[Column] Create Your Own Style Principle 6. Your Laundry Cycle & Cost Per Wear Principle




FASHION COACHING & THE CITY Ep.07
20 Ways to Create Your Own Style Series #06

Principle 6. Your Laundry Cycle & Cost Per Wear Principle



Today we will talk about your laundry cycle and how it might affect your personal style and wardrobe needs.
This is something that is not talked enough about in my opinion! But there is a link between the two!

First, everyone has a slightly different laundry cycle. The idea of what is 'soiled enough for a wash' differs. Some people wash their clothes after one wear. Others, may wear it a 2~3 times or 3~4 times before it is tossed into the laundry basket. 

Depending on how your body is shaped or what movements you repeatedly engage in, different parts of your clothing gets worn out. This could be how much worn a pair of jeans might be especially around the knees bit, or how much one perspires. 

Also, there is a difference in how many unrepeated outfits an individual prefers to wear in a week. Some are happy wearing the same clothes repeatedly in a week, others consciously try to have no repeat outfits in a weekly or monthly cycle. 

One final thing is depending on how frequently one shops affects the laundry cycle. You may be comfortable getting new 'on trend' clothes for each season which are not too pricey, or you may be the type of person who wants the best quality that lasts a decade while paying a higher amount for an item.

Now, depending on your wash cycle, there may be a few patterns that follow.

First, your wash cycle determines exactly how many number of clothing items you need. Those that wear repeat outfits, you may need a fewer number of items, but you may need to buy new clothes in a 1~2 year cycle. This is great if you like wearing trendy clothes or prefer to feel like you are wearing new clothes all the time. As long as you have your week's outfits covered, you're good to go. Then, there are those who consciously try to wear no repeat outfits on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cycle. These people may need a larger number of clothing items to avoid repeats. And they may have a larger amount of clothes to launder or take to a dry cleaner's at the end of a season. As they like to seek variety in their outfits, they will receive a lot of attention from their fashion. The most conservative types prefer to invest in items that last a long time. This may be a cashmere sweater that costs more and requires dry cleaning each year, but because they last a decade or a couple of decades, to them this feels more economic and saves them unnecessary shopping.

Second, your laundry cycle may require a particular type of arrangement in your wardrobe. For those who wear an item multiple times before a wash, they may enjoy having a few hooks to separate out the worn clothes from the freshly laundered clothes. Maybe have a hook to hang items worn once, one for things worn twice, and in the third wear it gets tossed into the laundry basket. If you wear a variety of coats in the Winter, you may mentally decide how many wears it takes before you want to take it to the dry cleaners. Place a dry cleaning bag to collect coats that have been worn enough times.

Third, use the Cost Per Wear formula for savvy spending. This formula works by dividing the cost of a garment by how many times you wear it. Let's imagine that you are out shopping and you see a great coat on sale for half price. And there is also a neat pair of pants that has no discount. Most people might opt to buy that coat. But if you calculate how much each it will cost per wear, you will know with certainty which option is better miles for your dollar. If the coat costs $1,000, and is sold at $500, and you wear the coat 50 times, then each wear costs you a $10. If the pants that are not on sale costs $350, and you wear this 50 times, your cost per wear tells you it is actually costing you $7 per wear. The pants that is not on sale is cheaper for you than the coat in actuality. Especially if you include dry cleaner's fees, it will be even more accurate. If you wear a coat about 25 times before it goes to the dry cleaner's and you do this twice, add this cost to see how it averages in your cost per wear.

Having examined your laundry and clothing purchase cycle, your pattern may well correlate to your Adler Lifestyle Identity. Each Lifestyle tends to prefer something different, and aim for a different focus.
Of the four Lifestyles, the Pleasing & Pleasure Seeking type is likely to enjoy the coming and goings of fashion trends and novelty. As casual attire is highly preferred, they may stay clear of the higher maintenance suits. Fabrics with spandex and some stretch and no requirement for ironing is important. Laundry cycle needs to be kept at a minimum! The lighter the load, the better! These people tend to display their clothes more than 'hide' them in drawers. So their wardrobes tend to get messy or 'all over the place' quite easily. They may engage in impulse buys if they are not careful.

The Comfort Seeking Lifestyle is the one that is often attached to the 'story' of the garment! They like clothes that have a 'personal story' or were acquired with a special 'story' rather than something that has a highly 'commercial' imprint. They may be the most elegant and graceful in their fashion, but also be the most 'frumpy' or 'too too casual.' As Comfort Seeking types, in the extremes, they feel justified to not invest too much into their outward 'appearances' because it might feel too 'surfacey and fake.' But as they also have steady, evenness, their sensibilities usually drive them towards a relaxed yet well put-together outfits once they invest into it. As they are not attached to things on a commercial level as much, some of these types prefer wearing an item and have no problem discarding them, unless they have a 'favorite clothing' which they wear to its threadbare destruction! Comfort Seeking types may keep things in neat piles and often have trouble purchase decisions on their own, and may ask many questions to friends and family members they trust and feel comfortable confiding in.

The Superiority Seeking person is the one that zips through the mall when shopping. They are pragmatic and prefer easy to care items, and even if they have a gorgeous silk shirt a dozen in their wardrobe, may not wear those as often. They decide quickly and a large number of this type do not enjoy shopping. I recommend this type to view their wardrobe space and office space as a 'Cockpit of a Jet Plane.' They like things to be done quickly, and they are also the type once they know what's best on them, the fastest to take action clearing out their closet, stock up with what works for them!

The Control Seeking type are the Gurus of Wardrobe Management! They have their own system that they have worked out, they have a strategy for everything! This type usually has a discerning eye, they often have their own style recipes, and tend to stick to their principle of dressing for years. You may view these people as Mini At Home Laundry Services, as they are quite good at maintaining what they own. They like quality, they like maintaining quality. They may even view this as an important skill to possess. As *Qualia* is an important concept to them, be it at work or in relationships, or materials they own.

In this episode, we looked at how laundry cycles and cost per wear can contribute to your Personal Style Creation and wardrobe management. I hope that you will find something of use here, and enjoy putting your dollar where it brings you the most Style & Abundance!

Stay Informed & Stylish!

Love from Seoul,

Jessica Flatshoenista


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