You could argue that I wan’t doing my clearest thinking when I laid down my credit card for a Zero+Maria Cornejo shearling coat a few years back, or that I’d descended into a dissociative state (or something like it). But I do wear this thing endlessly once winter hits, and it’s warmer even than the fluffiest down. It’s not available anymore so I couldn’t link to it, but here instead you have a rare (for GOACA) picture of me wearing it—and looking slightly disheveled and cranky, even though I’m only one of those things currently. Meanwhile, a couple of friends have chimed in here with their picks, and I hope you do too, in the comments.
I also arguably wasn’t dealing with an entirely full deck when I bought this jacket (in army green) from Nili Lotan, but a little voice inside of me said that I would get endless wear out of it, and so I have. It’s relaxed like an army jacket, but it’s sort of got the shape of a (relaxed) blazer, which makes it all the more spiff.
I bought this Ten Thousand Things ring over a decade ago when I was editing Lucky, and never took it off. And now that I’m a lot less skinny than I was then, I literally couldn’t get it off my fat little finger if I had to, so I think this hands-down wins the cost-per-wear sweepstakes.
These Levi’s haven’t been in my wardrobe for long, but I wear them so frequently it’s a little gross. They’ve got a high-but-not-too-high waist, aren’t too skinny-tight, and have the best black wash. Plus, I am reliably informed that they make my butt look good, and one can’t put a price tag on that.
And here’s my friend Andrea: “I find myself reaching for my favorite chambray shirt on the regular (here’s a close approximation from J. Crew) and here’s why: It’s as soft as pajamas, yet has a classic Kris Kristofferson cowboy edge, it looks chic under a simple black cashmere sweater or with a blazer and my favorite high-waisted A.P.C. jeans, and perfectly dresses anything down to a level of cool that not many pieces can. I roll up the sleeves and feel happy, chic and comfortable all day long.”
My pal Michelle weighs in: “A couple of years ago, while visiting my boyfriend who was working abroad in Paris, I tried on a very similar coat at APC on rue Madame. I loved it immediately– the fit and the fabric, but most of all how I looked wearing it– but needed the next size down. I was told that the next size down was sold out at every store in Paris. Crestfallen, I flew home. Usually the pangs to own something fade quickly for me. Out of sight, out of mind. But I had this coat stuck on my mind. I looked online a couple of weeks after I returned only to find that, stateside, it cost $100 more than it had in Paris. I am not in the habit of buying $700 anything. After much consternation, I pulled the trigger. Turns out my anxiety about the price was for nought, as this is the coat I reach for most often (with the exception of my winter parka, which I put on out of necessity rather than choice). The subtle pattern makes it more visually interesting than just a plain black or gray coat, yet does not detract from anything else I’m wearing. The menswear style never gets old. I can and do layer everything and anything under it and it always results in a polished look. It’s saved me money, because whenever a classic or “borrowed from the boys” style coat piques my interest, I measure it up against this coat I already own (and am probably wearing) and inevitably find the interloper wanting. Also, there are a number of random items I own that I don’t like, as they don’t feel very “me” (e.g., a long, open front white cardigan, a boxy half-zip patterned sweater with a very wide lapel), which have found new life as layers under this coat.
Michelle again: “Everyone was wearing white sneakers. Then everyone was wearing Stan Smiths. And I resisted, even though I thought the white sneaker look was so fresh and so clean clean (shoutout to Outkast). Everyone was also, for a while there, wearing Supergas. I always thought Supergas were cool given they are Italian, have been around forever, and were worn by people like Princess Diana, but I was never going to pay $100 for a pair of canvas ones. Then I bought these white leather Superga sneakers. They were immediately comfortable and have been my go to sneakers for years (I have never had to touch the laces I can just SLIP THEM ON). Now everyone has moved onto ugly sneakers, which I think look neither fresh nor clean, and I’m still rocking these Supergas.”
I bought a teal blue wool & cashmere coat in about 1988 and it cost me a fortune then. I think it was about $900, which was a real stretch at the time because I was making about $25k/year. Anyway, I still have that coat. I wore it as my primary winter coat for probably a decade. It is a workhorse. It’s got great raglan sleeves which are perfect for wearing over a suit or other bulky layers. I don’t know why they don’t make coats with those sleeves any more, but they are really comfortable to wear.
