That $25 top might be costing you more than a $150 dress.

I know that sounds wrong. But once you understand cost per wear, you'll never look at a price tag the same way again.

⚠️ Here's the problem: we usually make purchase decisions based on sticker price alone. We impulse-buy the cheap thing because it feels safe, and talk ourselves out of the quality thing because it feels like too much.

And there's another side to this. When we DO spend more on something and it doesn't work out, we can't let it go.

You spend $150 on a dress, wear it once, and now it lives on the hanger because getting rid of it feels like "wasting" the money.

That's the sunk cost fallacy in action. That money is already gone whether the dress stays or goes. Keeping it doesn't get your money back. It just keeps the guilt alive.

I hear this from you guys all the time: "I can't get rid of it, it was expensive."

Meanwhile it's been hanging there for two years with the tags still on, making you feel vaguely bad every time you open your closet.

Both mistakes — buying cheap things without thinking AND holding onto expensive ones out of guilt — come from the same place: never running the actual numbers.

Cost per wear (CPW) fixes both. But only if you start thinking about it before you buy, not after.

🧮 The formula is embarrassingly simple:

Price ÷ number of times you'll wear it = cost per wear (CPW)

A $100 dress you wear 50 times = $2 per wear. A $25 top you wear twice = $12.50 per wear.

The $25 top cost you more. Not in dollars — but in real value. And that's exactly what your brain forgets at the checkout screen.

A good CPW to aim for? Under $2-3 per wear. That's the benchmark I use. It's not a hard rule, but it gives you something concrete to work with instead of just "does this feel worth it?"

Before we go further, let's make "number of wears" feel real, because it's easy to be overly optimistic here.

Let's use a $100 item as an example and one year:

• 50 wears (once a week) = $2 per wear ✅
• 25 wears (every other week) = $4 per wear ⚠️
• 10 wears (less than once a month) = $10 per wear ❌

Suddenly those numbers feel very different, right?

And honestly, most of us are buying things we wear closer to 10 times, not 50. Be honest with yourself.

A "special occasion" dress might realistically get 4-5 wears a year, max — that's $20-25 per wear on a $100 dress. There's nothing wrong with owning occasion pieces, just make sure you actually have those occasions before you buy it.

Let me show you a couple of examples of this with pieces I actually own.

A few years ago I used to shop SHEIN and Forever 21. I'm not judging — we've all been there. I'd spend $80 and walk away with like 10 pieces, feeling incredibly smart about it.

Then most of those pieces didn't survive the first wash. Literally fell apart. Some pilled after two wears. Others looked nothing like the photos.

Let's say I kept 3 pieces and wore each of them 3 times before they died or got donated. That's $80 ÷ 9 wears = $8.88 per wear.

For "cheap" clothes 😬. (not good)

Now let me tell you about my silk midi skirt from Quince. I paid $69 for it and I've worn it 35+ times over two years. That's $1.97 per wear (and dropping)

The honest reason I wear each piece so much? When you travel for 4-6 months at a time with nothing but a carry-on, you wear everything on repeat 😅

There's no "I'll save this for a special occasion." Every single piece has to show up and work, over and over again. That's not a restriction — it's actually the secret.

When you limit your options, you stop ignoring things and start actually wearing them. That's why I recommend having a capsule wardrobe.

Same story with my new strappy silk midi dress at $89 — I've worn it to dinners, on travel days, styled it casual with sneakers and dressed up with sandals. It just keeps working.

​This long cashmere cardigan was $109. For one trip only, I wore it at least 15 times. I have it with me right now. I estimate about 30 wears in a single year — that's $3.63 per wear after just one season. By year two? $1.81. By year three? $1.21. (I know I'll keep it for that long)

Compare that to an acrylic cardigan for $30 that pills after 3 wears and starts looking sad by month three.

$30 ÷ 3 wears = $10 per wear — and you'll be replacing it right after anyway. (bad for the environment)

Also, I never buy something just for one trip and then move on from it.

Every single purchase has to earn its place long term. If I can't see myself reaching for it consistently, trip after trip, I won't buy it.

This mindset alone can save you from so many purchases you'd regret.

🏆 The math on quality always wins.

And yes — if you have a $3,000 designer bag that you've carried for 10 years and it genuinely makes your heart sing every time you pick it up, the math doesn't need to work. It's your life and your money. Be happy 😄

CPW isn't about budget-shaming because everyone has different budgets. It's simply about being more intentional.

How to estimate wears BEFORE you buy — the step most people skip

The mistake is trying to calculate CPW after you've already fallen in love with something in the cart. Do it before.

Ask yourself honestly:

✅ How many times will I realistically wear this in the next 12 months? Not "how many times could I theoretically wear this in a perfect world." Realistically.

✅ Does it work with at least 5 things I already own? If you have to buy other things to make it work, the real cost is higher than the price tag. A piece that plugs into your existing wardrobe immediately, is worth so much more than one that needs "the right shoes" or "a specific pair of pants" to work. Not sure what to pair it with? Check your closet before you hit the check out page.

✅ Is the quality built to last the number of wears you need from it? Read reviews. Check the fabric content. Feel it if you're in a store. A piece that needs to survive 50 wears needs to be made for 50 wears.

If it passes all three, buy it with zero guilt and wear it. The math is on your side.

Pro tip: silk, cashmere, merino wool and linen almost always pass this test. Most polyester blends from fast fashion brands do not.

❌ What NOT to do: use CPW to justify everything

CPW is a tool, not a loophole.

"I'll wear this $400 dress 200 times" is only true if you're actually being honest with yourself. Budget still matters.

Buying five "good value" pieces you didn't really need is still five pieces you didn't need.

The goal isn't to spend more. It's to spend smarter — so that when you do spend, you feel completely good about it every time you reach for that piece. No guilt, no "I should really wear this more," no hanger shame.

So next time you're standing at the checkout screen second-guessing something, run the numbers.

It takes 30 seconds and it will either confirm you're making a great decision — or save you from making an expensive mistake.

And if you've got pieces in your closet right now that you can't let go of even though you never wear them? Give yourself permission to donate them or re-sell them. The money is gone either way. Free up the space for things you actually love to wear on repeat.

Next week we're getting into one of my favorite topics: "It looked good on the model... so why doesn't it work on me?" Yeah, we're talking proportions, body types, the styling tricks the photos don't show — all of it. You're going to love it 👏🏼

Thanks for being here!

XO,

Aimara

If traveling soon, check out the travel content I shared this week on the blog:

• ​My favorite travel clothes organized by category​
• ​The 5 best pants for traveling​
• ​How to pack light no matter your size​