Thursday 17 April 2014

Did I Wear It? Was It Worth It?

You may recall that in February I felt I had purchased a few too many things, and felt like a hoarder for not wearing existing things in my wardrobe.  I then read an article in Vogue that tracked a few women and their purchases over a season to see how many times they wore each item.  This inspired me to keep a tally of my own purchases.  You can see the original post here.

Did I wear it was it worth it

Today I'm back with the results!  Below is a list of the items that I had bought back in February, and there's a tally next to each indicating how many times I've actually worn them.




Asda black long sleeve tee, 2
Asda purple long sleeve tee, 3
Clarks grey brogues, 12
Clarks black heeled brogues, 9
Asda thermal socks, 20+
Gold scarf, 8
Vintage black coat, 14
Next red polkadot dress, 1
Men's grey jumper, 18
Matalan rose print underwear set, 1
Matalan monochrome underwear set, 1
Matalan white bra, 4
Matalan stripe bra, 6
Woolovers cerise jumper, 5
Woolovers pastel blue jumper, 4
Woolovers pastel pink jumper, 2
Alice Hannah gloves, 3
Promod mini skirt, 3
Promod flapper dress, 0
Promod white blouse, 2
Promod ivory blouse, 1
Promod red blouse, 0
Ebay kimono jacket, 2

Still With The Tags On
Shamefully, I haven't worn the Promod flapper dress, or one of the Promod blouses.  I can see myself wearing the dress on my birthday perhaps, and the blouse might even get worn to work.



The Versatile Shoes
I knew I would get a lot of wear out of the grey and white brogues, but I was so unsure about the 'boring' black brogues.  Now, I am so glad I bought them!  I'm even thinking that I could just put some coloured laces or ribbons on, if I felt they needed jazzing up a bit.



What I Have Learnt
  1. You can never have enough socks or knitwear.
  2. Comfortable shoes get worn a lot.
  3. I probably have enough party dresses now.
  4. I need to dress smarter for work, to ensure some items get worn.
  5. I must wear my lingerie sets more!
Future Purchases
I am sold on Clarks shoes.  Gone are the nightmares of my school years.  I want to buy more, including a pair of ballet pumps for summer and a pair of heels for work.  Maybe also a 'going out' pair if something suitable is released.  Clarks shoes are comfortable, leather, good quality and they come out with some impressive styles these days.

Have you been keeping track of how much you wear your purchases?  What have you found out?  And how is this going to shape your future purchases?

Linkups:
Lovely Thursdays, with Rekita, Amy and Alisha
What I Wore Wednesday with The Pleated Poppy

28 comments:

  1. You bought a lot but already have worn it most of it - good effort!
    I am so swayed by those brogues

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    1. Those brogues are blooming brilliant! Honestly one of my best shoe buys ever. Been much more restrained in the last month or so, just a skirt, blouse, some tights and a top. I have a £40 voucher left to spend, ahahaa, so will probably have a look this weekend. Oh no, I just realised that wasn't all I bought. I bought that jumper dress from Gap, that jumper from Benetton, the halterneck and necklace from Sainsburys, Pass me the phone number for shopaholics anonymous!! x

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  2. I'm back on my spreadsheet! As well as tracking what I wear day-by-day, so I can identify what I wear lots and could do with other versions of, and what I don't wear very often so don't need more of, I've started a page tracking my vintage and repro - what I paid for it, and how many times I've worn it (and if I haven't worn it, if there's any reason why not). And it all boils down to points 1, 2 and 3 on your list - need more knitwear, comfy shoes are great, and NO MORE PARTY FROCKS. Perhaps those are universal truths!

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    1. I've just commented on your own blog, but felt I should add here, that I am beginning to think the idea of a spreadsheet is a good idea!! It might seem a bit over the top, but apparently Kylie uses a computer programme to keep track of what frocks she wears to what events. The other thing I find helpful is that I am a member of an outfit sharing website, A57 (run by the lovely Fiona who has a blog of the same name and has commented above you here) and being able to look back at what I've been wearing is super useful. Though I've noticed I've not being doing as many 'full vintage' looks as I used to, what's happening to me?! x

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    2. It started because I felt I hated my wardrobe and wanted loads of new stuff, so I decided to see what I was wearing and whether I was really wearing anything really frequently. The results were surprising - I wasn't wearing particular outfits as often as I'd thought. Also, writing things down each day encouraged me to vary things more, and to have a good look at things I own and try to wear the neglected items.

