Quality Over Quantity
Few perfect things, worn often.
“The cost of an item is its price divided by the number of uses plus the pleasure and confidence it gives. The marked-down item worn once is more expensive than the costly item worn constantly.”
The Parisian wardrobe is famously small. The Parisian woman owns very few garments of excellent quality, wears each over and over, and discards only when truly worn or outmoded. Dariaux observes the American tendency to accumulate a wide wardrobe of varying quality, and wonders whether she *"wouldn't profit by replacing once in a while her penchant for quantity with a quest for quality."*
The principle is not an argument for luxury. Quality is not luxury. A linen blouse from a small atelier and a cashmere sweater bought on sale at the end of winter both qualify, provided they are made well. The test is the second wearing, and the twentieth. A garment cut from honest cloth, sewn with intention, will outlive a dozen imitators and look better doing it.
The practical formula: one Hermès handbag carried for ten years is a better investment than four cheap ones. If the budget allows one garment from a quality shop, make it a coat — it is the label seen by everyone. Save for the one good coat rather than buying three mediocre ones. This is not deprivation. It is arithmetic applied to the wardrobe.
- 01Save for the one good coat rather than buying three mediocre ones.
- 02Learn the names of two cobblers and one tailor in your neighbourhood. Repair before you replace.
- 03When in doubt about a garment, turn it inside out and inspect the seams. Quality reveals itself there before anywhere else.
- ×Mistaking a designer label for craftsmanship.
- ×Replacing instead of repairing.
- ×Treating clothes as disposable.
- ×Buying on sale what one would not buy at full price.