Clothing Math

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I am not proud to say that my 7th grade daughter looks to me last for help in math. Fortunately, she and my younger daughter seem to have an aptitude for a subject that gave me no shortage of headaches and tears.

There is one type of math I am quite good at though, clothing math. There are two types: one that calculates what an item will cost per wear, and the kind that you can use to rationalize a pricey purchase.

For the first one, think of something you wear often. For me, an orchid, merino wool cardigan comes to mind. I purchased it from Boden for $70, 2 years ago. I wear it at least twice a week in cool weather and once a week in warmer weather. Therefore, I have worn this sweater 140 times. When I divide the price of the sweater by the number of times I have worn it, the sweater comes out to .50 per wear. What a deal! Think about this when you are contemplating buying a one-wear-only or a special occasion garment. The fewer times you wear something, the higher price per wear it is.

Now we come to rationalizing purchases, something I did just last weekend. At one of my favorite stores, Indian Summers in Summerland, I bought a unique, interesting cotton knit skirt for $84. Yes, it was a splurge. However, at The Rack, the fabulous consignment store located at the Music Academy of the West, I purchased a Cynthia Steffe skirt for $19. Here is where the math rationalization comes in: Each skirt cost $51.50, a reasonable price for a skirt. Ah, that feels much better.