As much as I love beautiful clothes – and as much as I am very capable of convincing myself that fashion is an investment – I do not think everything deserves that title.

A fun summer dress that feels perfect right now, while polka dots, butter yellow or a particular silhouette are having their moment? I am perfectly happy buying it, wearing it endlessly for one summer, perhaps bringing it back a few times next year, and then accepting that I might be slightly bored of it. Summer, to me, is the season for experimenting. Trying trends, playing with colour, buying something simply because it makes you happy on holiday. Not every piece needs to become an heirloom.

Autumn is where my thinking changes.

The moment we start talking about beautifully cut trench coats, leather jackets, loafers, ballet flats and bags, I become much more interested in what something will look like three or five years from now. These are the pieces that quietly build a wardrobe. The ones you reach for without thinking and somehow end up wearing far more than anything you bought because it was the thing of the season.

Which brings me to Mytheresa, one of my favourite places to shop precisely because their selection makes this kind of shopping very easy. I love being able to find new-season collections, exclusive pieces and so many of my favourite designers in one place. And what I am about to tell you is unfortunately completely useless to me because I stopped qualifying as a new customer a very, very long time ago.

But if you have never shopped on Mytheresa before, this is actually a very good moment to start. New customers can get 10% off eligible orders with the code FIRST10, subject to a minimum order value, until 31 August. The offer is available globally, excluding MO.

I am not here to persuade anyone to buy something they do not need. But if something has already been sitting on your wishlist and you happen to save 10% because I told you about it… I certainly will not feel bad about that.

So, with early autumn slowly entering my thoughts – and my shopping baskets – these are the pieces I personally think are worth investing in this season. Maybe something here will inspire your own autumn wardrobe.

Loafers and ballet flats are probably the easiest place to start because they are the kind of shoes I genuinely wear again and again. Suede, smooth leather, black, chocolate brown, perhaps something slightly more unexpected — give me a beautiful flat shoe with a great pair of trousers or denim and half of my autumn wardrobe is already sorted.

The Row is unavoidable for me in this category, as is Khaite. Whenever someone asks which brands I would look at first for really beautiful loafers or flats, these are usually the first two that come to mind. They have that understated quality I love: nothing needs to scream for attention, yet the shape, leather and proportions make the entire outfit feel more considered.

If we are talking heels, I would invest in a kitten heel or a comfortable mid-height heel rather than something that only works for one very specific occasion. I want a shoe that can go from dinner to an event, from tailored trousers to a midi skirt, and still make sense months later. Jimmy Choo and Saint Laurent would probably be my first stops here – classic enough to earn their place in the wardrobe, but never boring.

I love trench coats. They are light enough for those first autumn weeks, practical when the weather becomes slightly unpredictable and, most importantly, capable of doing an unreasonable amount of work for an outfit.

Jeans, a plain white T-shirt and loafers do not exactly sound like I spent forty minutes getting dressed. Add a beautifully cut long trench, pull the belt tightly around the waist to create a silhouette and… voilà. Suddenly I am ready for almost anything the day might involve.

This is exactly why I think a trench is worth spending more on. I would rather have one really good, beautifully constructed neutral trench that I cannot wait to wear every time the first autumn rain arrives than five versions that never sit quite right. Saint Laurent is always high on my list for something timeless and beautifully tailored, while Toteme and The Frankie Shop do that slightly more relaxed, oversized silhouette so well. It is one of those pieces that gets better the less you have to think about styling it. I have already promised the girls over on Substack a full post dedicated to trench coats, so if that sounds like something you would enjoy, you can join us HERE.

As I am writing this, I am wondering whether bags are actually the category I invest in the most.

The answer is yes. Obviously.

I also absolutely love the transition between my summer and autumn bags because the switch is quite dramatic. After months of smaller bags, whites, pastels and butter yellow, suddenly all I want is suede, chocolate brown, olive green, black, beige and perhaps a really beautiful burgundy. Give me a large suede bag tucked under my arm and I am mentally in October, regardless of what the calendar says.

For me, these deeper neutral shades are where investing makes sense because they return every autumn. A great brown or black bag does not need to be reinvented every season; it simply comes back out of the wardrobe and immediately feels right again.

If you ask me where I would look, The Row, Alaïa, Prada and Bottega Veneta would be high on my list. Different aesthetics, but all brands I return to when I want something that feels special without depending entirely on a trend.

Oh, leather jackets. I might actually get more excited about these than trench coats, which probably explains the slightly unreasonable number already living in my wardrobe.

And yet, I already know there will be at least two on my wishlist this year.

A leather jacket is possibly one of my most-worn autumn pieces because there are very few outfits it does not improve. Jeans and a simple T-shirt? Leather jacket. Wool trousers and a lightweight knit? Leather jacket. A black midi dress or skirt for dinner? Leather jacket thrown over the shoulders. I could continue, but I think you understand where this is going.

My absolute favourite for leather jackets is Magda Butrym. I genuinely think some of her leather pieces are masterpieces – the shapes, proportions and details always feel incredibly special. I also love Róhe, Saint Laurent and Nour Hammour, particularly when I am looking for something I know I will wear season after season.

These are the four categories I am thinking about investing in this autumn, but they are also my answer whenever someone asks me what is actually worth spending more money on.

For me, an investment wardrobe is not about having ten expensive versions of the same thing. It is about finding those few pieces that you will reach for constantly, regardless of the occasion, and wear in twenty different combinations without ever feeling like you are forcing them into an outfit.

If I can wear something with denim on Monday, tailored trousers on Wednesday and a dress on Saturday – and still be excited to pull it out again next autumn – that is what I call a good investment.

MYTHERESA NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Get 10% off your order with code FIRST10 until 31 August, subject to a minimum order value.

READ MORE:

50 Midi Dresses I Am Loving Right Now

My Summer 2025 Trend Report

Recent Summer Looks