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SHOPPING TIP - The Cost-Per-Wear Concept

“Classic clothing” is classic because it can be worn for years without looking dated. That makes it a great value – if you get pieces that are built to last. To do so, you’ll have to spend a little extra to buy the highest quality you can afford. While this can be justified in the abstract, it’s harder to stomach when looking at a price tag. So calm down by remembering that with well-made classics, unlike trendy items, the cost per wear is much lower – the more you wear something, the less expensive it becomes. If a black cashmere turtleneck and a pink ruffled blouse cost the same, the turtleneck is the better value; you’ll get so much more use out of it.

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FUN FACTS: A Short History Of Khakis

Khakis were born in 19th-century India, when the British Army, to save its white uniforms from the swirling dust, started dying them with coffee and curry powder. The result was called “khaki,” a Hindu-Urdu word for “earth-colored.” In her book Vintage Style, Tiffany Dubin writes that this tan cotton twill fabric became the accepted tropical uniform of British and American armies and later a favorite of the privileged and preppy classes. It was Diane Keaton’s rumpled and baggy pair in 1977’s Annie Hall that propelled khakis into the fashion forefront, and a push by the Gap in the 1980’s made them the versatile classic they are today.

- In Style, Secrets of Style