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A question:
Do you save things for ‘best’? Or wear everything now?
As a child, I was taught that some garments were only for ‘best’… but as an adult, the only clothes I own that I don’t wear regularly are formal dresses.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether nice clothes should be saved for special occasions.
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That’s a really interesting way of looking at it, Amy — and a great reason to wear your favourite pieces every day!
Wear it till it wears out. Years ago I was given several pairs of Versace briefs for my birthday, decided to save them for “special occasions” and was horrified when the waist band started to perish on one pair. At $105 a pair, it worked out to be about $20 per wear for that one, so they went into high rotation, and I felt great in them. If you want real value for money, wear the clothes that you have paid for other wise you’ve wasted your money!
*rofl*
I don’t know why I find that story so funny, but there’s something really hilarious about Versace briefs with perished elastic…
And saving them for special occasions? I probably don’t want to know when the special occasion undies come out!
I agree with Amy and Dean. Wear it till it wears out. If you really plan to get a lot of wear from it, buy a second! I have one pair of pants I LOVE which are starting to look a bit had it. I WISH I had bought another pair when I realised how fabulous they were.
Wear, wear, wear. Your weight might change, fashion is always changing, you might not have the same opportunities to wear the piece… in short, wear it while you can. I believe in getting the most wears for the money. People ask me sometimes if I always dress up so nice because I tend to wear a lot of dresses and skirts. I think it’s an awesome compliment - and around family it makes them feel like I dressed especially for them.
However, I baby my clothes when it comes to care. I also make sure to wear my “at home” clothes (gym shorts and t-shirts) when at home or while doing yard work so that I don’t mess up my good clothes. That’s especially important because I like to play with my kitties and a formerly invisible claw hole can quickly grow and ruin good clothes.
Yes so often clothes saved because they are “special” end up never being worn and it’s just a big waste. It’s like leaving your favourite part of the meal to the end only to get to it when it’s gone cold and lost most of its tastiness.
But I think it is good to treasure the few items that you know make you look totally fabulous (more so than any normal clothes) and to save them for occasions when you do need to look absolutely fabulous. As long as it is only a few select items (not every nice dress you own) and as long they do actually get worn sometimes (rather than waiting for some imaginary life) and also objectively classic (so it won’t go out of fashion in the next few weeks/months/years), it’s nice to keep a couple of gorgeous tops or a killer dress up your sleeve for when you really might need it.
It’s hard to get out of that childhood mindset, isn’t it? I know I always tended to wear “bummy” clothes around the house and save nicer stuff for, well, nicer events. Until I realized that:
a) I get more done when I’m dressed nicely (even around the house!) Also I save time because I don’t have to *hide* when someone knocks on the door.
b) Wearing nicer things once a week means I’ll NEVER wear them out.
c) I’m a big girl now–I no longer destroy my clothes. (Well, except when I’m cooking. But that’s an excuse to accumulate adorable aprons.)
So one of my goals this year was to only wear clothes that I love, which meany weeding out every “meh” piece from my wardrobe. So far, I’m loving the fact that I own not a single pair of khakis but lots and lots of colorful summer skirts.
I definitely don’t wear some of my vintage treasures to scrub the floor, but I try to pull them out as often as humanly possible.
Thanks for all the responses, everyone! I think I’ll embrace wearing my nice clothes now, and stop feeling like I should save them for ‘best’.
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Amy said,
April 25, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
Well, in my case, “best” usually means I’ve spent a little more on it (but still a bargain - like my black Laundry by Shelli Segal wrap blouse for $35). Since the cost goes down per wear, I make sure to wear my “best” pieces often. I also like to take one “best” piece and mix it up with some cheaper pieces. I don’t like to “save” anything for special occasions :) unless they are super-formal.