Buy and Hold: Bridgette Raes on "Splitting Your Wears"

I've just donated a few bags to a charity store, and noticed my tendency to buy nearly-identical versions of the same thing: a dive into our storage locker revealed five white-and-navy mariniéres and enough sports bras to outfit the Las Vegas Aces. Shown, three tops that I'm keeping:

From left: Gap heavy cotton; Next midweight; AmorLux lightweight

Clearly I need help, and though Mr. Buffet is with me, he is interested in what a professional in this field thinks. (Sidebar: This is Warren, not Jimmy. Jimmy would want you to just buy a new bikini and kick back.)

The stylist and author Bridgette Raes (Bridgette Raes Style Group) says my stack is called Splitting Your Wears: "(This is) when you have too much of the same thing playing the same role in your wardrobe, so nothing gets worn enough to deliver value."  When you buy, she says, think it through. Each piece should retain its value, because "if you put too much money towards owning too much duplication, you spend what could be used to create a diversified wardrobe." "Diversified" does not mean "more", it means "delivers what you need."  

She blames over-saturation for resulting in both the "lots of clothes but nothing to wear" situation, and wardrobe boredom, which has caused my biggest mistake: the I-should-break-out-of my-rut purchase. Mr. Buffet likes her forthright handling of such buys: create a capsule for the week and include it. If, during the week, you cannot bring yourself to wear it, or you wear it and you don't like it, it goes.  

For multiples, she makes a couple of exceptions.

Raes' bootie bounty

Raes shows her six pairs of Aquatalia booties and explains how they spread the wear among them, so these pricey, perfect booties will last a very long time. (She bought most secondhand.) She has diversified by buying various colours and heights.

My three pairs of black brogues squeak into the OK to Split category, but she would advise swapping one pair for another colour.

Left, Nasser Vies, bespoke; centre, Charles David; right, Accessoire Diffusion

She also OKs multiples of staples such as white or navy tees; the marinères are close, right? But if I need a fresh one, they are always out there. I donated two.

"High-Function Boredom"

Another Raes-ism happens when you love something so much that you wear it endlessly, and come to hate it. She describes a client's perfect lightweight puffer: "the very best thing in her wardrobe...worn to death. Her reliance on the coat (still in good shape) had created an 'over it' feeling."

The fix is to buy a second coat with the same magnificent functionality, but "diverse enough from the original, so it feels fresh."

So you can build up in a few cases, but Raes thinks Splitting Your Wears is the buying error. She has more useful tips and ideas; to subscribe to her free newsletter, use the link on her home page.

The Dressing Room Question

Clearly it's far better to buy more strategically, so we don't waste money.

When considering a purchase, I will ask myself, "What do I already have that isn't going to be worn if I get this?" This is more exacting than "Will I wear this often?" I also need to resist duplicating the same palette: there's white and navy, and then there's navy and white...

There is congruence between Buffet and Raes' investing principles: value is more important than price; resist emotional decisions; diversify thoughtfully.

That approach does not excise pleasure. Personal adornment is not solely about functionality; we don't wear stock certificates. However, the current economic system, built to stoke desire and impulse, depends upon reflexive, continual consumption.

Believe me, sisters, those five marinères rang my alarm bells, and even the usually affable Mr. B. raised an eyebrow. As famous for philanthropy as for investing, he likes that they went to a local charity shop that helps women in need.