Gorgeous Me: If you wear it, then it's worth it

If you can realistically wear it, it's worth the money.

How many times have you had to justify a purchase - either before or after? I do it all the time, I guess it's a result of my upbringing. Sometimes an item of clothing, a pair of shoes or an accessory can appear exorbitant and completely over the top - you simply can't justify it.

But if the item you're buying is quality and will last a long time, and can be worn with lots of different outfits then you'll get loads of mileage out of it. What if it works out at $1, 50c or 20c a wear - does that seem like a good investment to you? It does to me.

And that's the way I look at things. Of course you're never going to be able to work out the exact cost per wear in advance, but you can have a guess and enjoy the satisfaction that each time you wear it the cost keeps coming down.

There a few things you should consider when buying an item of clothing that you want to get a lot of wear out of:

QUALITY

The quality of the fabric will strongly determine the longevity of wear.

STYLE

Is it something that is trendy right now, but that you might cringe at in a few years time? Try and buy timeless pieces in classic cuts that won't go out of fashion. And you can always update the look by adding in-fashion pieces.

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Ideally, you'll get more use out of something that you don't have to dry clean after every wear.

Clothes that can be machine-washed are ideal, as well as those that don't need an iron after every wear. As a tip, you can place delicate, hand wash only items in a lingerie bag and use the delicate wash cycle.

OCCASION

When and where can you realistically wear it?

Versatility is key! Items that can be dressed up OR down are winners here. It also makes the transition from day to night extremely easy if you have an after work function.

When we were doing research, we asked people how long on average they kept their clothes. It stunned us that most women were uncomfortable answering this question, too embarrassed to admit that they kept their clothes for years.

Well, hello! As long as you still wear these clothes, we think you've done a brilliant job choosing items that have stood the test of time. That's what we call smart investment shopping. What would the cost per wear be on these items we wonder?

Lisa Lyford is the founder of Gorgeous Me, free DIY personal styling and makeover advice. www.gorgeousme.co
Send your questions for Lisa to regionalfeatures@nzme.co.nz