Wardrobe Basic ROI and Cost-Per-Wear Calculator

Inspired by People's guide on Everyday Basics & $18 Staples • Smart Amortization & Longevity Analysis

Garment Specifications

Adjust parameters in real time

Item Name

Garment Category

Purchase Price ($) $18.00

$5 (Ultra fast-fashion) $18 (Amazon staple) $250 (Luxury baseline)

Wears Per Week 3 days / week

1 wear/wk (Occasional) 3 wears/wk (Regular staple) 7 wears/wk (Daily staple)

Estimated Lifespan (Months) 24 months (2.0 yrs)

3 mos (~12 washes) 24 mos (~100 washes) 60 mos (Generational)

Cost-Per-Wear & Durability

Exceptional Value

            Cost Per Wear
            $0.06
            Initial cost amortized over all wears
          

Total Wears 312 3 wears/wk × 104 wks

Annual Cost $9.00 Cost per year in rotation

Est. Fast-Fashion Savings $42.00 vs replacing 3 cheaper $10 tees/yr

Fabric Longevity Score

Based on wash resistance & fabric resilience

88 / 100 (High Value)

High-density combed cotton construction maintains shape over 90+ standard laundry cycles without collar fraying.

Fast-Fashion Baseline (4-Month Life) $0.21 / wear

This Staple (24 Months) $0.06 / wear (71% cheaper)

Capsule Wardrobe Investment Planner

Stack your everyday basics to evaluate your entire core wardrobe's daily amortization and yearly turnover cost.

Garment / Item	Category	Price	Wears/Wk	Lifespan	Total Wears	Cost / Wear	Annual Cost	Action

Total Capsule Investment $18.00

Blended Daily Cost $0.06

Total Annual Wardrobe Amortization $9.00 / yr

Reference: People Style: Shoppers Deemed This White T-Shirt the ‘Perfect Basic’ ($18+) Calculations use standard 52-week annual wear cadence and wash degradation curves.

Cost per wear and an explicit durability-score override

Your browser does not support video.

Read the explanation

The wardrobe tool converts expected months to years by dividing by twelve, then multiplies by fifty-two weeks and entered weekly wears. At three wears each week for twenty-four months, projected use is three hundred twelve. Four each week yields four hundred sixteen. Bars compare those counts at one pixel per wear. Dividing an eighteen-dollar purchase by three hundred twelve and rounding gives six cents per wear; with four hundred sixteen it rounds to four. These are usage assumptions, not recorded wears, garment test results or assurance that clothing survives the chosen horizon. The source rounds total wears before using it in the ratio. Dividing eighteen dollars by twenty-four months and multiplying by twelve gives nine dollars annualized cost. The comparison assumes a twelve-dollar alternative lasts four months, making thirty-six dollars per year. Over the entered two years, alternative replacement totals seventy-two; subtraction gives fifty-four assumed dollars saved. Bars compare nine and thirty-six annual dollars at fourteen pixels per dollar. The alternative lifespan and cost are fixed source constants, not verified brands or evidence that an inexpensive garment wears out in four months. Washing, repairs, donation, resale and actual purchase decisions are absent. The savings expression clamps negative values to zero. The durability formula adds a lifespan term, capped price term and eight, then subtracts five for more than five weekly wears. Twenty-four months contributes forty, eighteen dollars contributes fifteen, and eight more gives sixty-three. But exactly eighteen dollars, three weekly wears and twenty-four months override the score to eighty-eight. Bars show formula and special result at six pixels per point. Changing only weekly wears to four removes that override even though no material changed. This score is an authored label rather than measured durability or a physical failure probability. Native add-to-capsule and full raw CSV export retain all original numbers; successful checks do not validate a clothing recommendation.