My all-star hands down, is the basic black v-neck cashmere cardigan I bought at Banana Republic circa 2004. This sweater has not pilled, stretched out, or worn out in any way. Can’t remember the cost, maybe $80? I’ve worn it at least once a week for going on 15 years, so in CPW we are into the small digit cents territory now.
First, LOVE the glasses. Mind if I ask who made them?
On CPW, my all time favorites are my Maison Magiela booties! They were pricey, but four years later I still get compliments.
They’re from Jacques Marie Mage,thanks! https://jacquesmariemage.com/home/
Tangent: Kim, what is your lipcolor? Love it.
Nars in Palais Royal. https://rstyle.me/~aM92T
My Cartier watch. I never take it off, literally, have had for 11 years and will probably leave to grand-niece or grand-something when I’m gone. THAT’s wearability!
My blue and black Rag and Bone coat that I wear 3-4 times a week to work and everywhere else, black Vince crew neck t-shirts (IMO the only T besides 3 Dot that has a true crew neck line), I have several and the cost per wear is down to about 10 cents, and 2 pairs of Vince Camuto booties in taupe and black that I am currently wearing to death.
This isn’t really in the same league as y’all’s purchases but last summer I bought a pair of black cropped pants from thred up marked down to$3.99. it can be very hit or miss especially since returns are a pain. The pants fit perfectly and I wore them at least twice a week all summer. So cost per wear pretty low. I’ve found new brand names (mall brands but still, it works for me) at Goodwill that I wear and wear. Cost per wear somewhat offset by the things that flopped, but at $5 a piece the average is good. I enjoyed reading the comments on this one as my expensive splurges sometimes don’t pan out so nice to see other’s experiences.
Those pants sound great, I will look up that brand, I’ve never heard of it. I love shopping in thrift stores.
Just a note, thread up is a resale website, not a brand (kind of like Poshmark).
Not all expensive, although they may have seemed so at the time: My Frank & Eileen button front shirts bought on ridiculous sale, AG jeans purchased from ebay with the tags still on, Eileen Fisher black boule robe coat that makes me feel like “Mother of Dragons,” and my Clare V. Messenger bag that goes with me EVERYWHERE and always elicits comments.
I finally retired my silver Clare V Messenger bag last fall after two years of daily use. Was tempted to buy another! What a great bag.
Ah yes! I forgot my beloved Clare V bag. I wear it everyday so definitely a staple. Would love to see your Mother of Dragons robe coat!
I bought a silk blazer coat by Trina Turk about 15 years ago. I didn’t have a decent job and I didn’t have to have that coat. My sister gave me hard no, but I fell in love with it – and I always can use nice black for my work(symphony orchestra uniform). I still wear them with Marie Kondo level of joy on the stage and I always get compliment.
So from now I buy things I fall hard as long as I know I will wear them even if they are pricey.
A leather swing coat with attached shawl collar that I bought in 1994 with my year-end bonus. I’d stalked it for a few weeks at Lawrence Covell in Denver — it was $700. After Christmas, they marked it down to $500 and I bought it. The label says Siena. I have worn it 8 months of the year ever since. It’s beaten up and even more gorgeous now than it was when it was new. It has no buttons or zippers, so it still fits comfortably though I’m two sizes larger now than I was in 1994. They’ll bury me in it someday.
I wish there was a way to attach pictures in this thread. I would love to see this well loved coat!
I was just wishing the same thing!
my ll beans boots with shearling….a pair of Manolo Blahnik kitten heels even on sale they where the most expensive shoes i had ever bought, but in the end they gave me the best CPW….my MZ Wallace backpack, i’ve used in almost daily for 2.5 years….my rag and bones dre boyfriend jeans…
I bought those Levi’s jeans after you posted about them a while back, and they give me pancake butt and stretch out so bad! I’m not lacking in the derrière department, either.
