I don’t ordinarily read columns about fashion, having decided long ago that designer clothes are designed mainly to keep designers rich at the expense of people who feel pressured into being stylish.
But, one day last week my attention was drawn to a pair of women’s shoes in a newspaper article, and the advice from a self-described “fashionista” that the way to be a fashionable “frugalista” was to buy with the idea that clothing items should cost no more than $2.00 per wear.
If that pointy-toed pair of shoes cost $75, for example, one should be prepared to wear them at least 37 times.
My initial thought was that it’s no wonder many people have high credit card debts. I can rent a 14-foot truck for $19.95 per day — and I should figure $2 per day for the use of my shoes?
Fortunately, men’s clothing styles don’t change as often as women’s, and I largely ignore them when they do. I read somewhere that pleated khakis are now hopelessly “out” and all the cool people wear flat-front pants, but that bit of news will have zero impact on what’s in my closet.
For the most part, on the rare occasions when I buy clothes, I go to a bargain store that’s having a sale, and choose conservative styles that stick around.
When I pay a hard-earned $50-$75 for a pair of shoes, I expect to wear them several times a week for several years, so my daily rate is measured in cents rather than dollars.
If nothing else, the article inspired me to go through the closet in search of any clothes I haven’t worn in a while (mostly because they no longer fit), and to bundle them up for donation to a thrift shop.
Whether it’s $2 per wear or not, someone should get some value out of them.