It’s love at first sight. Your dream dress. You can hardly believe your luck. It’s in a colour you love, the fabric feels great and you can already imagine yourself wearing it, making marvelously witty conversation in different fabulous scenarios.

You can hardly wait to get into the fitting room to slip it on. And by the time it comes to head over to the register you can’t whip out your fantastic plastic fast enough. But before you break the bank, you might want to think about what this new number is really costing you.

I’m not talking about the price printed on the swing tag. No siree! That’s just for starters. There are heaps of other hidden expenses {and don’t get me started on the environmental costs}.

Are you using credit to purchase your dearly beloved? If you don’t pay off your card quick smart you’ll be slapped with an interest fee courtesy of your bank.

And remember, this is more than merely a financial transaction. You’re also trading your time and energy. Add up how many hours of work it takes for you to afford your foxy frock. It might not be an issue if you’re lucky enough to have a job you love, but if not….

Another way to figure out if your latest vestment is a wise investment, is to think about how often you’re going to wear it. Introducing the cost-per-wearing formula! Don’t worry, not too much scary maths…

Just divide the cost of the garment {including any upkeep such as dry cleaning} by the total number of expected wearings. A $250 pair of jeans you wear 250 times is a bargain. A $250 frock you wear twice costs you $125 per wear. Ouch! You don’t need a degree in finance to know that that’s more dollars than sense!

The moral of the story? Buy what you love and love what you buy. Love it to death! When you do that you get your money’s worth and reduce your fashion footprint. Ka-ching!

// CONTRIBUTOR

PETA STEPHENSON :: SUB EDITOR & COLUMNIST

Peta is a self-confessed word nerd. Her penchant for punctuation began in childhood and she’s nurtured it ever since with the completion of Honours, MA and PhD theses and the writing of two books. Her other great love is clothes – oh, and shoes. And jewellery, accessories, scarves and hats {you get the picture}. When she’s not feeding her fetish for words working as MWSG sub-editor, she’s running her own business ‘Dresscode’, as a sustainable stylist. Her aim is to help her clients to look and feel great while reducing their fashion footprint. Peta also writes ‘Lady Dresswell’, a monthly sustainable fashion column for MWSG. You can visit her website here:  www.dresscode.com.au