Clothing Value
Feb. 26th, 2006 01:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebMy favorite online hangout has an interesting thread called A Lot of Wear which begins like this:
Here's one person's take on the issue:
And another's:
I've recently written about my spending on cars; my spending on clothes is the other area in which I an am extremist.
I never think that clothes expire, just due to age. I definitely go overboard in this area. For example, I have a button-up shirt I love in a flower print with earth tones that I still wear which I remember buying my first or second year in college. That means it's 24 - 26 years old. It's a cotton-polyester blend, so although if it were a cotton shirt, there would be holes in the elbows, those polyester threads are still hanging on. Actually the whole shirt is a bit transluscent except in the areas that have several layers: the collar, cuffs, and front button-up placket. So now I only wear it under pullover sweaters and only on days when I'm sure I will not be taking off my sweater.
I guess I expect most clothing (not shoes) to last me through ten years of regular wearing, and indefinitely if I just wear it a couple of times a year. Of course I am always surprised when I see that something is wearing out "already."
Another person said you can also get value from your clothing not only by getting a lot of wearings out of it, but also if the clothing helps you achieve another goal. Her example is making a good first impression for prospective clients.
That's a very good point. I'm not good at judging the impression I'm making based on my appearance. But I do try to dress a little above average at work, which I've read is a very good idea. Thank goodness my job is very, very casual, so I can wear comfortable long pants, a solid t-shirt, and a jacket with comfy leather shoes and look above presentable. These things cost just the same in a thrift store as jeans and t-shirts do.
A friend and I were talking the other day about a clothing item I bought cheaply and I said, "I'm not sure it's really the best quality, but I'll at least get $8 of wear out of it."
She said, "I wonder...how much is $8 of wear?"
Here's one person's take on the issue:
Cost of item / number of uses = actual cost (per wear)
[snip]
I guess to me, that justifies paying $8 for a trendy top I might wear 10 times (less than $1 per wear!) but there's no way I'd pay $60 for the same thing.
And another's:
I cycle through clothes a lot, regardless of what they cost. I keep my classics and have owned some pieces for 8 years. I don't own anything older than that, no matter what it cost.
But the minute I decide that something is wrong (out of style, bad style decision, etc.) it goes out no matter how much it cost. At the same time, I have a pair of slacks that I love so much I'm doing everything I can to salvage them even though I should just throw them out because of their condition. I do a lot of custom tailoring for pieces, which increases their value (both in terms of $$ and in terms of how much I can wear them), so sometimes a $15 skirt becomes a $40 skirt.
If I wore an $8 shirt once, I'd think I'd gotten my use out of it.
I've recently written about my spending on cars; my spending on clothes is the other area in which I an am extremist.
I never think that clothes expire, just due to age. I definitely go overboard in this area. For example, I have a button-up shirt I love in a flower print with earth tones that I still wear which I remember buying my first or second year in college. That means it's 24 - 26 years old. It's a cotton-polyester blend, so although if it were a cotton shirt, there would be holes in the elbows, those polyester threads are still hanging on. Actually the whole shirt is a bit transluscent except in the areas that have several layers: the collar, cuffs, and front button-up placket. So now I only wear it under pullover sweaters and only on days when I'm sure I will not be taking off my sweater.
I guess I expect most clothing (not shoes) to last me through ten years of regular wearing, and indefinitely if I just wear it a couple of times a year. Of course I am always surprised when I see that something is wearing out "already."
Another person said you can also get value from your clothing not only by getting a lot of wearings out of it, but also if the clothing helps you achieve another goal. Her example is making a good first impression for prospective clients.
That's a very good point. I'm not good at judging the impression I'm making based on my appearance. But I do try to dress a little above average at work, which I've read is a very good idea. Thank goodness my job is very, very casual, so I can wear comfortable long pants, a solid t-shirt, and a jacket with comfy leather shoes and look above presentable. These things cost just the same in a thrift store as jeans and t-shirts do.