I have a DKNY leather jacket with gold hardwear that is in constant rotation, and has been for 8+ years. It’s warm enough for LA weather, softer than soft and a classic style that goes with everything. I think it was close to $800 but hands down, the best wardrobe investment I’ve ever made.
As I looked through my closet this morning, which only holds winter clothes now, I thought more about how long I’ve had something that I still wear and treasure than about how frequently I wear it. The common denominator of the oldies but still goodies is quality. I was a fashion editor in the mid-90s and every trip to Milan included a stop at the Missoni boutique. Many of the tops and sweaters I bought then are still in regular rotation, especially several indestructible cashmere sweaters. I waited till Gucci cashmere cardigans, one coral, one tangerine, were marked down from $900 to $300 and they’re still great. More from that era: a perfectly cut Ralph Lauren crest-free double breasted navy blazer and wide-legged Kenzo subtly striped wool trousers that cost $400 in 1994 and are still wonderful. I’ve never tired of a printed cotton shirt from the Prada spring 2004 runway that I got on sale at Neiman’s. Ditto a Prada silk William Morris print shirt from Fall 2003. I’ve also found that investing in well made, warm parkas/ski jackets pays off. In 2008 I paid $705, 30% off, for a Parajumpers bomber jacket with a fur-lined hood. It looks brand new and I still wear it often every winter. A long burgundy shealing coat from 2002 is going strong. The Ralph Lauren outlet in Las Vegas used to sell heavily discounted runway pieces and samples. I still love a pair of jeans decorated with wool tartan patches I found there in 2009 for $164. Beyond classics you can’t kill, my other theory about clothes that last is good avant garde designs that surface ahead of their time tend not to look dated quickly. That was the case with a Helmut Lang coat I fondly remember from the 80s and some Yohji Yamamoto high waisted pants I’d still be wearing if I hadn’t lost weight. (Pardon the humble brag.) For me, special occasion dresses and gowns are often one hit wonders. Now that I don’t go to as many evening events as I did when I was single and worked in a big city, the CPW of a fancy dress compared to a pair of leather pants is pathetic. Loved reading everyone’s stories.
Your closet and my closet would be friends. I have some vintage 70s Missoni pieces that look brand new.
A green silk dress I bought at a boutique here in Austin, By George, that I’ve worn so often people assume I’ll wear it when I go out to dinner. THE pair of jeans I bought to replace my I-Sat-On-A-Mushroom-And-It-Looks-Like-I-Pooped-My-White-Jeans when shopping with our own Val and Kim in Amagansette a couple of summers ago––I am not a camouflage person, but Kim suggested them and who is going to say “no” to KIM?!?! I’ve worn them and worn them and they still look great and I get compliments on them all the time. AND my Yves St. Laurent loafers with the spikes on the vamp that I found at Last Call for $250 marked down from $1,095. that make me feel like a bad-ass every time I put them on thanks to the spikes. And finally my IRO eggplant leather jacket. I looked for a leather jacket for YEARS alway debating about if I should or shouldn’t being a vegetarian, but I LOVE it and put it on as soon as the temp drops below 60! (Sooooo much fun to read all these comments–so many great shoppers out there!)
That “mushroom sit” was really fortuitous! It ended with a pair of really cool jeans from a really cool store! I was sorry I hadn’t sat on a mushroom, real dog poop, or anything similar.
And yes, it was a fun day, Kim!
Aw, that was a fun day! xx
Every pair of Frye or Bed Stu knee-high lace-up boots I own. I wear nothing on my feet but boots Oct-May, I have five pairs (black, black/neutral crackle, dark taupe brown, redwood brown, and camel) and each one of them serves a purpose and is worn regularly to walk miles and miles.
Five years ago I found THE PERFECT denim jacket at Kohl’s of all places. I still wear it at least 3x a week and I think it cost $24 before the discounts. A friend just asked if she could borrow it for a trip and I said No, I can’t go without this thing for a week!
I got a $5 leopard scarf at Old Navy that has been with me on every trip of the last decade, can be everything from a pareo in summer to a warm blanket-scarf in winter.
