7 Spring Trends With the Best and Worst Cost Per Wear

With the start of a new season comes an onslaught of new trends to choose from, and if you're anything like me, you kind of want them all. In an ideal world (one with massive walk-in closets and nonexistent budgets), I'd be able to stock my wardrobe with every one of the pieces on my spring shopping list, but seeing as that's not feasible, I, like most people, have to be smart about how I invest in new articles of clothing.

Everyone has their own strategies for making savvy shopping choices be it waiting 48 hours before purchasing something or following the one-in-two-out rule, but something I like to consider when shopping is the cost per wear of the item in question. As a refresher, the cost per wear is calculated by taking the price of the item and dividing it by the number of times you'll wear it to ensure each dollar you spend is going the distance.

I've given this a lot of thought for my own closet and life, and I figured I'd share my findings with you here. Below, I'm breaking down which of the top trends for spring 2020 have the lowest and highest cost per wear so you can make well-informed shopping choices.

The Spring Trends With the Lowest Cost Per Wear

Trench Coats

The classic topper has made a return to the trend-o-sphere this spring and even earned fourth place in our recent March Madness style bracket. There's so much to love about trench coats, but first and foremost, it's a jacket that goes with nearly everything. This is the ultimate fashion investment staple for this spring and many more seasons to come.

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The Color Brown

We've seen rusty shades of brown emerge on the street style scene as the new neutral (possibly even the new beige), and we have to say, the look reads as elevated.

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Relaxed Suiting

Ahh, suiting. Oversize, slouchier fits, as well as skirt suits and short suits, are one of the biggest trends of the year and they're also conveniently one of the savviest investments. Choose a set that you can wear together or each piece on its own and suddenly you have yourself a limitless number of polished, go-anywhere outfits that are both on-trend and somehow trend-proof. If you could only invest in one thing this spring, let it be this.

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Chunky Boots

I recently added a pair of Bottega Veneta–inspired chunky boots to my arsenal, and it's been hard to wear any other boot style. (Yes, they're that comfortable.) Considering the multitude of ways fashion girls are wearing them now (alongside minidresses, with trousers tucked in, etc.), I plan to get a ton of wear out of mine now through spring and again next fall and winter.

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The Trends With the Highest Cost Per Wear 

Cutouts

While the following are trends we're deeming less valuable from a cost-per-wear perspective, we're definitely not saying to avoid them altogether. In fact, I find some of the below trends to be particularly exciting, so all I'm saying is to be realistic with yourself about how frequently you'll actually be reaching for these pieces, and shop accordingly.

Cutouts lit up the F/W 2020 runways last month, and we're here for it. We're putting cutout dresses and tops low on our cost-per-wear ranking, though, because they often require a special strapless bra or boob tape situation that could deter you from wearing them as frequently.

If You're Game to Try It, We Suggest

Vests

While I'm personally on board with the vest trend, I admit that there are only a handful of outfit formulas I would wear mine with, so it's not a trend I'd feel comfortable investing in.

If You're Game to Try It, We Suggest

Bra Tops

Lingerie-inspired tops are another style that can feel intimidating to wear and take a bit more styling effort to pull off. But with this look, it's high risk, high reward.

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Next: Fashion's Final Four: The Spring Trends That Beat Out All The Others.