A useful wardrobe number
Work out cost per wear
Add the costs you know, then divide by how many times you have actually worn the item. Keep a forecast clearly separate.
A low forecast is not a reason to spend more. This calculation helps you understand use and spending; it does not measure quality, value to you or environmental impact. Your entries stay on this page and are not saved or submitted.
Use actual wears for an existing item. Future wears are uncertain, even if you hope to wear it often.
Enter pounds, without a £ sign or commas, with up to two decimal places. Optional costs left blank count as £0 and are excluded from your estimate.
Include only an amount you can reasonably assign to this item. Do not put the cost of a whole mixed wash against one garment.
Use a whole number. Zero means it has not been worn yet; a cost per wear cannot be calculated.
Your calculation
Enter a purchase price and number of wears to see the calculation. Use £0 for a gifted or free item.
Read the number in context
The formula is (purchase + alterations + repairs + allocated care costs) ÷ wears. It uses your entered costs, without deducting a hoped-for resale value. Leave an unknown cost out rather than inventing it, and remember the result will then be incomplete.
Compare items using the same cost boundaries. A coat worn occasionally can still serve a genuine need, and an inexpensive garment is not a bargain if it never fits your life. Revisit the calculation after more actual wear.
Make the number useful alongside our guide to the clothes you already own, small clothing repairs and quality checklist.