Count the cost when you dress to impress
THAT posh frock might be even more expensive than you think, when you take into account how many times you actually wear it.
Most women need a nice dress for special occasions, but they are expensive as typically they are worn just three times over their lifespan. At an average cost of £40 you are paying £13.33 for each wear on average, according to research from MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.
This is the least cost-efficient item of clothing that people buy, followed by lingerie. The average woman spends £27 on a fancy piece of underwear, but with an average five wears this works out at £5.40 a go.
Everyday pants and knickers are far better value costing £4.50 on average with 36 wears, or 13p a pop.
However, the best value item in the average Briton’s wardrobe is, perhaps inevitably, a durable pair of jeans.
No wonder we love them, with the average spend of £28 lasting for 298 wears, or just 9p every time we slip them on.
The average T-shirt also offers good value at £17 for 95 wears, which works out as 18p a wear. MyVoucherCodes fashion spokesperson Louisa Marsden said many people buy clothes on the basis of price, but we should consider their longer term value: “Everyday wear such as T-shirts and jeans give you far more bang for your buck.”
If you are buying items only for a couple of occasions, she suggested bargain hunting online at sites such as eBay or the Asos Outlet section, which offers designer items with discounts of up to 70 per cent.