There are probably clothes that I have which I rarely wear. But, there is nothing I have never worn.
A guy.
OP, all those you list are how I pick clothes to buy, but also its washing requirements. Is it absolutely dry clean only? I’m unlikely to wear it b/c it costs me to wash it so I won’t buy it in the first place.
Durability is huge to me; my favorite thing to find at a thrift store is Woolrich brand anything. I’m at a point in my life where I hope I never have to buy clothes again; primarily b/c I have FAR too many clothes (including about 50 novelty t-shirts!)
OP, what exactly do you mean by “never get worn?” I have a couple of formal dinner jackets/tuxedos which get worn ~1-2 times a year. Changing seasons also tend to cause me not to wear a particular piece that often, if it spends 6 months a year as “out of season” and worn perhaps once a fortnight when in season.
I am not a guy, and I wear just about all the clothes I buy, until they’re worn out or no longer fit.
What I do, and you don’t seem to, is consider what I’d wear it for before I buy anything. Why are you buying clothes you can’t wear to work or do chores in if those are the purposes your clothes need to fulfill? You said your party clothes don’t get worn, so don’t buy more of them until there’s a specific occasion that requires something you don’t already own. If winter clothes can’t be worn with boots and tights and you won’t wear them due to that, don’t buy them. Think about whether the fabric will attract pet hair or require an uncomfortable bra before you commit to buying it - assuming you’re buying clothes in a brick and mortar store, which apparently you should if you’re not.
It sounds like you need to be a lot less impulsive about what you buy, and more thoughtful about whether or not the item is actually going to be functional for you.
I’m going to push back on the OP a little:
Although I seldom wear many of my clothes that’s because many items are somewhat situational and it’s good to have an item in the closet for when those situations come up.
And by “situational” I mean a broad range from very specific situations like hiking clothes for going hiking to “shirt that looks OK in the office but not too daytime-ish to go to a night event after work”.
Anyway, clothes are cheaper now than they’ve ever been. What does it matter if I have a $15 shirt I only take out once or twice a year?
I agree about sizing though. Sometimes I buy things and take off the tags after convincing myself that the fit is adequate. Then I’ll either never wear it, or wear it once or twice while being very conscious and distracted by wearing something I’m now sure is the worst fit EVAR.
When I buy clothes, it’s because my old ones have worn out. I pick things I know am going to wear,and wear anything I buy.
Gifts, OTOH…
I have what a friend calls the “anti-closet”. I own one dress-up outfit (a gorgeous skirt/blouse combo our ex housemate made me), two dressy black pairs of slacks, maybe 2-3 dressy blouses, ditto jackets/cardigans, and that’s it, jeans excepted.
I live in either my work uniform or a jeans/t-shirt combo, long sleeved t-shirts and hoodies when the weather’s cooler. In the winter Ii add sweats/yoga pants and sweaters to the mix. I have weird feet so most off the rack shoes don’t fit me; ergo, I live in sneakers.
That said, I hate shopping with an utter passion. I hate the hunt, bargain or not. Clothes nowadays are deliberately, IMO, made cheaply so we can just toss them and buy more.
If I need something, it’s usually a piece of my work uniform or it’s a definite piece of clothing, like a pair of new jeans or like last year, a new winter jacket. I will spend an afternoon or two searching for that particular item like a hawk, and if it’s something long-term like the winter jacket, I’m willing to spend $$$ on it.
One thing I’m very careful about is making sure stuff mixes/matches. I was horrible about this when I was younger and consequently had a lot of clothes and “nothing to wear”. Never again.