I typically have two types of clients. Those who hate shopping and will do whatever they can to avoid it, and those who love shopping and will take whatever steps they can to optimise it. Those who hate shopping are, understandably, happy for me to edit and guide their shopping experience, narrowing the focus and streamlining the selection process, making it a more pleasant, time efficient and ultimately successful use of time.

Those who love shopping require a different type of approach. My most common observation is people who tell me that they have “loads of clothes, but nothing to wear” and are often, again understandably, quite puzzled by this. They have spent a lot of money but don’t seem to have the return on investment in their wardrobe, when they are looking to create a quick, co-ordinated outfit for work, or pull together a smart casual dinner look for an impromptu gathering with friends.

Does your wardrobe need a detox?

When I work with clients who have these concerns, my first step is always to ask if I can see their wardrobe. Many have worked with personal shoppers before and are puzzled by my request, as they don’t feel there are items that they need to “detox” or throw out, due to the fact that they have spent a decent amount of money on clothes over time and are proud of the selection of items that they own.

This step, however, gives me an insight into how a person shops, when I analyse what they have previously bought.

I look for shopping tags which indicate unworn items, a large number of similar items, lack of basics or staples, and a large collection of print or pattern, which is difficult to rework lots of different ways, or create a good variety of outfits from.

When we talk about the targets for a person’s look, it is often a common goal of creating a capsule wardrobe of clothes that offers consistency in that person’s look, day after day, week after week, month after month. Once a style goal is determined, the next logical step it to maintain it, through this consistency.

Why is cost per wear important?

So, how does “cost per wear” feature? What is it and how do we optimise it?

Whether I am working with someone who hates shopping, or someone who loves it and wants to improve their skill, so to speak, the most important thing is to ensure accurate return on investment for items that we purchase.

“Money doesn’t grow on trees” is a phrase often heard in our Irish childhoods. I believe that any spend on clothes or accessories needs to be considered, focused and informed.

I have been accused of “taking all of the fun out of shopping” by encouraging clients and friends alike to prep and plan, rather than heading to the shops with few benchmarks for what exactly they are looking for.

The most common response I receive when I ask a person what they are going to buy is: “I will know when I see it,” which roughly translates to: “Leave me alone so I can enjoy the retail experience in peace.” This is all well and good when we are browsing and we acknowledge that is what we are doing.

We should therefore leave our credit card at home. But the reality of the most effective shopping and spending strategy is for it to be a well-planned activity. That is; we have addressed what we have already, versus what we need to buy and how much wear we would get from it.

This is the essence of cost per wear and it is the most important concept in smart shopping. Once we identify what is missing in our wardrobe, the next step is to prioritise that list, in terms of how many times a week or month we would wear those items. The more often we would wear them, the higher up the shopping list they go.

The evidence element of cost per wear is simply a maths sum. The cost price of an item, divided by the number of times we can wear it over a three-month period.

This soon sorts the men from the boys, so to speak. We realise that the sparkly top or dress for a wedding, or jewelled stilettos that wink at us in the shop, are not as cost effective as a pair of ankle boots, or winter coat or pair of jeans.

Less ‘buzz’ but more success

As a result, efficient cost-effective shopping can look boring, as the purchases are staple classics, rather than trend items. This may reduce the “buzz” of the retail experience.

However, this “buzz” comes when you look in your wardrobe at 7.30am and see that you have a workable capsule of clothes to work from, giving you mix and match items at each turn. This is a cost-effective wardrobe, following the principles of cost per wear.

Whether you love shopping and want to know how to improve your skill, or hate shopping and want to take a short-cut to the quickest way to achieve a wardrobe that works for you, the answer usually lies in narrowing the focus of what you need and analysing its cost per wear.

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