24/09/2026
Letâs talk about âcost per wearâ. Do you consider it? How do we know which are the ârightâ pieces to buy?
My whole ethos is about inspiring you to shop well and make better lasting choices.
Iâve had this jacket over two years, (but had probably been coveting it for two years before that) and I wear it constantly.
With jeans, over dresses, with chunky knits, to special events, to client edits and to Lidl. We dont keep it for best, we wear and enjoy.
When you wear something repeatedly, it pays for itself.
Consider the top you have set your heart on but itâs ÂŁ100 so you canât justify it. So you buy the ÂŁ10 top, which isnât right⊠then the ÂŁ25 one, which still isnât right and a handful of other âfillerâ bits because still nothing is working? How much have you spent now?
True value of a piece isnât the price itâs how often it actually gets used. Investing in a piece can be as much about the cost as the time taken to consider buying it - it doesnât only extend to high cost items.
But the question I am asked most, is how to tell which are the ârightâ choices?
1. Will it work with what you have already? If you have to buy something else to go with it, itâs not a great investment. You should be able to see clearly it can work with what you already have.
2. Can I wear I 10 ways, will I wear it 10 more than 10 times? More than it works with your existing wardrobe, will you want to or feel comfortable wearing it more than 10 times or ways. Pieces we invest in should suit our lifestyle. Iâd rather spend more on a hardworking piece than a one off event piece.
3. The fit is right today. Never buy something to âslimâ into. Even when body shapes change up or down, will you still like it on your shape? If itâs something to be tweaked down by a tailor do it immediately but donât put it off and leave the piece unloved.
When an item checks those three boxes, the âcost per wearâ drops to pennies because you use it. What do you think? Do you consider CPW? Whats your main worry when buying longer lasting pieces?
wardrobestaples smar