An interested study was cited in this article on Yahoo. The article claims that, based on a survey of 3,000 adults, the average cost of a woman’s outfit (including accessories) is right in the neighborhood of a whopping $1,500!
Seems a bit high of an estimate to me, especially when you consider there’s got to be plenty of Plain Janes, like myself, out there lowering the average with outfits that adds up to…
VS Underwear: $15
Adidas track pants: $40
AE top: $15
Rainbows: $40
White gold stud: $15
socks: $3
Jansport backpack: $20
Cell phone: FREE (retail value $200)
Wallet: $30
Rings: FREE (retail value est. $300)
TOTAL: $678
That’s not even half of the average. Granted if you take my cellphone and class choir rings out of the mix, the grand total slides down to $178. Even so, I would never have guessed that I carry hundreds of dollars worth of things on me just by getting dressed in the morning. I mean… that’s a pretty typical outfit for me: sweatpants and some random top. I would’ve thought the whole shebang would amount to a lot less than $700! I know it isn’t much to some people, but I think $700 is a big honkin deal.
I mean… who really thinks about how much their outfit cost? I know I hadn’t before I read that article. It’s surprising how quickly a few items of clothing add up, and how a typical wardrobe we label to ourselves as “the casual everyday outfit” is so much pricier than we’d chance a guess at (if we hadn’t taken some time to scrutinize the true value of our clothing). If this is just one area in which we severely underlook the value of things so mundane as a pair of sweatpants, a shirt, and some flip flops, what else are we missing? Part of me is terrified o know, but what, really, is the cost of living the way we do?