I have foot issues and Dansko brand are one of the few shoes I can wear. I wear my $140 clogs every day when it’s not hot (so 3 months a year in LA) and the other 9 months I wear the Dansko flip-flops I got 3 years ago for $85. At the time paying that much for flip flops killed me, but the CPW has to be something like 0.006 cents a day by now…pretty sure I’ll be buried in them. I literally wear them to EVERYTHING unless I’m going to a wedding or funeral while all my other shoes sit lonely in the closet.
I grew up poor in the US South but now I make decent money and live in Oslo. Usually I don’t do currency conversions in my head because I just freak out at the costs. Last year I fell in love with a long red faux fur coat that was extremely soft and had a detachable grey hoodie sleeveless vest inside. I figured it’s soft and comfy and I will wear it everyday for months so I bought it. Later I figured out it was $400 and almost got sick because of how much that coat cost. HOWEVER – I have worn it every day for the past two winters and I absolutely love it. I get lots of use out of the separate hoodie too. Three looks in one! This year I bought some fur boots with built in ice spikes that flip in and out – they were hella expensive too but I’ve already worn them every day since I bought them. My best friend helped reduce my guilt a ton by relating that I was buying necessary winter wear that I had never needed before and that it’s not unusual for quality winter wear to be expensive.
Don’t the Scandinavians say something like, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”?
I am SO much better at not picking up things just because they’re on sale! All of those little purchases really add up so if you stop shopping like this, it’s not nearly as painful to occasionally shell out for an item you know you’ll wear to death.
My version of not buying on sale is resisting $20 and $30 tops and $50 pants from Zara. I’ve learned I’d rather pass those up and spring for something better that I won’t be ready to toss in a year. That said, the high quality of some Zara finds can be amazing.
So true, Mary! I pat the “stupid tax” way too often by buying impulse items and then realize how dumb the purchase was after it’s too late to return the damned item.
*Pay
Isn’t it funny how “cost per wear” is used to justify expensive clothing purchases, but no one actually tracks the number of wears? Imagine if we had spreadsheets to prove the actual cost per wear…might lead to a rethink.
I actually do track wears using the app Stylebook! I wear my Rick Owens stuff a lot, so a Rick dress has a lower cost per wear than stuff from H&M. I’m much more thoughtful splashing out for expensive stuff, which means it fits into my closet better and I wear it more. It’s the way I learned to give up fast fashion.
I have started tracking what I wear and how many times too just to see if cpw is true… thanks for recommending an app, never thought there would be an easier way than paper and pen!
there should be an app for that, right?
Great picture, Kim!!! You are lovely on the outside too! I am learning a lot from this post and the comments. Someone makes a kit for living?? Someone makes good hoop earrings that don’t fall out in your hair??? Yessssss
I soooo want to see pictures of people’s items.
LOL. Almost 40 years ago, mom and I were in Chicago and wandered into the Neiman Marcus at Old Orchard. On the clearance rack was a long wrap coat made of woven mohair and fur with a silk lining marked down from $2000 to $400. I made her buy it. She wore it for over 35 years, and now I do the same. It’s a totally classic style and length, but the fabric is extraordinarily beautiful (and warm). I figure cost per use is in the pennies by now.
My mother had an eggplant mohair coat that looked fab on her and that she wore endlessly. I wish one of us had hung onto it
That sounds beautiful!
A black silk deep-V neck blouse from Vince that I paid 100 bucks for at Nordstrom Rack and have worn hundreds of times is definitely up there. Also a navy blue Gerard Darel jacket that I bought in London in 2014. Paid 400 bucks, which is A LOT for me, but it’s my go to in these LA winters. Makes any outfit look chic.
The first time I started thinking in cost-per-wear terms was with an L.L. Bean barn jacket I wore in college and far beyond, until it literally disintegrated off my body. Next up were a pair of platform lace-up boots, which I’ve actually mentioned here: )
Then, and this is painful, a Sandro parka bought in Paris. I walked my dog past the window display daily, would come in to try on “my” coat, and finally, as the January sales kicked in, made it official. (Even reduced, it was the most I’ve ever spent on clothing.)We lasted several winters, until this year. I’m too darn fat!
So, we are taking a break.
