Separate known wears from imagined ones
For something you own, divide its cost by the number of times you have actually worn it. For a possible purchase, any future wear count is an assumption. Label it honestly rather than presenting a hopeful total as though those outings have already happened.
A £90 jacket worn 30 times has a purchase cost of £3 per wear. If you only expect to wear it five times, the same calculation gives £18. Neither figure decides the purchase by itself, but the contrast shows how strongly the result depends on use.
Include costs that change the decision
Necessary alterations, specialist cleaning or repairs may matter when comparing options. You do not need an elaborate spreadsheet for every shirt, but do not ignore a substantial extra cost that makes one garment less practical than another.
Think about whether you already own something that serves the same purpose. Buying another item does not create a saving merely because its predicted cost per wear looks low. It still requires spending money and finding enough use to support that prediction.
Test the wear estimate
Name the situations in which the garment would be worn and the pieces it would go with. Compare those situations with an ordinary month in your life. A coat for a daily journey has a different likely pattern from an outfit for a rare formal event.
It is acceptable to buy something for enjoyment or a special occasion without forcing the arithmetic to make it look essential. Keep the budget decision separate from the wish to justify it. Cost per wear is most helpful when it reveals how you use clothes, not when it supplies a polished explanation for every new purchase.
