How many outfits do you need for a week?

The four questions

Answer each one honestly, from a normal week rather than an ideal one.

• What kinds of days do you have? Count work or study days, home days and days out separately, because each needs a different kind of outfit. Occasions such as weddings or Eid sit outside the weekly count.
• How many times do you wear each piece before washing it? This depends on the fabric, the weather and your routine. Tops and kurtas are often washed after one or two wears; trousers and jeans usually last longer; layers such as cardigans last longest.
• How often do you do laundry? If you wash once a week, you need at least a week of clothes plus a day or two while the wash dries. Washing twice a week roughly halves what you need.
• Do you mind repeating? Some people are happy to wear the same outfit twice in a week; others prefer variety. Neither is wrong, but the answer changes the count.

Working it out: three examples

The sums are simple once you have the answers.

• Office five days a week, weekly wash, tops worn once. Five work kurtas or tops, plus one spare for laundry delays. Trousers worn twice each: three pairs. Add two or three relaxed outfits for the weekend.
• Student on campus four days, washing twice a week. Three tops cover each half-week, with one spare. Two pairs of trousers or jeans are enough if each is worn twice before washing.
• Mostly at home with a small child, washing often. Fewer but more practical outfits: four or five soft tops or kurtas, three pairs of easy trousers, and one outfit that looks put together for visitors.

Separates multiply your outfits

Counting outfits is misleading if every piece only works with one other. Four kurtas and three trousers that all go together make twelve combinations; four complete suits that only work as sets make four. If your count says you need more outfits, the cheaper answer is often a piece that pairs with many others instead of another full suit. Our article on mixing and matching the suits you already own shows how to find those gaps, and which trouser colours go with everything helps choose the trouser that does the most work.

So, how many kurtas or shalwar kameez?

Apply the same sum. If you wear a kurta to work every day, wash weekly and do not repeat, you need about one per working day plus a spare. If you wear shalwar kameez mainly for gatherings and weekends, two or three everyday suits and one or two dressy ones may be plenty. Put your money into the pieces you wear most often, which for most people are the work or daily ones, not the special-occasion ones. Our page on workwear and campus outfits has ideas for the everyday end.

Filling the gaps

Once you know the number, compare it with what you own and fill only the gap. We accept single pieces, so you can order one kurta or one pair of trousers instead of a full set. Choose the details through custom stitching and ask for a quote; everything is confirmed in writing before cutting.