I wore this ensemble to Houston's (one of my favorites) for my brother-in-law's birthday. I've only worn this dress once before, to a retirement party for one of my dad's friends. I found it at the thrift store and fell in love but for some reason, after it's first use, it was forgotten about in the back corner of my horribly over stuffed closet. No worries, though. Now that I've worn it twice my cost per wear goes down to 75 cents. Cost per wear doesn't really matter on thrift store clothing because it's already sooooo cheap, but I would suggest thinking this way when shopping department stores or for a large amount of clothing (season to season, for example). How many times will you wear it? How many scenarios would this be appropriate in? If a you buy an adorable, yet simple, black dress for $350.00 and you wear it 10 times though out a year (dressing it up differently and making it fun each time, of course) that makes your CPW (cost per wear) $35, which is not bad at all. This is just a little fashionista tool you can use to rationalize big purchases and spending money on clothing you may not actually need. No, I'm kidding, (sorta) but it is a really useful tool to get a snapshot of the value a piece of clothing can bring and also help you avoid crazy purchases ($ wise and style wise).
So, with my technicolor dream dress, my CPW will continue to plummet as I enjoy this $1.50 purchase more and more.
Dress - thrift store
Gloves - Mossimo for Target
Belt - leather Coach belt via thrift store (found this beaut in the men's tie section for some reason....genuine leather, perfect condition, $2.00. I'd say I saved about $98.00. yay for me.)
Boots - Antonio Melani
Since we're talking cost per wear, let me tell you a little story about these boots. I love these boots. By the time I made it to high school I was already neck deep in girly pandemonium. Heels, makeup, dresses, nail polish, cheerleading, boys, etc. I loved to get dressed up and pretend like I was much, much older than I actually was. (little did I know, growing up comes equipped with reality, and being an adult is a lot more than just playing dress up with a checkbook.) So anyways, in the 9th grade I decided I wanted some black boots, some "real" high heeled, leather, fancy boots. I waited for my next paycheck and then I bounced up to Macy's with excitement in every step. I got to the mall and found that fancy, leather, black boots can not be bought on a part-time skating rink income. (yep, I worked at the skating rink. don't laugh, I could beat you in a race any day.) I was bummed that I'd have to wait until Christmas, so my parents could buy them for me.
Christmas finally came and I got my boots...but not exactly. Being a mom, she probably knew I was too big for my own boots and didn't quite know what I was getting myself into. She bought me some nice, yet modest, 2 inch, chunky heeled boots. I took one look at them and knew they weren't the boots I'd imagined. These weren't for a woman in a power suit strutting down main street, these were for the novice, insecure high schooler with little heel wearing experience. I convinced my mom to take them back and help me find the pair I really wanted.
I picked out the ones I have today (still, almost 7 years later). I loved the sharp point to the toe and the skinny, high heel and the fancy Italian name. I was so excited I refused to let the cashier put them in a bag. I wanted to carry the box out. I don't know, don't ask. I was a weird kid.
When I got home I tried them on with many outfits and pranced around in front of the mirror for hours. I finally picked out the best ensemble to wear the next day. I woke up easily, for once, the next morning. I was STILL excited about my boots. (don't judge, I get excited easily, especially when it comes to fashion items.) I got ready and was off to school. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account the 60lbs. backpack I carried around all day and the 5-10 minutes walk in between each class. Needless to say I didn't even make it past homeroom in my boots. I had to sneak out to my locker and put on my cheerleading shoes just to keep my feet from literally going limp with pain. I ended up looking like a dork in my pencil skirt, tights, and all around lady-like outfit, ruined by stark white tennis shoes with a green megaphone.
I didn't wear the boots for months. I was literally scared of them. Over the next couple of years, my heels got higher and higher and I became more and more confident, so I tried the boots again. They are now one of my favorite belongings and one of my most comfortable pairs of shoes. I look back on that day at school and laugh. I think the boots were somewhere around $175.00 and I was mortified after that first day, thinking I had wasted my parents money and my opportunity to get something fabulous. Now, I've probably worn them over 50 times. $3.50 CPW, it doesn't get any better than that.
Do you still have something in your closet that you wore once? Is there something back there you forgot about? Do you have a shirt sitting in the drawer that you implused and now you hate? Get creative, think about CPW and how you can incorporate that item in a way you never have before. Come on people, fashion can be fun.