      Maybe you just need a change from the full vintage looks, sometimes we all need something different. I hardly ever do full vintage, I'm usually an eclectic mishmash (my rubbish hair precludes a full vintage look, for one thing).

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  3. Those brogues are marvelous - both pairs. I love when shoes that might seem a bit unconventional and at first glance as though they not get sported very often end up turning out to ones that you sport time and time again. Some years back I had that happen with a champagne hued pair of sparkly heels.

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. I have to say that a champagne hued pair of sparkly heels sounds divine!! Isn't it funny how we remember amazing shoes we've owned? It must be the way they make us feel x

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  4. Can't agree enough about the Clarks shoes...love Clarks! Lovely post my dear and an insightful one too. Have a happy Easter!
    May x
    www.walkinginmay.com

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    1. A most Happy Easter to you too May! I tried on more Clarks shoes at lunchtime today, there are at least 3 pairs I have my eye on! X

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  5. Holy cow, that black coat. That's the kind of coat that makes you actually happy it's cold out! Also, I have a very similar pair of black brogues I got for Christmas, and I totally agree: those things are the best! They're comfy, they go with everything and they add a nice shot of character to an outfit.

    Great job keeping up your tally! You've inspired me to maybe take up something similar. And I do hope you find an occasion to wear that lovely flapper dress. :)

    Cheers,
    Jenny

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    Replies
    1. I hunted for YEARS for that coat, ever since I saw Dita in one similar but the ones I found were hundreds of pounds. This beauty was £8 from a charity shop and is late '80s/early '90s when the 'riding' theme had a resurgence. It is a joy to wear.

      Let me know how it goes if you do your own tally! X

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  6. I would say you did really good. I buy lots of stuff and it could be a whole year or maybe even two before I wear them. Somehow though I don't see this as a bad thing. I love seeing new clothes hanging in my closet. Also the more clothes I have the picker I've become with my purchases especially when I have a lot of new dresses still :)

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  7. I certainly have had clothes hanging up for years before I've worn them. Naughty me! It does indeed give me a thrill to see new stuff there with the tags on still. I can't wait to see more of your dresses, you have such a fabulous collection x

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  8. Those brogues are amazing. I adore Clarks. I have several pairs.

    Overall I think you did brilliantly. I can't wait to see you in that 1920's number.

    I definately have pieces I haven't worn out of the house yet. Since I work from home that is kind of a big thing. I was thinking though that now that it might...might ( I don't want to jinx myself) finally beginning to warm up that I need to go through my summer clothes and make sure I still like it before I switch out with my winter clothes and store them.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    Replies
    1. Hee hee, don't jinx it!! It's turned rainy and grey this weekend, is that what you were doing, sorting through the summer clothes?!

      The only thing I've found with Clarks' shoes recently is that with their heels I have to have an ankle strap or lace-up, otherwise I'm not getting a good fit. Which is annoying as they have some lovely courts.

      P x

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  9. Wow! What a post! I really dig this idea a lot! I have a lot of clothes, but still find myself shopping, but I'm also in the mood of purging my closet and I really see this notion helping a lot!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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    1. I'm glad you find this idea useful! My wardrobe was getting a bit out of control so I had to try and rein it in somehow!!

      P x

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  10. I love your style! And some of your pieces really need to be in my closet........ Love all of it! :)

    Thanks for linking up with Lovely Thursdays! :)

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    1. Thanks for stoppin by Amy, always nice to do some new link ups. P x

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  11. Loving these shoes! And I agree, entirely, that comfortable shoes get worn a lot... especially if they're as cute as those brogues.

    Sometimes I wish I had a time machine to go back and stop myself from making certain purchases that never get worn (especially ridiculous uncomfortable shoes). You've inspired me to scrutinize my closet, fill gaps, wear the unworn, and purchase what I will actually wear instead of what I think looks pretty!

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    1. Gosh, that's a lot of inspiration, glad to have been of service!! Let me know how you get on with it all P x

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  12. Replies
    1. They're really comfy and go with everything, honestly a great buy! Thanks for stopping by Rekita x

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  13. What a great idea for a blog post! I may do my own version of the same thing. Thanks for the inspiration! Happy to find you! -tammy

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  14. This is a brilliant idea. Sometimes I feel guilty about buying something. And then I never wear it. Never wear it! I agree. I am always running out of socks. And I tend to only want to wear my nude lingerie rather than any colors.

    You have inspired me to keep track starting in May for my April purchases (I do not plan on purchasing anything in May).

    I will let you know how it goes! : )

    Jenni

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    Replies
    1. Good luck with it, it can be quite an eye opener! X

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