Last Updated on March 29, 2026 by Eve Dawes
Investment Pieces Worth the Splurge: Wardrobe Buys That Earn Their Place
If you’re wondering what’s worth the splurge, what gets the best cost per wear and the best fashion investment pieces for 2026 keep scrolling. It started with a camera roll cleanse. Scrolling back through a year of photos deleting duplicates, I noticed the same pieces showing up again and again: the same bag, the same shoes, the same few dresses on rotation. That’s when it clicked. Your camera roll is actually the most honest edit of your wardrobe. The pieces that earn their place show up constantly. The mistakes disappear after one appearance.
So I pulled together my 10 most worn pieces and worked out the real cost per wear on each one and the results were genuinely surprising. The more expensive purchases almost always came out on top, with a lower CPW than sale pieces I convinced myself were a smart buy at the time. One and done is never a bargain, no matter what it cost. These are the pieces that proved their worth.
(CPW = Cost Per Wear). This best fashion investment pieces 2026 article contains affiliate links.
While I don’t expect to keep everything I purchase from past seasons more than 1 season, there definitely are some items that didn’t get as much use as I’d hoped, while others I continually re-wear and are my best buys.
Especially versatile, neutral color pieces I can keep finding new ways to style. My husband just reminded me that when I went to buy a pink Chanel bag and steered me back to a black Chanel bag.
Among my favorite best buys that got the most use are versatile shoes, sunglasses, luxury accessories, and white dresses that are easy to dress up or down and comfy enough to travel in. It used to be bags but I’ve been using Join Switch (use code DawesEve22J for $50 purchase credit) and Vivrelle (use code EVEDAWES for your 1st month free) so I always have a new bag on rotation.
As much as I love shopping for pieces that are trending now, I still like finding the kind of items that I love know will last or at least get lots of wear as they’re as practical as they are stylish.
Fashion Investment Pieces Worth the Splurge: Wardrobe Buys That Earn Their Place for Lowest Cost Per wear
I wanted to share the 10 items that got the most wear for me this year and were my best fashion investment pieces and purchases to help you decide what to invest in and what to save on. To be fair, they’ll probably get a ton more wear until I wear them out.
Knowing what you used is so helpful at deciding what to buy, when to spend and when to save going forward.
I wear sunglasses pretty much everyday whenever I leave the house so they always get lots of wear. Which is why my most worn designer sunglasses are on this list.
Some of the things I used the most actually surprised me and others like my Chanel sunglasses were no surprise, as they’ve been on repeat since I got it them over 5 years ago. Making them one of the best investments, as they have the lowest cost per wear of pretty much anything in my closet.
Other things I bought on sale and have buyers remorse as it only got used once like a ribbed bodycon dress I thought would be good for throwing on to go to the store but never got worn.
1. Best fashion investment piece for everyday: Designer sunglasses
Living in Vegas, I wear sunglasses pretty much everyday. I have about 5 go to pairs but these are my best buys that I’ve used the most since I got them several years ago.
In previous years it was my Jimmy Choo sunglasses but my oversize cat eye Chanel sunglasses and Dior sunglasses have taken over as my most worn. I wear sunglasses pretty much everyday whenever I leave the house so they always get lots of wear.
I thought it was a lot to pay for sunglasses when I bought them, but now they’re some of my best purchases and definitely the most worn giving them the best CPW/Cost per wear.
Chanel Sunglasses
You can never go wrong with dark, classic frames and styles like a glam cat eye. I like XL frames for giving more sun protection too.
Dior Sunglasses
Tortoiseshell will always be a classic and these are slightly lighter to wear than my Chanel sunglasses. I tend to wear these when I’m wearing other Dior items. If you’re not a fan of this shape or look, check out the sunglasses trends for this year.
2. Best cost per wear shoes: Nude strappy heel sandals
If you want a pair of heels that will wear well, go for leather not suede for better durability in a minimal style and neutral color. I love trendy styles but tend to go with more affordable brands for that, and then go for classic styles in designer brands.
These Sarah Flint heels get more use than any of my other heels as they go with everything. Especially in the Summer. I’ve had these for 4 years, so they’ve definitely given me great CPW at this point and will be on repeat until I wear them out. Another benefit of these heels is that this brand is known for their comfort and construction.
3. Worth the splurge: Dior slides
I thought I’d get the Dior Dway slides just to slip on and run errands or for vacation but these have had so much wear. They’re also way more comfortable than I thought they’d be, once I’d broken them in. They were probably the best buy I made in 2022 as they’ve been on repeat ever since.
