date from 2015 back to 2005. In 2016 I purchased a lot, I had to fill many wardrobe holes due to weight gain, replacement of old battered clothes and such. I buy mostly out of emergency, that is I buy things that I badly need but that I may not like very much. Sometimes I feel the desire to refresh my wardrobe but I rarely find something that I really love.

rachylou

Veteran

Hmm. Maybe 15-20%... But this is a deceiving number because when I love something, I keep it forever. However, YLF has definitely trained me out of spurious buys...

Joyce B

Veteran

Maybe 20% “new”. I don’t like to buy and toss so if I keep an item it will be for a long time, unless the quality proves to be bad.
I think the degree of happiness with the wardrobe is tied to your current situation and needs. A change in those can make for a difficult wardrobe challenge.
Great topic, GF.

kkards

Veteran

hmmmm...of what i wear, probably about 30%....but like rachylou, if I love it, I keep it forever....also we changed dress codes over the summer, so i've updated my denim and sneakers at a faster rate than usual

Anonymous

Oh! What a great question!

My entire wardrobe is compiled in a series of spreadsheets. I have 207 items in my wardrobe, including shoes, bags, jewelry, accessories, athletic wear, and lounge wear. If I own it and I can wear it, I included it in the spreadsheet.

I bought 44 new items in 2017. This is a lot for me. I had two major buying phases in 2017. One buying phase was at the start of Spring. The second was after having completed a 30 x 30 challenge in which I identified concrete wardrobe holes.

I calculate that 21.25 percent of my wardrobe is new based on the definition of "purchased in 2017."

So this might imply that I turn my entire wardrobe over approximately every five years. I do not have quantitative data to support this, but it feels right. I can say that I focus in on particular segments of my wardrobe each year (e.g., casual). That segment might get turned over at a more frequent rate if I am in the process of building/creating.

Laura G

Veteran

I also keep things I love forever. Neverthless a quick closet count shows:

hanging tops (didn't open the drawers): 7 old, 16 new
skirts/shorts: 12 old, 12 new
pants and leggings: 6 old, 17 new

...and I'm mostly not wearing the old skirts and pants. The old skirts are midi length, and will either be hemmed or discarded. The pants are yoga pants, what I wore for years because I'm *so* hard to fit, and am not wearing now that I bit the bullet and found some jeans and chinos that (mostly) fit.

My closet at this moment is a special case, in the middle of a complete overhaul. A year from now I expect to have very little that's new, because I really am happy to wear the things I love till the wheels fall off.

Meredith

Veteran

Im not sure about the actual breakdown, but lately I’ve been buying with the assumption I will wear the heck out of things for a year, keep them around for years 2 and 3 and then pass them on. I am certainly not opposed to keeping thing around longer if I still love them, though. With changing style preferences and lifestyles this is a good target for me.

LaPed

Veteran

Although, if I counted loungewear and chore clothes, that % would be much lower. I keep things long after they're fit to be seen in public...

The Cat

Veteran

15-20 %.

The Cat

Veteran

Re your last question: I don't feel bored or frustrated. I know my style and my preferences very well. But at the same same, I am open to new ideas. And I think it's fun to create new combinations.

Greyscale

Veteran

Hm. I thought I tend to keep things forever, but a full 1/4 was bought in the past year... 40% in the past two years.

I think there are a few reasons for that: I went up a size or two, though that only affected bottoms. So I replaced all my jeans and most skirts / pants. Also I started making more money.

Still, this is a good moment for me to stop and think about the pattern. I really feel like my wardrobe has hit some sort of completion for the next while. Aside from wanting a new casual fall-weight jacket, I'm basically set on everything. Soon I'll want to replace a few workhorse button downs, and I want to get a few short sleeve shirts (instead of sleeveless) for better sun protection.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I have 141 main clothing items and now 45 pairs of shoes left with another 3 put aside to get rid of after my high heeled shoes post. There is a "museum" of old beloved pieces in a spare room as well, not counted. So 186 pieces of which 14 were purchased in 2017. That's because of two 3-month shopping fasts since November 2016 due to an overflowing situation. In 2014 and 2015 I bought heaps. So only 7.5 % is new this year as I am trying to be more satisfied and wear the older stuff 30 times each.

