Fashion Mathematics: The Value of Mixing and Matching

Today, I came across a really nice 3-in-1 “dress” which looks like a cuffed-button down, layered cardigan and skirt. Thanks to the bloggers at Omiru for getting it on my radar! Here’s look at the piece:

I think it’s a nice garment (though, personally, I don’t think I could pull it off as well as the oddly shiny mannequins). What the people at Omiru found remarkable (rightfully so) was the price: $36.

What a great deal! $36 for what is essentially a skirt, cardigan, and button down?! How is this possible? It’s an amazing deal, right?

Sort of.

This is where the cool hand of mathematics comes to rain on your parade. 36 bucks is indeed a very flashy, low price for three pieces.

But wait. It’s not actually three pieces, it just looks like that. So how much value is lost when we can’t use the pieces in other outfits? Let’s run some numbers.

Conservatively (read: you can probably find these things cheaper), let’s assume you can get the following prices:

Cuffed Button-down: $35
Cardigan: $40
Skirt: $25

This would mean that recreating this one particular design would cost $100 (277% of our original price). Terrible deal, right?

Sort of. Remember that these pieces are then available to use in other outfits as well, which adds to the value they provide you. Unfortunately, it’s hard to quantify this. Instead, let’s consider the long-term strategy; buying multiple button-downs, cardigans, and skirts:

3 x Button-down = 3 x $35 = $105
2 x Cardigan = 2 x $40 = $80
2 x Skirt = 2 x $25 = $50

Total: $235.

Total number of outfits: 3 x 2 x 2 = 12.

Cost per outfit = $19.58 (about 54% of our original cost).

Even if we assume that some of the combinations just won’t work (perhaps we bought a strongly patterned button down, or an unusually colored cardigan), the better value comes from combining individual pieces. Let’s say only two-thirds of our resulting outfits “work”:

Total number of outfits: (2/3) x 3 x 2 x 2 = 8

Cost per outfit = $29.38 (about 82% of our original cost).

And this doesn’t even account for the added value these pieces have in being mixed with the other garments we already own!

Conclusions:

If you already have an extensive wardrobe, purchasing a combination piece, like the $36 dress above, can be a nice addition; it’s not particularly expensive, even if it’s not necessarily the best value. But don’t think you’re getting an incredible deal, you’re not, because a lot of the value has been removed.

However, if you’re building a wardrobe (new or old), get the most for your money! Purchasing individual pieces gives you a significantly better return for your money (in terms of available outfits), and will also let you use your own creativity a bit more in designing what you wear. A win-win situation in my book!

-III