I no longer buy clothes as I make my own clothes (after many, many years of experience and practice in sewing, of course) and I never kept track of how much I spent on fabric and other supplies. People usually classify those expenses as hobbies but for me it is literally how I clothe myself. My wardrobe is about 99% made by me, underwear and socks aside, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Anyway, I was having some FOMO late last year as people who sew their clothes were sharing their end-of-year reports on Instagram, akin to the cost-per-wear thing on TikTok, and I started keeping track of the purchases this year. I do not like it!
In my defense, not that I NEED to defend myself, the clothes I make for me are closer in quality to mid to high end ready to wear than to Zara or H&M.
I also do some purely hobby sewing like quilting and historical costuming.
I will not calculate cost-per-wear for shoes or bags because I would probably cry.
Absolutely, thanks for sharing this - I can’t even begin to quantify the emotional value of my wardrobe, a lot of my faves are priceless regardless of their original cost. That also goes for the few pieces of vintage clothes I don’t wear but which I couldn’t bear to leave on the charity shop rack, like the pure wool WWII Wren boat cloak which no one else seemed to want. Will I wear it? Probably not. Does it make my heart skip with its history and quality when I see it hanging there preserved for the future? Every single time.
Yes, yes and yes to this! There is no price tag associated with something that makes my heart sing! I'm very frugal as well and my holy grail closet item is a thrifted cashmere sweater (no label) that cost $6. Everyone deserves to feel like a star when they go out into the world!
The issue with cost per wear for many of us is that we just can’t shell out a ton of money in the first place. What’s a designer bag for some is a family vacation or a much needed used car for others.
I no longer buy clothes as I make my own clothes (after many, many years of experience and practice in sewing, of course) and I never kept track of how much I spent on fabric and other supplies. People usually classify those expenses as hobbies but for me it is literally how I clothe myself. My wardrobe is about 99% made by me, underwear and socks aside, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Anyway, I was having some FOMO late last year as people who sew their clothes were sharing their end-of-year reports on Instagram, akin to the cost-per-wear thing on TikTok, and I started keeping track of the purchases this year. I do not like it!
In my defense, not that I NEED to defend myself, the clothes I make for me are closer in quality to mid to high end ready to wear than to Zara or H&M.
I also do some purely hobby sewing like quilting and historical costuming.
I will not calculate cost-per-wear for shoes or bags because I would probably cry.
Absolutely, thanks for sharing this - I can’t even begin to quantify the emotional value of my wardrobe, a lot of my faves are priceless regardless of their original cost. That also goes for the few pieces of vintage clothes I don’t wear but which I couldn’t bear to leave on the charity shop rack, like the pure wool WWII Wren boat cloak which no one else seemed to want. Will I wear it? Probably not. Does it make my heart skip with its history and quality when I see it hanging there preserved for the future? Every single time.
Yes, yes and yes to this! There is no price tag associated with something that makes my heart sing! I'm very frugal as well and my holy grail closet item is a thrifted cashmere sweater (no label) that cost $6. Everyone deserves to feel like a star when they go out into the world!
The issue with cost per wear for many of us is that we just can’t shell out a ton of money in the first place. What’s a designer bag for some is a family vacation or a much needed used car for others.