She was about to buy it in Turquoise and kept trying to talk herself out of it, because even though she loved it and had wanted it for ages, she had seen a girl on Facebook, who she used to go to school with, who had the same dress and within a matter of weeks, had worn it out, shock, horror, on two occassions!
Uni Girl then proceeded to show me the pictures of said girl, first at a Party and then at a Wedding wearing the dress in the same Turquoise colourway that she wanted and said to me "I hate people who over wear their clothes".
I sat for a moment a little dumbstruck by her remark and the turning up of her nose and began to explain a few things to her. Firstly I said that this girl had obviously had the dress for a while judging by the date of the photos and hadn't been afforded the luxury of purchasing the dress for £45 reduced from £150 like Uni girl was just about to do. I explained about "cost per wear" and how many people who can not really afford an expensive item but consider it to be investment dressing, purchase said item because they know they will really get their money's worth out of it and as £150 for a dress for a 19 year old, is a lot of money, she may well have considered the purchase worthwhile because she knew she had more than one event to wear it to.
She sat there with her laptop, completely unconvinced. Secondly I explained about the Whistles dress, I bought last year as an example. I had bought the dress originally to wear to M's wedding at the end of May but I wore it also to her 18th Party the following month. My friend B borrowed it for a wedding in the August and I wore it again this year to D's wedding at the end of June. So for the £80 it cost me in the sale, it was a worthwhile investment, a dress in a classic style that won't date, but can be pulled out of the wardrobe for any future parties or weddings I may get invited to. "I hope you aren't going to wear it to Claudia's 18th Party aswell, a lot of my friends will be there who have already seen you in it". I just laughed.
Me in my Whistles Dress with M at her wedding May 2009.
She did buy the Paradise Dress in the end.
Just before she left for Ibiza on Wednesday (yeah back from our holiday on Thursday and off again 6 days later, my kids really have a great life, usually at our expense) we were talking about what we were going to wear to Claudia's party, when I said to Uni girl "you can wear your Paradise Dress" "no I can't" she replied "I wore it out on Friday for S's 20th birthday and there is a picture of me in it on Facebook, I don't won't anyone to think I over wear MY dresses".
Courtenay in her Turquoise Paradise Dress from French Connection.
So would my daughter think that you "over wear" your clothes?
Do you do the "cost per wear" equation when buying expensive items?
Ah don't worry, she'll grow out of it - and as long as it's her own money that she ends up spending on clothes so that they are not 'over worn' then where's the harm? ;-D
ReplyDeleteI bought a dress in Monsoon a couple of years ago for a wedding. It cost me £130. That's the most I've spent on a dress other than my wedding dress!
It was then worn the following year to another wedding (different crowd entirely) and will be getting worn to another wedding this October (pending weight loss and zip-pull-uppage problems!)
I consider frock great value for money and your daughter will learn to enjoy the heady buzz of getting a good Return On Investment. Eventually.
Ali x
how times change! I'm happy to overwear any item of clothing. I will wear the same outfit for 3 days as long as it isn't soiled in anyway. I love overwearing clothes as I like to create a different look with the same item.
ReplyDeleteI suppose people have got used to quantity but nothing gives me more pleasure than buying the right thing and overwearing it!! xx
What a lovely group of young ladies!! Your daughter looks Fabulous ~ that colour really works for her.
ReplyDeleteI do understand what she is saying in reference to "over wearing" ~ however when you buy quality and you feel GREAT in an outfit .. you want to wear it not only to get your $$ worth but because the way it makes you feel [when I was in corporate I had an Armani suit that I always pulled out when there was a big partners meeting - so the same people saw me in the same suit - I never stopped to think about "over wearing it" ~ I felt confident and great in it].
However, when I purchased trending items , I was careful to not over wear them.
Your daughter is at an amazing age... she can experiment and learn. So long as she is "supporting" her not "over wearing" phase for all the Quantity .. she will learn..
I have to echo Make Do Style ~ people are living in a quantity world. I would add disposale to that. As I re-invent myself ~ I'm going for quality over quantity = I will over wear... ;) XO HHL
First, your daughter is lovely. Second, I don't think you can "overwear" an item if it fits and flatters you. Long gone are the days when it was considered a faux pas to be seen twice in the same gown. I think we could take a lesson from those women who have a few fabulous items and really make them work. I'd rather look good every day than different every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I fit in to this. I hate to be seen wearing the same things too much, but if I particularly like a look then I will wear it more often. I also have a habit of saving things for best and never getting enough wear out of things! Fickle thats me! e xx
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm guilt of that! Like many woman I have the old trusty favourites! Your lovely and pretty daughter is young and bound to have that view now, give her a few years I'm sure she too will find it hard to part with 'old' favourites that make her look and feel fabulous:)
ReplyDeleteI think the 'not wearing things more than once way' of thinking is a very British thing, we have had access to a lot of cheap "throw away fashion" since the early 1980's, since places like Kumar Brothers. Now I guess it's Peacocks and Primark. The problem is, a lot of girls like uni girl, have expensive tastes, so that makes it extremely expensive if its going to be a once only wear. I noticed when living in Spain the Europeans wore less high fashion, more classic style clothes than us. They were slightly more expensive but better quality and they wore them more often.
ReplyDeleteI often have a favourite look each season so tend to live in it.. your daughter would despair of me. I believe very much in the pound per wear ethic... plus in these economic times I think the younger generation will too... I cannot believe I just said the younger generation.. I am getting so fucking old xx
i think i had that same convo with my friend. once its on facebook she wont wear it again x
ReplyDeleteHi there-I suppose its common for teenagers to have this mindset, its natural not to want to appear in a particular outfit far too many times. At our age, we do go for more quality pieces that we can work and rework ;-)
ReplyDeleteI do see what she means, if its a wedding or big party that you know you will be photographed at then you wouldnt want to look like you only had one dres LOL! I wouldnt wear an identical outfit for that kind of occasion but every day clothes and occasions far appart fair enough.
ReplyDeleteI definitely over-wear the majority of my clothes, sometimes its because I can't find anything in the shops and other times its because my favourite outfit is the one i feel confident in. xx PS your daughter looks lovely in her paradise dress!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of "overwearing" before. I don't see that as a negative. I usually buy quality clothes that last and don't hesitate to repeat wearing them.
ReplyDeleteOh I think I over-wear all the time. I tend to stick to items I like and wear them over and over. Nowt wrong with that but I think teenagers have a very different approach to fashion!
ReplyDeleteI definitely over wear. Mostly on black items. I have a stupid amount of black but tend to go mad on one thing then try and alter it's look with other pieces. I do get what she means if it's a wedding or a party and the same people are going to be there. Then I'd change it xx
ReplyDeleteI overwear all the time - if I find something I love, I tend to wear it to death. Even been known to go and buy two or three of the same item if it's something I REALLY love! But at Courtenay's age, I was definitely a more is always more girl!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post!
ReplyDeleteI am a constant 'overwearer'. I wore a dress to an awards thing last week, and I will be wearing it again tomorrow (to a fashion show at LFW, yay!!). The dress is Jasmine di Milo, the shoes Bally. I am going to wear both as long as they are wearable re shape and condition, and as long as they are in fashion. I have very few clothes, but what I have is of great quality. Of course, there are the H&M jeans and the Gap sweaters I wear when out on the playground with little L. But I really don't see the point in filling up your wardrobe with things you only wear once.
I would be top of the list of 'overwearer's' by her standards for sure. I don't do the cost per wear, but can honestly say that majority of my clothes are worn so often that they pay for themselves very quickly.
ReplyDeleteMy black and cream pants are worn almost weekly through winter and summer.