Short answer
Cost-per-wear is price divided by times worn. A €500 suit worn occasionally can cost more per wear than a €550 Made-to-Measure suit worn weekly — the cheap suit is often the expensive one. The variables that matter: realistic wear frequency, years of service, and alteration headroom that keeps the garment in service as you change.
A scenario, not a lifespan promise
At €500 and 24 wears, cost per wear is about €20.83. At €420 and 400 wears, it is €1.05. These are arithmetic examples only: the wear counts are assumptions, not a prediction of how long either garment will last or how often you will wear it.
The variables that change the answer
Wear frequency, purchase price, cleaning and repair costs, fit, and how long the garment remains useful all change the result. Estimate these for your own use case; construction labels alone do not guarantee a lifespan.
Applying it to your wardrobe
Rank your next year honestly: which garments will actually be worn? Commission at the top of that list — usually the business suit or the coat, per the overcoat guide — and buy RTW for the tail. Tailoring is not an ideology; it is an allocation. Spend where the wears are.
Every comparison on this site follows the house rule: we name the cases where the cheaper option is the right one. Guide prices referenced: Essential €420, Signature €550, Prestige €770.