Anonymous

Good for you, Jenni! An admirable goal. I too am really focusing on wearing what I own. I am done shopping for myself for the year because we don't have much of a Fall. I was wearing much of my Summer wardrobe in November and December of last year. I anticipate the same for 2017.

Sal

Veteran

I add about 25 items per year and have about 100 items..... so about a quarter.

Of those 25 my guess would be that next year
- five will last less than one year ( couple of mistakes, couple that wear out or are lost)
- eight will last two years
- seven will last three years
- five will be there a long time..... (five plus)

So over time I hope to reduce the additions to less than 20.....

anne

Veteran

I buy about 12-20* items (excluding socks/hose/knickers/jewellery) a year, am handed down 3 or 4 most years and I think, like Sal, that I have about 100 items.
So without counting I think that would be about a fifth or sixth new each year.

*This year 9 items so far

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Very difficult to say but my most worn items have aged in my closet for at least 2 years.

cindysmith

Veteran

I'd say 3/4 of my wardrobe has been purchased in the last couple of years. I've gained weight, and my lifestyle & job chews up clothes and spitshoes out rags before breakfast. It's nothe how I'd like it to be; I'd much prefer to be more intentional & mindful.

Penny

Veteran

Great thread! My workhorses are dresses, and those are about 30-40% new within the last year - seems high, but I’ve retired many pieces, refreshed a number after my daughter’s birth (mostly because I deliberately didn’t buy much while pregnant), and really honed in on my style preferences (lots of navy and black, with no pattern addition in the last year - though keeping the couple of abstract / watercolor dresses that I love). Plus, I’ve tried to focus on expanding professional wear and curating special occasion wear, since otherwise I have far too many of the latter! I do have a much higher percentage of older items among scarves, handbags, outerwear, and jewelry.

Overall, I think that it’s less adding something new and more having what I love that keeps me engaged and happy - although I’m always on the lookout for the next thing that I’ll love!

Anonymous

New to me is this current season . And a great portion of my closet is less than 4 years old . Unfortunately , my weight fluctuates too much to be able to keep clothes longer than that . It’s why I am often very frustrated with my wardrobe : there is no base of tested and tried classic pieces .

Runcarla

Veteran

I can sort my clothes into 'before move' (July 2014) and after move (last 3 years) with approximately 15 garments being over 3 years old. That is about 1/4 of my clothes (including outerwear). Almost all my shoes are from the last 3 years. City walking is hard on shoes! My high boots and my old hikers (used now just for gardening days) are older than 3 years.

Lucy

Veteran

Great thread! Very interesting. I'd actually been thinking about this in the back of my mind recently.
I only started tracking purchases and wears in 2017.
I just took a sample of the last three weeks. I wore 34 items (I had some repeats of items, but I counted each item once. I didn't count lounge wear).
2017 purchases worn - 9
2015-2016 - 13. I found it easy to divide here, because we moved states and climates in 2015, so I had to buy a lot of new clothing to suit a warmer clime and a dressier workplace!
Pre 2015 - 12
So it is a reasonably even split. I suspect it would be higher for new items in the heat of summer, as I have had to buy a lot of warm weather clothes especially for work!
I kind of like that I am still wearing some older clothes. Two items I wore were quite old - one blush camisole that I have had for probably 20 years and it still looks as good as new, and is updated with my blush shoes. And a plain black wrap dress that must be 11-12 years old - I bought it when I returned to work after the birth of my son.
I really enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

Gigi

Veteran

Only about 10% of my wardrobe has been purchased in the last year (that is how I define "new"). More than half of the new purchases have been accessory-type items, like hats, socks, tights, and jewelry.

About 20% of my wardrobe has been purchased in the last two years. So it looks like I have a turnover rate of about 10% per year, which includes all purchases, whether accessories, shoes, or clothing.

I do get bored without a wardrobe refresh. Lately my purchases have been mostly accessories, since I didn't have many accessories in my closet.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

According to my spreadsheet, around 20% was acquired in the last two years, allowing for data errors and turnover which hasn't been accounted for. At the other end, around half of it is over five years old.

I expect I'll review these numbers at the end of the year, but I think most of my shopping this year has been basics to keep all the fancy stuff working.

Anonymous

In any season, most of my shirts and pants will be new, except for coats, sweaters and snow or rain boots. I buy very few things and wear them over and over.

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