Why I use math to make great fashion choices…

It sounds odd, but I promise you don’t need to know the value of Pi or be a whiz at algebra and it just might change the way you shop… 

If I say CPW what do you think?

Crazy Plant Woman?
Cappuccino Power Walking?
Some of you, in a particular line of work, might think Criminal Possession of a Weapon… and the rest of us would be left thinking holy heck!

What I’m actually talking about is, Cost Per Wear.

It gives a clearer picture of an item’s actual cost, by dividing the purchase price by the amount of times you will wear the item.

For example if a great pair of jeans cost $150 and you will most likely wear them 50 times a year (around once a week), that’s $3 a year.
If you keep those jeans for 5 years, that’s a 60c CPW over the life of the jeans!

A ball gown that makes you feel like Cinderella and costs $1200 that you wear once, has a $1200 CPW

And that piece you bought three years ago off the sale rack for $35… because it was marked down from $100 and an absolute steal? You know the one that’s sitting in the back of your cupboard waiting for the perfect occasion to wear it? - it’s not coming by the way, you’ve had like ten chances and never picked it up.
It’s CPW is $35 and that’s not even counting the valuable storage space it’s taking up hiding out back there. 

Those $150 jeans at a 60c CPW seem like a much better choice now we’re comparing them to the $35 a wear (never actually worn) bargain item don’t they!

Cost Per Wear has opened my eyes and been a huge factor in my own style evolution and buying habits. After having children I fell into a pattern of buying clothes from big chains, it was easy and I didn’t have to think about it.

Before I knew it my wardrobe was bursting with endless blah tees and mediocre bottoms and I lost a part of myself somewhere in that wardrobe. There was no “Me” in there, just cookie cutter pieces that made me feel as though I was pulling on a very blerg boring uniform everyday.

The CPW concept opened my eyes, my wardrobe, my self esteem and my love for dressing has been boosted ten fold.

Here’s the questions I ask myself when purchasing an item these days.

LOVE
Do I LOVE it? I mean really love it, not think it’s okay or it will do. I imagine looking down at myself wearing this and how it makes me feel? I need to love it, and it needs to make me feel lovely.

INTERCHANGEABLE
Do I have items in my wardrobe that will work with this piece? Being interchangeable is very important as it will increase the amount of times I will wear an item.


FREQUENCY
How many times can I see myself wearing this item? This is the hardest one to trick myself with, it’s at this point if I am second guessing myself I walk away, have a think and then come back to it.

QUALITY
What’s the quality like? Is it likely to last for a long time? Really have a good look, what’s the stitching

CPW does tend to feel like a bigger purchase but from my experience I’ve found myself spending the same (or even less in the long run) and have a wardrobe I truly LOVE.
It’s full of pieces that I adore, that make me feel good when I wear them and most importantly, make me feel like ME again.