16 investment pieces that are worth it in the long term

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Alyssa Powell/Business Insider

• Investment pieces are the timeless, versatile, high-quality staples in your closet that you can buy once and own for many years.
• While they cost more upfront, their price-per-wear is lower than cheaper, inferior products we often buy because they sound good in the short-term.
• Beyond being a more sustainable way to shop, filling your closet with the right investment pieces can save you money over time.
• Below, you'll find 16 investment pieces we suggest and why we think they're worth a higher price tag — plus recommendations from our own personal closets.

In my early twenties, I stopped buying fast fashion. The main reason was that I'd grown concerned about its outsized impact on the environment, but an unintended benefit was also, ironically, how much money I saved by buying fewer, nicer things.

Gradually, I saw my closet change over from cheap clothes I'd bought on the fly to a much smaller, curated highlight reel. I stopped needing to donate clothes every six months, and instead ended up with a closet of things I genuinely loved so much that I'd rather wear them — again — than pick up something new.

Investment pieces may cost more upfront, but they should save you money over time. Ideally, your bigger lump sum is paying for upgrades that actually make the item more valuable to you — better materials, design, or whatever X factor makes it something you enjoy wearing so much that you stop shopping to replace it every year.

An investment piece's versatility, timelessness, and quality should convert its price tag into pennies-per-wear, and save your closet and landfills from excess.

In the interest of smarter shopping, I asked my colleagues — longtime product reviewers and veteran online shoppers — to send me their all-time best investment pieces. You'll find the 16 types of items we think are worth the splurge below, plus a few recommendations from our own closets that have proved their worth over time.