I lived in NYC over a decade ago and spent $200 on a Dr. Zhivago-esque poofy white faux-fur hat at Saks. As I was handing over my credit card I experienced both excitement and insanity (the thought of spending that amount of money on a hat seemed, well, mildly crazy to me, and sort of still does).
Twelve years later, I still wear the hat all frigid winter long back in Canada and get compliments literally every time I leave the house in it.
Dangerous post, justifying investment pieces, but here’s mine. Gorgeous teal-black-plum-grey cashmere sweater by Perry Ellis from Bonwit Teller in 1984. At the time $400. Still looks great and has been in rotation every winter since then.
Awww….Bonwit Teller violets! Memories…and bad ones of the one that demolished it!
Absolutely my Canada Goose coat, which has a lifetime warranty and is so freakin’ warm. I bought it for $500 at Bloomingdales 8 years ago and have returned it twice for repair (once when the fur was shedding and recently for a broken zipper). Now they run $1000 but it’s absolutely worth the investment for NYC winters.
I think I bought my first one a bloomingdales for the same price. I had to have zipper repaired by CG and I guess I didnt pay for the work but did spend $$ on shipping & insurance.
And….Does spending $600 on a huge but super lightweight leather Cynthia Rawley handbag/travel bag count? I bought it on major impulse days before a trip to Cozumel with a then-very newly minted boyfriend. Investment? Maybe, except I wasn’t a big traveler at the time. I’ve used that bag on every trip since then and we (the “boyfriend” is now “husband”) travel tons. It looks great beat up and fits EVERYTHING – a friend calls it my (and I’m dating myself, here) “Felix the Cat” bag.
Without a doubt, my Vince cashmere pullovers. Granted I did not pay full price but there expensive nonetheless.
And definitely a heavy-duty winter coat. I have a North Face similar to a Canada Goose. Both warm and both expensive! But it makes winter tolerable and I’m going on my fifth season and it has dealt with mud and salt admirably.
I also have a pair Aquatalia boots I’ve worn to many times to count. Again, got them on sale but still expensive!
Another vote for Vince cardigan sweaters with yak wool. I’ve bought five over the years during Nordstrom’s Half Yearly and although they are pricey, they are the warmest, sturdiest sweaters I own. Also up there are my AllBirds sneakers. When I tried them on, I thought they weren’t the most chic things in the world. However they are insanely comfortable and as such, are the all-day errand shoes I gravitate towards first.
Trade out the Aquatalia boots for La Canadienne boots (also very pricey but so worth it) and we are the same!
My Max Mara olive green puffy fur-lined parker. Every day of frigid temps and 12 years later (I swear!) I still get compliments on it.
Love that all of these are classics that can be mixed/matched in so many different ways in all seasons. Except for the winter coats, those can stay firmly ensconced in winter.
I have a pair of army-green leather ankle boots made in Italy and purchased for $400 in NYC. I thought I’d gone over the deep end, but more than 10 years later, they’re my favorite boots. I’m sure they’re at least $4 per wear.
This is a post after my own heart. My current workhorses are some linen and silk pieces from Elizabeth Suzann and colorful patterned dresses & wraps from Ace & Jig. They are all elegant, beautifully made and can be dressed up but I usually dress them down with jeans, chambray, and boots or clogs.
I noticed a few years ago when culling my wardrobe that without fail my regretted purchases were those that I purchased because they were on sale (as opposed to something I would have purchased even at full price but happens to be on sale). I realize that this is not unique to me or new information about buying habits but it changed the way I shop. I now purchase a few items each year that really excite me or that I really need and I don’t worry too much about the cost.
A ring I had custom-made for my late mother’s antique engagement diamond. I scraped together every little scrap of gold jewelry I had that I didn’t wear or like and sold it to the jeweler to help pay for the ring and it was still more than I had ever spent on a piece of jewelry. Yet every day when I slip it on and see it happily twinkling on my finger it reminds me of my mom and her love and makes me happy.
