Should I buy this dress?
Buy it only if you can answer yes to five of these seven: it's in a colour that flatters you, it fits now (not after alterations you won't book), you can name three real occasions in the next three months, you already own the shoes and outerwear it needs, it doesn't duplicate something in your wardrobe, the cost per wear lands under your usual threshold, and you'd still want it if it were full price. If you're relying on the sale to justify it, it's not the dress — it's the discount.
What You Get
- Colour first: if it's outside your palette, it will hang unworn no matter how good the cut is.
- Fit now, not later — the alteration you plan while holding the bag rarely happens.
- Name three real occasions in the next 90 days, with dates or events attached.
- Check the support pieces: shoes, outerwear, underwear. A dress you can't finish is a dress you won't wear.
- Check for duplication — most people already own a near-identical version of the thing they're about to buy.
- Calculate cost per wear: price ÷ realistic wears. Over about €15 a wear, think again.
- Apply the 24-hour rule on anything above your impulse threshold; genuine wants survive a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I decide whether to buy a dress?
- Score it on colour, fit, occasion count, finishing pieces, duplication and cost per wear. Five yeses out of seven is a buy. If the only strong argument is the discount, it's a pass.
- What's a good cost per wear?
- For everyday pieces, aim under about €5 a wear. For occasion pieces, under €30 is reasonable. Calculate with a realistic wear count, not an optimistic one.
- How do I avoid buying clothes I never wear?
- The two biggest causes are wrong colour and missing support pieces. Shop against your palette, and only buy things you can complete with shoes and outerwear you already own. Checking your existing wardrobe first eliminates most duplicate buys.
- Can AI tell me if a dress suits me?
- It can do the parts that are checkable: whether the colour sits in your palette, whether you already own something similar, whether your wardrobe can finish the outfit, and how the silhouette looks rendered on a photo of you.