James Perse hooded dress | couple years old, no longer available
James Perse mini canvas tote
Golden Goose superstar sneakers | Secondhand via TheRealReal
This dress does not meet any reasonable cost per wear standards; it’ll take me many many years to make it “worth it” in those terms. But every time I think about getting rid of it, I hesitate because I love it.
So I wear it the 5 or so days a year that it’s appropriate, and am happy.
It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with that though, since I am brutal about culling my wardrobe, and get rid of anything that I don’t wear very often. But I see the value now in having a few things that are “special” and that I really love, even if I don’t wear them that much. This dress, for example, is ridiculously comfortable, and super easy to wear, but it’s a medium, leaning towards heavy weight cotton blend fabric, so it’s really warm. It also has a REALLY high slit up the back of the dress (comes to right above my knees) so gets quite a breeze, which makes it not great for cool weather.
Whenever it’s between 70 and 80 degrees out, and partly sunny, I wear it. Like yesterday.
Anyway, I have been going through my closet recently to see what I can live without and have decided on a few things to get rid of, but this dress is not one of those things.
What do you hold on to that you love, but don’t wear very often? Or do you tend to get rid of things you don’t wear all the time?
Off topic. How do you like the JP tote? I am obsessed with them but they’re so damn pricey for canvas. I’ve found a few decent dupes but I don’t love them and would rather just suck it up and buy the JP if it’s amazing.
Re: keeping things one only wears a few times a year. In an extreme climate like AZ, it’s inevitable – the few heavy sweaters, rain boots, jackets, etc. that rarely get worn but would be very sorely missed on rare occasions. I’m a hoarder though, so when in doubt do NOT throw it out. 🙂
i LOVE the tote. the mini is the perfect size for everyday; i’ll also carry my laptop in it if i need to. i’m thinking of getting a second one in the darker color i love it so much…
i usually carry it by hand or at my elbow but it fits really easily over my shoulder too, and it’s structured enough that it doesn’t totally deflate when you put it down. i agree it’s pricey for what it is (that’s JP for you!), but like you, i looked for dupes forever, and never found a good enough one. for the amount of use i can tell it’s going to get, i now think it’s totally worth it.
Oh, you enabler you. Thanks – good to know it fits on the shoulder. It seems like such a perfect summer bag.
🙂
it IS. i promise you.
I’m super brutal about culling items I don’t use. Most would say I am crazy for getting rid of items so often but I cannot bare owning items that I don’t or rarely use in my wardrobe. Having said that, I do have a handful of items that only make an appearance from time to time, some I’ve had for years and still love. I’m ok with keeping just a few of those as long as 95% of my wardrobe is in regular rotation.
This dress is freakin’ amazing on you! It’s worth keeping, even for those “just right” occasions.
Since I live in a place that is cold 6 months of the year, and even potentially cold on summer nights by the ocean, I hold onto things even if I don’t need them that often: A black blazer that fits perfectly, ponchos for those beach walks, certain coats for different events (I’m a coat fanatic!), dresses that only work for certain situations. I’ve got the closet room, so why not? That way, I don’t have to run out and purchase something in a hurry, which increases my chance of buying on impulse & making a mistake.
I LOVE this dress too (bought it after seeing it on you) and like you, I rarely wear it for the same reasons. In fact I completely forgot about it till now and I’m KICKING myself for not wearing today as it’s perfect for today’s weather where I am. I love how I feel in it and definitely no plans to cull. (In fact it’s one of few JP items I’ve bought full price.)
Dear Grechen-
I have been brutal since turning 50 and reading Spark Joy, by Marie Kondo. I just recently gave away another three big bags of dresses and cardigans from Ann Taylor that I havent worn in years . One of my neighbors works for AT and used to get me great discounts. I do hang on to beautiful blazers that I have from Ralph LAuren, Michael Kors and Donna that are timeless, so well made and feel amazing.