How to Know When to Buy Investment Pieces

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When I posted one of my shopping reviews a few weeks back, I had mentioned that I spent more money than usual on a shirt-dress that I was planning on keeping. It was pretty out of the norm for me, I’ll admit. I typically stray away from spending a large amount of money on pieces. If I spend over $100 on an item, it’s typically a jacket or a pair of leather boots (or the one coach purse that I use every other day).

So what made this piece different? Why (and how) did I decide that it was worth spending almost $150 on a dress?

I really can’t even believe that I just typed that sentence.

How to Know When to Spend More On Clothing (aka Buying "Investment Pieces") | Something Good, @danaerinw , blackwatch plaid dress
Kiel James Patrick Cozy Cabin Dress / Old Navy Tights / Franco Sarto Granite Bootie

How to Know When to Spend More On Clothing (aka Buying "Investment Pieces") | Something Good, @danaerinw , ruffled collar, button up with ruffled collar, plaid top

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How to Know When to Spend More On Clothing (aka Buying "Investment Pieces") | Something Good, @danaerinw , kjp american made bow

[one-half-first] How to Know When to Spend More On Clothing (aka Buying "Investment Pieces") | Something Good, @danaerinw , american made plaid dress, blackwatch plaid shirtdress [/one-half-first]
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How to Know When to Spend More On Clothing (aka Buying "Investment Pieces") | Something Good, @danaerinw ,

Kiel James Patrick Cozy Cabin Dress / Old Navy Tights / Franco Sarto Granite Bootie

For me, it was a matter of a handful of things (many of which I mentioned in my review post).

First, I had been looking for a plaid (specifically blackwatch plaid) shirtdress for a long time). I think about three years. Every dress I found didn’t fit well or the material was off or something was just wrong. This one was not only plaid, but the fit was perfect. Do you know how hard that is to find? (Actually you probably do, so I’m sure you can sympathize.) Because of my body shape, fit and flare dress styles work the best on me and this was a ft and flare dress! I didn’t have to wiggle into a straight dress or belt a swing dress, this would work as is.

Second, it was legit flannel. Not a flimsy blend or light fabric, but a nice warm, cozy flannel. Also a rarity in clothes these days. Honestly, these two points alone would have sealed it for me. But the final points were really the kicker: the collar and the pockets. It didn’t have a typically collar that I would have to fuss around with. The collar just laid close to your neck and curled up a little. And then, yes, IT HAD POCKETS. Sold.

For a few minutes, I honestly thought I had dreamed this dress up. But no, it was exactly what I had wanted in a dress. The quality was also good enough that I knew that it was going to last for a while as well. It was more than I would want to spend on a dress, but it met all my requirements, and then some. I also knew that it wasn’t a trendy piece, so it would still be in style years from now.

But that last sentence brings up another question that I wanted to talk about: investment pieces.

A lot of women would likely refer to piece I described above as an “investment pieces.” Or rather, pieces of clothing that you spend a lot of money on because you know you’ll wear them for a long time and get a lot of use out of them. I like parts of the concept, but I have feelings about the name.

It’s a catchy name, don’t get me wrong, but an investment is something that gains value over time. Does your clothing gain value over time? Or is it like a car where it technically starts depreciating in value as soon as you drive it off of the lot? Both the car and your clothing will serve you plenty of purpose over time and help you out in numerous ways, but if you ever try to sell them after the fact, you won’t be able to sell them for more than you bought them for.

The other issue I have is the “spending a lot of money” part. I think that it’s creeped into our mind over the years that for something to be a good quality piece that lasts, we have to spend a lot of money on it. But that isn’t always true and I really hope you’ve caught on to that after reading this blog for long enough by now.

I’ve bought things from Old Navy and Target that are still going strong years later. Everlane is a great example of how you can get amazing, well crafted pieces that aren’t over the top expensive. In some other cases, it’s just making sure that you properly take care of the item that you purchased (and follow the directions on how to wash it). You can spend more than $200 on a single piece of clothing and it may still fall apart faster than a Forever 21 layering tank top (all of mine are still holding strong by the way).

You don’t always need to spend a lot of money to find a great piece that can last you a really long time. I hope I can continue to show you that and share that with you. I sometimes might spend more money on a single piece, but when I do, I’ll typically explain why I went the more expensive route.