I want to buy timeless pieces. What I mean by that is that I want to confidently spend money on items that I know are going to last, and that I am not going to want to replace after a couple of seasons. 

It’s quality over quantity with the explicit intention to keep, love, and use things for a long time. 

My ultimate end goal is to have a wardrobe where I open my closet and think: done. My winter wardrobe transitions into a summer wardrobe and back as the years go by, but the pieces stay more or less the same. I’d only bring in something new once something has worn out.

My wardrobe is a permanent capsule wardrobe that adapts to temperature and weather, but not so much to what’s trending. And while I say I don’t like to keep up with trends, I do want to make it clear that I care about how I present myself, so my wardrobe has to reflect my personal style. 

I’ve been working on creating my “forever capsule wardrobe” for over 10 years; ever since I first started simplifying my life in earnest. 

Along the way, I’ve learned some things about what types of items to invest in so that I can gradually make my wardrobe more “done.” Side note: what I write here can easily be translated into anything you might be thinking about bringing into your life. I’m serious, this can be applied to furniture, electronics, home decor, food, skincare, you name it!

How do you know you're ready to invest in timeless pieces?

If what I’ve written appeals to you, here’s a quick list to check whether you’re ready to invest in timeless pieces and perhaps transition to a forever capsule wardrobe:

• You’re tired of keeping up with trends - You’ve suddenly realized that while the bag looked great on the influencer or model, now that you see it everywhere you look down at your own and you feel a bit off, looking like everyone else.
• You look at the contents of your wardrobe and you feel like it’s not good enough. It makes you want to shop except you wish you never had to shop again.
• You're okay with outfit repeating, often. 

What some people get wrong about timelessness

The three most common misconceptions about timeless pieces are:

1. Timeless is boring 

People are afraid that buying timeless pieces means you can only buy neutral things, which a lot of people find limiting, or boring. Neutral colors, neutral styles, and no patterns. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I’m going to go as far as to say that timeless and iconic are basically the same thing. 

The terms are used by two different groups of people though, so that’s what makes them feel different. Iris Apfel for example, is iconic and timeless, so is Grace Jones. Eileen Fisher and Sade have a more minimalist aesthetic and neutral aesthetic but that doesn’t make them any less iconic. 

I think the word iconic is more often used for bold and colorful statements, where timeless is used for things that are a little more toned down. To me, the terms mean the same, they don’t follow trends. Change the hairstyles/makeup for any of the outfits worn by these people and you wouldn’t be able to tell when the photo was taken (barring aging and camera quality of course). 

Timelessness is up to you, make it as colorful or neutral as you want.

2. Timeless is costume-y 

Some people are afraid that buying timeless things means that you end up looking like you’re “dressing up.” And yes, when I see trends like the “old money aesthetic,” or “mob wife aesthetic,” I can understand that fear. 

A white button-up can be timeless, but pop the collar, wear some pearl earrings, throw on some slim sunglasses, and drape a sweater over your shoulders and you look like you might have stepped out of a 90s Wall street tv show (all these items are very timeless individually). 

That “classic” trench coat/blazer/black slacks/white button up/beige crewneck, does not inherently come with the label "timeless". As much as it sometimes seems like it, timelessness is not a list of items to buy. It’s finding things that work for your needs, tastes, and general lifestyle, from all eras, and then mixing them together in ways that make you feel comfortable. 

A lot of timelessness has to do with a combination of factors that aren’t fixed like eyebrow shape, hairstyles, makeup choices, or how you wear a hat, scarf, or bag. It’s about how you wear things, not what you wear.

3. If something lasts a long time, it’s a timeless choice 

Just because something lasts long, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a timeless choice. The timeless aspect of the equation comes from you. Are you actually buying this to have and use for a long time, or is it just because it feels good to buy a quality item? Especially if you’re buying it at a time when everyone is buying one. 

Often things are sold with the idea that you can “have it for the rest of your life” maybe even with a lifetime warranty, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have it for the rest of your life. 

So just because something is durable, doesn’t mean it is timeless in the context of your life. I’m thinking about how Stanley cups replaced Hydroflasks in just a couple of years where both of these items are durable enough for a lifetime of use. Owala is going to replace Stanley next (I’m writing this in Jan 2024)

How to know what to invest in?

When you’ve decided to buy less but better and for longer, you’re going to invest more money into certain items. If you’ve never done this, it can be hard to know where to start, and even if you have, there’s a high chance you sometimes feel uncertainty. 

I just want to stress, there are no one size fits all investment pieces, take caution if anybody tells you otherwise. What works for one person, might not work as well for you. Here is my, quite extensive, process for deciding what items to invest in:

How does this item fit into my life?