I got a pair of Matt Bernson black suede ankle boots years ago through a Lucky 50% off deal and they are still my go-to boots. In fact, I am wearing them today. They have a high-enough, but still walkable stacked heel and varying textures, so they’re practical and interesting. They’re the perfect height to wear with jeans and dresses – I’m short, so a too-tall ankle boot cuts me off and makes me look stumpy. At full-price they would have been worth every penny, but at 50% off, I think my cost per wear is infinitesimal!
An IRO thick cashmere cardie. I winced when I bought it (700-ish) two years ago, but I wear it at least once a week.
Unfortunately, whenever I’ve bought something outrageously expensive (for me), it hasn’t turned out to be a great cost-per-wear decision. I love the idea, but I’m still figuring out how to execute it well. Most of my cost-per-wear wins have come from completely random purchases that weren’t really justifiable at the time. Maybe that means I need to keep shopping?
Cost-per-wear: a pair of black Daryl K. leather pants.
Thank you, Kim, for the Levi’s 724 recommendation. I am short and curvy, and they look phenomenally good on me.
When I went away to NY for college (from SoCal) in (wait for it) 1982, my mother took me to Brooks Brothers and bought me a navy wool pea coat. It was expensive (actual cost LONG forgotten) and my dad complained. I still wear it.
Love that you can still fit into it!!!
I just started tracking cost per year this year in the Stylebook app, so I’m looking forward to seeing the results. So far, my new black Vollsjo clogs (my introduction to #cloglife) are total winners.
I bet in terms of my total closet, the all star is my Loft wool pea coat, my first big clothing purchase out of college.
Cost -per-wear winner in my closet- a brown sweater coat by Tehen, it was 50%off when their store on Spring St. closed, I think in 1990. I know I sound about 100 years old but I do miss Soho from that time.
Cute pic!
My Mulberry Bayswater bag, chocolate brown. I bought it 11 years ago and I carry it every day. Holds everything I need without being bulky, has interior straps that can be adjusted to make the bag wider,so I also use it as my carry-on bag on flights. It gives me a little thrill every time I pick it up and looks better as it ages.
My CPW winner is a Universal Standard starter kit. It is seven pieces of clothing for $570 and I have worn something from that purchase almost every day for the last year and a half.
My Current Elliot black leather jeans are a winner (and back 4 years ago when I bought them I totally stalked the price down from $1200 ish to $400 ish). What else. Oh! My Jolie Lade t-shirts. Black and white. I actually wore them out and had to replace (and kept the old ones, hahaha). So usually those 2 (cost per wear) winners get worn together as my perfect “I’m cooler than everyone” outfit with a big scarf and a denim jacket….does that give me bonus points? Have a great weekend!
I spent 3 months (no exaggeration – why are basic, well made belts so hard to find????) looking for a belt in (again, no exaggeration) 2003, and ended up spending almost $200 for a black leather one with a basic, nonsense silver buckle, which I thought was ridiculous but having spent so long looking for it, I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t grab it. I still wear that sucker pretty much every single day.
Most any of my Coclico shoes, so much good wear. I would be curious also about a “regrets” column, a way of airing all those embarrassing purchases that were maybe too much $$$ and also not worth it. Because surely that happens to all of us at some point or another!
Yes! I’m loving seeing everyone’s best “big” purchases, but not all of mine have hit the mark. I’d be interest in learning good and bad lessons from the purchases of others.
I’ve justified some purchases on what I thought would be a phenomenal return on a CPW level only to hardly ever wear them, too, including, most recently an admittedly gorgeous Johnny Was velvet duster that, in practice, looks way too much like a fancy-shmancy bathrobe to wear most places. Sigh.
I did ask this question a few years ago, but perhaps it’s time for a redo.
Two ultra lightweight merino wool crewnecks (one black, one navy) by 6397. They were ridiculously expensive, but I’ve never had a sweater that fits so well (I have a big bust and thin shoulders/arms) and that’s wearable practically year-round, even in overheated NYC apartments and offices. I literally wear one every day.
