Amethyst
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
- Messages
- 12,668
What does your clothing cost you?
A while back, I posted about elderly clothing that is still being worn by the owner, and got some fascinating responses (hint: The men "won"
). My oldest wearable items are in their 20's and still doing good duty. I have resolved to make my wardrobe last until retirement (although some of my shoes are getting to be unwearable and will have to be replaced, and panty hose is an unavoidable expense).
Today, I handwashed a Land's End bright-orange sleeveless cotton tank top, of which I am particularly fond, and hung it from a tree to dry in the breeze when it occurred to me, "I paid $10 for this top on sale and have worn it probably 10 times. That means the cost to me is $1 per wearing."
I pay $100 for a pair of New Balance running shoes (women's size 8EE, so I can't be picky) and wear them daily for 6 months, by which time they are in ruins. My cost per wearing: $.55. Not bad.
I own a lot of pairs of jeans, some of them nearing 25 years old, some only a couple of years old. The old ones must be down to $.15 or less per wearing! But I need to wear the new ones more often, especially the Ralph Laurens that I broke down and paid $45 for (40% off) I'm counting 6% sales tax in the cost, since after all it comes out of my pocket.
Last winter I bought 2 Jones New York sleeveless summer dresses @ 75% off, and have worn one of them twice and the other, not at all. Cost per wearing, Dress No. 1: $15.00. Dress No. 2: $30.00 (same as if it had been worn once). Gotta wear those dresses more, to get their cost down!
I don't dry-clean my suits as often as some folks do, which keeps those costs down (probably $2.00 to $5.00 per wearing) and I handwash silk blouses and dresses, rather than dry cleaning them.
Oh, and my engagement ring, worn daily for 23 years: Less than $1.00 per day! You couldn't rent one that cheap!
A while back, I posted about elderly clothing that is still being worn by the owner, and got some fascinating responses (hint: The men "won"
). My oldest wearable items are in their 20's and still doing good duty. I have resolved to make my wardrobe last until retirement (although some of my shoes are getting to be unwearable and will have to be replaced, and panty hose is an unavoidable expense).Today, I handwashed a Land's End bright-orange sleeveless cotton tank top, of which I am particularly fond, and hung it from a tree to dry in the breeze when it occurred to me, "I paid $10 for this top on sale and have worn it probably 10 times. That means the cost to me is $1 per wearing."
I pay $100 for a pair of New Balance running shoes (women's size 8EE, so I can't be picky) and wear them daily for 6 months, by which time they are in ruins. My cost per wearing: $.55. Not bad.
I own a lot of pairs of jeans, some of them nearing 25 years old, some only a couple of years old. The old ones must be down to $.15 or less per wearing! But I need to wear the new ones more often, especially the Ralph Laurens that I broke down and paid $45 for (40% off) I'm counting 6% sales tax in the cost, since after all it comes out of my pocket.
Last winter I bought 2 Jones New York sleeveless summer dresses @ 75% off, and have worn one of them twice and the other, not at all. Cost per wearing, Dress No. 1: $15.00. Dress No. 2: $30.00 (same as if it had been worn once). Gotta wear those dresses more, to get their cost down!
I don't dry-clean my suits as often as some folks do, which keeps those costs down (probably $2.00 to $5.00 per wearing) and I handwash silk blouses and dresses, rather than dry cleaning them.
Oh, and my engagement ring, worn daily for 23 years: Less than $1.00 per day! You couldn't rent one that cheap!
in this day and age? Good golly, Mrs. Amethyst, you are one elegant lady! I haven't dry cleaned anything since retiring 9 months ago, that may go on the five-year plan, just a few items for the cleaners, kept one suit, a few sweaters and a couple of jackets. Hand wash, almost never. Yeah, I see your point about shoes, I broke down and bought three new pairs in the last year, partly because my sandals developed an odd odor even when the feet are clean. Lands' End clothes are now made in places like Nam and cost next to nothing. Sad.
