You have probably heard the term “cost per wear” thrown around in fashion circles. The concept is simple: divide what you paid for something by the number of times you actually wear it. The result is a more accurate reading of what the item actually costs you.
The math has a way of being humbling. Clothing is now worn an average of seven to ten times before being discarded, which means that “great deal” you found might not be such a great deal after all.
We ran the numbers on five of the most common scenarios we see at Alts – including exactly what the alteration costs, and what it does to the math.
The Jeans You Love But Never Wear
You bought a great pair of jeans. The wash is perfect, the weight is right, they just pool a little at the ankle and look slightly off every time you put them on. So they sit mostly unused. You’ve worn them maybe four times.
$80 jeans ÷ 4 wears = $20 per wear
An original hem at Alts starts at $45 – preserving the factory finish, the contrast stitching, the worn-in edge, all of it. (Curious how that works? We broke down the whole process in our original hem guide.) Now they’re a staple. You wear them 40 times.
$125 total ÷ 40 wears = $3.13 per wear
The Dress Straps That Keep Slipping
Beautiful dress. Wrong straps. You spend the entire event tugging it back into place, swear you’ll fix it, and then avoid it for the next two years. Worn: once.
$180 dress ÷ 1 wear = $180 per wear
Shortening thin straps on a dress runs $45 at Alts. Now the dress fits the way it was supposed to, and you actually reach for it.
$225 total ÷ 10 wears = $22.50 per wear
The Suit Jacket That’s Almost Right
The color is right, the fabric is great, the sleeves are just a half inch too long – and somehow that’s all you can see in every photo. Worn: six times, always slightly self-consciously.
$450 suit ÷ 4 wears = $112.50 per wear
Jacket sleeve shortening at Alts is $65. A well-fitted suit that you feel good in gets worn. One that’s “almost right” gets avoided.
$515 total ÷ 20 wears = $25.75 per wear
The Trousers Living in Wardrobe Purgatory
You splurged a little on a nice pair of trousers, hoping they’d be an easy staple in your workwear rotation. But the waist gaps and the seat pulls and you never quite feel put-together in them, so you keep skipping them when you get dressed. Worn: five times.
$100 trousers ÷ 5 wears = $20 per wear
A waist and seat adjustment at Alts runs $55.
$155 total ÷ 30 wears = $5.17 per wear
The Jeans With a Broken Zipper
Your old faithful jeans. The ones that fit perfectly, go with everything, and have quietly become the backbone of your wardrobe. Before the zipper broke. You set them aside thinking you’ll sort it out, and somehow three months pass. Worn since the damage: zero times.
$120 jeans ÷ 0 more wears = a number too upsetting to calculate
A zipper replacement at Alts runs $65. Your most-reached-for pair comes back into rotation, good as new.
$185 total ÷ 50 more wears = $3.70 per wear
The Final Takeaway on Cost Per Wear
The average American spends around $1,400 a year on clothing. Imagine how much of that is sitting in a closet, worn twice, waiting for a fix that would take one appointment to sort out.
The best wardrobe investment you can make isn’t a new piece. It’s making the pieces you already own work. Explore our list of services here, and find out what we can do for your garments.