Dior Slides
These are such a classic that I wear when I want to wear cute flats to lunch, etc rather than for lots of walking.
4. Best cost per wear shoes 2026: Steve Madden slides
These are another pair of shoes that I’ve had for years and have had so much use. I’m actually onto my second pair, as I wore the last pair out after 4 summers of wear. For this price point, they’re hard to beat and they’re definitely a style I’ll keep replacing as they really don’t date. Proving, it doesn’t have to be designer, but a pair of white summer flat sandals you can wear with all of your Summer outfits from day to night are always going to get great cost per wear.
5. Best fashion investments 2026: Gold chain Chanel belt
I wasn’t sure whether this was a ridiculous price to pay for a belt but knew I’d get good CPW from it. I love a belt for creating more flattering silhouettes or dressing up an outfit and a gold Chanel chain belt is a classic.
It doesn’t have to be designer but when buying a new belt, consider the color, width, and style you’ll wear the most if you’re looking for good CPW. It’s one of the most used items in my closet for all seasons.
6. Best cost per wear outfit: Matching set
I tend to wear matching sets more than anything as they take all the guess work out of putting an outfit together. This navy dress and cardigan set is one of my most worn outfits as the dress has built in shorts and the cardigan makes it one of those outfits you can wear for a lot of different weather. It’s another bargain buy that’s always on repeat and one of my best purchases. It’s also super comfy so I’ve managed to wear them for a lot of our long drives and flights.
They also wash really nicely and don’t need ironing or dry cleaning. Which means I end up wearing them more as they don’t involve a trip to the dry cleaner.
7. Best fashion investment pieces for your wardrobe: Chanel belt (yes another one)
Belts are another one of those items most of us wear so often and that get great CPW. Before I got my leather Chanel belt, it was my black Gucci belt that was always on repeat so I knew I’d wear it. For a dressier look, another belt I’ve got a lot of wear out of is my gold Chanel belt I mentioned above.
If you’re looking for a belt that you’ll get more use out of, leather’s a good bet. As you can see it’s been going strong for years now, as it was on my ‘most worn, best CPW’ list in 2024! If you prefer something less logo forward check out Bottega Veneta and Hermès belts which are also worth the splurge.
Chanel Belt
A Chanel belt or logo belt is an easy way to elevate an outfit with an elegant touch. Fashionphile has lots of great finds if you don’t have a Chanel store close.
8. Best fashion investment pieces: Black designer heels
Black heels are another item I think are worth the splurge because of how much us they tend to get. I’ve almost worn mine out, but to be fair, I have had them since 2022! That shows what a good investment they were! Leather heels tend to last longer than material so they get better CPW especially if it’s a classic style you can use for more than a year.
Balmain black heels
I also found these classic black high heel sandals really comfortable as I appreciate the ankle support and glam gold details.
9. Best cost per wear shoes: Black Christian Louboutin heels
I’ve had these heels for years. They’ve been on this best fashion investment pieces since 2021! So they’re definitely one of my best purchases as they always seem to end up back on my feet. I find a lot of Louboutin’s uncomfortable (the So Kate doesn’t work for me at all) but these are pretty comfortable as far as stilettos go.
They’re pretty much my go to with jeans and a blazer, or workwear, so their CPW is so low now.
Best fashion investment pieces: Classic Black Pumps
Classic pumps are one of those shoes most of us always have on repeat. Black and nude are the 2 pairs that get the best cost per wear for me.
10. White dress
White dresses seem to always be on repeat for me as I can style them with so many different color bags and shoes to change up the look. However, it was one particular dress that was on repeat for me this last year as I love the fit and flare shape.
What’s CPW?
CPW when it comes to fashion means Cost Per Wear (not Criminal Possession of a Weapon). Wanted to clarify that! I use it a lot on the blog when talking about how much use something got and whether it was worth buying or not.
It’s a good way of thinking out how you’ll use it and how often and figuring out whether clothing, a bag or designer shoes you have your eye on are worth investing in. As you can break down the cost per wear.
Sometimes designer items end up costing less per wear when you’re using them everyday like a bag than a cheap dress you only wear once.
For example a pair of designer shoes might be $900 but if you wear them 100x of the course of a few years that makes them only $9 per wear. Versus a pair you might spend $100 on and wear once or twice and be fed up of and they’ve cost you $50-100 per wear.
I tend to go for pieces I know will get good CPW as I don’t like clutter or waste. Unless it’s something I just absolutely love and don’t care about the cost per wear even if I only wear it once.
“cost per wear” is a methodology of breaking down the initial upfront cost of a garment by how many times you’re actually going to wear it.
Gentleman’s Gazette
