The 4 Wildly Expensive Things I Bought This Year That I Absolutely Do Not Regret Because They’re Spectacular
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by Audie Metcalf
I am old and tired enough to have finally learned not to waste money on clothes just because they’re cheap or on sale. Unless something literally haunts me, I don’t buy it. Even if I love it in store, I don’t get it. I go home, I go about my life, I make dinner, I watch Game Of Thrones, I write my little articles for all of you, and if the sweater or skirt or bag or sneaker lingers in my mind, then I pay attention.
You’re judging me right now.
You’re like, this feels like a lot of drama just to buy a dumb little t-shirt.
Except consider this.
Think about the sea of clothes in your closet. You bought all of those clothes. And now think about how many of those clothes you actually love and get excited about wearing. 10%? 15% if you’re lucky?
I just couldn’t square how I myself purchase my own clothes and yet I hate all of them all the time. I wrote an opus about this very thing HERE. And one of the ways I’ve forced myself to only purchase winners that I will love and actually wear is to use this method. I use it whether something is $18 or $408. Because it just doesn’t matter if something was cheap if you don’t actually wear it. In fact, it makes it expensive. Because we just threw that money out the window.
And so, when something is very expensive, I really make sure I use this “does it haunt me” method. Because buying an $18 dollar t-shirt and never wearing it is one thing. Buying some ludicrously priced investment piece I’m convinced I’ll wear til the day I die and then literally never picking it up is quite another.
So I thought I’d show you 4 such investment pieces where I used this tactic, felt deeply haunted, ruminated even more, potentially had dreams about them, and finally succumbed. I warn you, the prices are extreme. But when I use my other tactic which is breaking things down into cost-per-wear to make sense of the price, they’re all cheap. Free, even.
1. The prettiest skirt in my closet, hands down. Or should I say, hands dôen?
WHAT: Dôen Melanie Skirt*
I am not a fully converted “Dôen girlie” mostly because that phrasing makes me vomit, but I will tell you that I reeeeeally forced myself to make sure I felt haunted by this skirt. For a long time. Because it seems like a crazy price. For a simple cotton skirt. Except now that I own it, I get it. First of all, cotton poplin is life’s greatest material. It’s comfortable, classic, makes one feel like one might be living inside of a Ralph Lauren catalogue fever dream, and blessedly, it’s always machine washable. But upon further investigation, we see the delicious juxtaposition of delicate lace. Which both subtly reveals the shape of the leg, or less subtly pops if you wear something darker like a tan leather boot* as I have above. Either way, this combination of classic poplin and slightly sexy almost vintage-inspired lace, is an intermingling of feelings I didn’t know was missing in my wardrobe but now that I’ve experienced it, I will never be without it. And this is really where Dôen shines. I know their prices can be annoying. But in some cases (and indeed in another case of something on this very list!) they’re just doing things special and differently. And that’s what thrills me to spend my hard-earned dollars on.
Here it is styled another way because it just magically looks good with anything I throw on with it:
Price: $298
2. Possibly the best fitting pants I’ve ever owned in my life
WHAT: G Label By Goop Jackie Pant*
Im quite sure this is the most money I’ve ever spent on a pair of pants, but I tried these on in the Goop store last fall, used my method, and then by the time I decided I couldn’t live without them because they were absolutely the best fitting pants I had ever heaved over my backside, they were sold out. I took it as a sign. I also took it as a sign when I saw them come back in stock a while back, and pounced. They are the most well-made, brilliantly designed pants possibly of all time. The front and back V shaped yoke does miraculous things to the body, and the slightly higher waist in the back creates such a gorgeous silhouette
I can scarcely believe it’s me inside them. Here’s a side shot because I do think they win for best profile of all time:
See?
Price: $425
3. The everyday bag I have in two colors and use all the time because it’s perfect
WHAT: Clare V. Moyen Messenger*
Truth be told, though the price feels like a lot for “just” a bag, I actually think it’s very well-priced. Clare V. has designer-level, lust-worthy pieces, at a semi-reasonable affordability considering the materials. God knows we could be in a very different world of cost when talking about designer bags. And, I admit, I have a couple of those. But I use this bag so much more. We even wrote a whole dedicated article about this exact bag HERE because my managing editor Carolyn and I realized we both owned this bag and both wore it constantly and wanted to figure out the exact magic about it. Which is this—it’s a superb size, it’s so comfortable to wear, its capacity is oddly like a clown car so I can fit all my crap and then some, (though I use THIS method so I don’t get too piggish), and, well, it’s just so pretty. I loooove this cream color for spring and summer, though now they have this bisque* color which I’m just sick about. Though I also have it in this delicious flat caramel* leather:
Ugh, the evergreen* for fall is also whispering urgently to me.
Price: $435 - $485
4. The prettiest dress I own or have ever owned
WHAT: Dôen Lorraine Dress*
This dress doesn’t need a lot of words or fanfare. Because just look at it. The color is rhapsodic. The whisper-thin straps make me physically weak. And the silhouette is just the most flattering shape known in this universe. I know you’re scared about the no bra prospect and I was, too. But I am a 36D, and I wear these when wearing it out though I have nothing on in this photo and for some reason the construction is just very … hoisty. And here it is from the back. Just, beyond:
Price: $398
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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