Does this scenario sound familiar? You check your calendar and notice a big event coming up this weekend. You peek into your closet and discover that you have nothing to wear. One shopping trip later and you have an inexpensive, trendy dress just for the event. But next time a dress-worthy event comes along, your dress is either too shoddy-looking after cleaning, or it’s just out of style. Suddenly, you’re purchasing yet another dress you’ll only wear once!
At Bespoke Southerly, we call this cycle the fast fashion treadmill. Sales and fast fashion clothing stores have trained consumers to view clothing as cheap and therefore disposable. But purchasing fast fashion items can actually lead you to spend more money (not to mention more time) in the long run. And, with massive resource use and pollution created in manufacturing, it has a major impact on the environment. Plus, most fast fashion ends up in landfills. Keep reading to learn why you should ditch the fast fashion habit, and start investing in your clothes.
3 Reasons to Begin Investing in Clothes
1. Saves Money in the Long Run
High-quality clothing manufacturers give more care to each individual item. They use higher-end fabrics and more advanced fabrication techniques, which means that their garments last significantly longer. Forget clothes that fall apart the first time you wash them! A quality-made garment can last a decade or longer if cared for properly.
All of this leads us to cost per wear. To calculate cost per wear, divide the total price of a garment by how many times you’ll wear it. For example, let’s say that you have three dress-worth events per year. An initial investment in the Camellia Dress costs $550. If you wear the Camellia Dress to each of these events, your cost per wear will be just $36.67 after five years.
On the other hand, if you go the fast fashion route and purchase a new $60 dress for each event, you’ll spend $900 on fifteen dresses over the course of five years. Plus, think of how much time you’ll spend shopping for fifteen dresses!
While high-quality clothing may cost more initially, it actually pays for itself with its longevity!
2. Makes Dressing Easier
Investing in classic pieces makes it easier to get dressed. You’ll spend less time wondering what to wear when you already have great closet staples to mix and match. Forget the hassle of buying a new outfit every time a special occasion comes up. A tightly edited wardrobe means you always have something to wear and you always look pulled together.
3. Feels Better!
Expensive fabrics feel better than cheaper synthetic fabrics, so you’ll be more comfortable in your clothing. Plus, they wear better throughout the day. For example, Bespoke Southerly dresses are made of 100% silk, which naturally regulates your body temperature for supreme comfort!
And if you have your pieces tailored or custom-made, you’ll also enjoy the experience of clothes that fit you perfectly. That can really make a difference in the way you feel about your appearance!
How to Get Started with Investment Dressing
1. Choose classic style clothing that won’t go out of style next season. Think classic colors, styles, and shapes like a little black dress, dark denim jeans, or a black or navy blazer.
2. Look for signs of high-quality clothing items:
○ Make sure patterns line up.
○ Check that garments are properly lined.
○ Look for a sturdy concealed or metal zipper rather than a visible plastic zipper.
○ Choose natural fiber fabrics over synthetic, which are more likely to pill.
○ Look for strong stitching, high quality thread, and finished seams.
3. Choose items that you love! If it doesn’t make you feel and look great, there’s no sense in investing in it. Remember: you’re looking for items that you’ll actually want to wear!
4. Take your time. Building a wardrobe of quality clothing is a constant work in progress. Keep plugging away and you’ll eventually have a closet of investment pieces that make you feel confident and pulled together.