I’ve been stalking /searching for a 6397 “Perfect V-Neck” cashmere sweater ever since I saw it on Adam Levine’s ex- girlfriend, Jane (Beverly Hills retailer, Ron Herman’s daughter who had a blog about perfect denim for awhile. Anyone recall the name?) Size L, preferably navy or black, just in case any of you are wondering. 😉
Probably my Frye harness clogs (tan) or my Melissa Joy Manning gold hoops, since I’ve had both for over 10 years and still wear them all the time. I have other things I might have spent more on, but I would never miss them as much.
Golden Goose sneakers. I have a couple pairs and I wear each a couple times a week. $600 sneakers still seem obnoxious to me though.
The things I have bought which were more than I should have spent, but which I had an immediate and visceral feeling about are the ones I wear the most. Most of the time when I buy things that aren’t quite right but passable in order to save money, I just don’t wear them.
Back in the day in the 80s I bought a blue puffy down coat by Romeo Gigli at Charivari for what was for me an insane amount of money. Still love it, still wear it. Same with a thrift store purchase which I suspect is an Issey Miyake. I am still learning to trust this, and buy fewer things, but only the ones that ring that definite bell. Totally worth it.
When I buy something for a ridiculously low price, I definitely give it less consideration/ scrutiny, and ultimately end up wearing less than I’d like or not at all. If something is expensive (for me), I weigh all the plusses and minuses, think about what else will complement it, jump up & down in the dressing room to “test drive” it, etc., and this kind of super-scrutiny usually results in a piece I wear constantly for years. I don’t know if this is an excuse to spend a lot on individual pieces, but it tells me when to pass up a $19-something that will probably never see the light of day.
LOVE vintage Issey Miyake!
o i remember Charivari!
so many coats/ jackets – the temp is always changing – the jackets can make the outfit. I have gorgeous almost 50’s style, slightly cropped, grey-to-black faux fur chinchilla jacket from Calvin Klein over a dozen years ago. Still looks brand new. And is so soft and cuddly to wear – with jeans on date night to movie – or over cocktail dress. And when I bring it out people gasp. I also have a vintage late 60s, mint condition velvet leopard cape coat – same deal. Both cost under $50.
Also – chic glasses in that pic.
10 years ago I purchased a Postcard parka at BG and have worn it every winter since on those below 20 degree NYC days. It’s somewhat dated but still looks great and is absolutely the warmest, lightest coat I’ve ever owned. Totally worth the $980 bucks back. Just cannot pull the trigger on a Canada Goose to replace it as I was recently at a hair salon uptown where the coat check room had at least 30 of them hanging there. If that company goes public….I’m buying in:)
I immediately thought of my Postcard coat too! I actually like it so much more than Canada Goose (not as bulky) and it still looks great after many, many wears. I’m not sure what happened to that company (I bought mine at Saks and my Neiman Marcus was selling them then too but I haven’t seen them sold anywhere for years).
Another great buy has been my Nili Lotan v-neck long cardigan. I purchased it in about 2008 or 2009 for $400+ and have worn it many, many times. I have it in a dark blue/black color, and it works with pants, skirts and dresses, I think because it isn’t too billowy and it has fitted sleeves.
I usually don’t go for logos on handbags, but my Gucci disco bags (in black and in beige) have worked with a lot of outfits. Since they are pretty roomy for small bags they’ve been very functional too.
Other good buys when looking at price-per-wear and how they have worn over the years have been:
Aquatalia boots (my oldest pair is still going strong after 6 snowy years)
Longchamp belt (15 + years and still looks great)
Burberry cashmere scarves (oldest one is 20+years!)
Ski shops still carry Postcard and many sell online. And Bloomingdales.
I forgot to add eyewear!!!
I own a pair of Anne at Valentin and two pairs from Theo. They are expensive, but they don’t break and up your look 10 notch even in your pj. I enjoy them every day!!
Burberry trench, without a doubt.
Ona side note, I’m going to need to find a cheaper version of that Nili Lotan jacket. I haven’t been stopped thinking of it since I saw this post.
I never take off my favorite rings: The tiger’s eye I bought in Bangkok 40 (yes!) years ago, and my engagement ring with a diamond set off by 2 garnets. Both are very simple and the gemstones are set in so they don’t protrude or catch on anything. Oh, and my plain, gold, wedding band. (Happy marriage 21 years now…)