To decide whether something will work for you and your lifestyle when you’re thinking about investing in something, ask yourself the following:

• What does your day look like? Will you have use for the item often?
• What kind of settings do you hang out in? Will this item work for most situations?
• What are your needs when it comes to this item? Size, color, versatility, weatherproofness
• What kind of maintenance/attention will this item require? Are you ready for that?
• What timeless or favorite items/colors do you already have? How does this item work with them?
• What kind of fabrics, silhouettes, and colors do you feel most comfortable in? Does this item fit into that vibe?
• Does this item fit you exactly the way you want? Are you able to alter it to fit you exactly the way you want?
• Will you be able to use this item immediately or do you need to wait for something to change? Perhaps the season, your situation, or something about your body?
• Can you afford this? This might be controversial but I think very hard before buying something unless I can buy it 2-3 times. This is both so I don’t get myself into trouble financially, but also so I can actually enjoy using the item. (When you buy something you can’t really afford it might just sit in the closet for a special moment, which defeats the purpose). 

Am I being influenced?

When it comes to investing in items for the long run, it’s important to figure out whether you really like it, or if you only like it because everyone has it. This has been a struggle for me, especially in the beginning of my journey because I was still trying to figure out my personal style. 

So here are some of the questions I ask myself to figure out whether an item is something I actually like, or whether I was influenced into liking it:

• Did I like this item before my favorite celebrity person started wearing it? My personal favorite example of this is high-waisted wide leg trousers, when I saw that celebrities and influencers started wearing them it was hard to contain my excitement. I knew then that this was probably something I could invest in.
• Have I seen this item trending before? How did I feel about it then? Was I happy or disappointed to see the trend end?
• Is the item I’m interested in available as a dupe in fast fashion stores? If it is, I know I might be swayed by a trend rather than the actual item.
• Is this an “updated” version of a classic? If it is, I might lose interest in it.*

*I’m not saying to never buy trendy pieces. Trends go through cycles and what was once outdated will come back into fashion eventually (hello low-rise jeans). What I am saying is to invest in the things you feel great about, for you, and your life. 

Curating a collection of things that you will enjoy for a long time, with no pressure to feel like your wardrobe needs a “refresh.” You could buy limited edition pieces from designers with the intention of holding onto them for long enough for their value to go up in the future. This is more about investing rather than working on a capsule wardrobe though.

Things I avoid when buying

Once it’s time to make the purchase, here are some of my personal rules for what to go for. There are of course, always exceptions:

• Things that mimic aging - I have found that anything that looks old or worn but has recently been manufactured just doesn’t last. So nothing with a fake patina or anything distressed. Go to second hand or antique shops to get things that have history.
• Materials that mimic other materials - fake fur, fake leather, fake shearling, or materials that mimic wool. Either buy the real thing, second hand, or avoid. These are close to impossible to maintain or repair and so they age really poorly.
• Lack of functionality - When something has fake pockets, zippers, or buttons I know it was made to be used for a short time. When a piece is thoughtfully designed and crafted to last a long time, all of those details will most likely be functional.  
• Logos - When something has large or multiple logos on it, I know that I am paying for the brand and not the quality or durability of the item.

Things I keep in mind

Even though I aim to create my “forever capsule wardrobe,” I’m well aware that what I curate is not truly for “forever.” So I approach my purchasing decisions with a level of non-attachment and realism: regarding my feelings, as well as the reality of actually using everything I own:

• There will be times when I might reach for a certain item more or less often because my situation changes. I have a purse I used for work every day at one point in my life, and now I barely reach for it because I work from home.
  
  
• The more often I wear/use something the faster it will wear. While I still invest in the items I plan on wearing every day, I keep in mind (and make peace with the fact)that they will wear out at some point.
  
  
• The closer something is to my skin the faster it will wear because I will have to wash it more often. This is why when I started my “less but better” journey, I started with handbags. Jewelry is of course an exception because it is usually worn directly on the skin, but high quality jewelry lasts a long time.
  
  
• The more it rubs against things the faster it wears. Coats are a good example here, if you buy a nice coat and always wear a handbag over the same shoulder, the coat will start to show signs of aging in that same spot. While this process can be slowed down by being careful about how you wear your bags, it’s part of owning and loving things.

Finally

I just took you on quite a specific journey around choosing what kind of things to invest in when it comes to curating pieces for a “forever” wardrobe. I gave guidelines about reflecting on your own needs, spotting whether you might be influenced, what I recommend avoiding, and what to keep in mind. 

To summarize all this though: Invest in things that make you think “heck yes, I want to wear it right now!” Invest in things that feel like they go with almost everything you have and make you feel like a million bucks. And know that timelessness is about how you wear things, not what you wear.