The Best Fashion Investments They Ever Made

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The story below is a preview from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Local boutique owners share their best-loved buys.

In an era of fast fashion, there’s something special about the pieces we turn to again and again. In that spirit, we asked local boutique owners about the purchases that have gone the distance in their wardrobes ... and the strategies they recommend for investing in long-game, high-quality, hard-wearing pieces you’ll love for the long haul. Here’s what they said...

Darcy Funk

Vivendi 

The Classic Black Dress

In Darcy Funk’s wardrobe, nothing works harder than a simple, black knit dress. 

“I’ve worn it to lunch, dinner, a funeral, even to a shower,” she says. Funk has styled the sleeveless dress with statement heels in the summer, with a metallic leather jacket in the fall and with sneakers and a boxy graphic sweater for early spring (pictured).

“It’s just so comfortable that I tend to reach for it all the time,” she says. “And in our new world, I think we’d rather wear the same piece three times a week than buy something we don’t really love for a one-time use.”

Alyce Carlin

New’d

The Elevated Handbag

As the owner of New’d — a Salem boutique specializing in casual clothing consignment — Alyce Carlin probably wouldn’t have been inclined to buy a brand-new luxury handbag. Which is why, when her husband surprised her with a small black Gucci crossbody for Christmas one year, the gift struck her as particularly meaningful.

“It’s my special bag,” she says. “I feel special when I pull it out.”

The accessory has travelled to work trips, weddings and date nights. And since it came in a branded box with Gucci bows, Carlin — always the upcycler — found a way to reuse the packaging, too: “I used the ribbons for ties around my flats at the ankle.”

For Roanokers weighing whether a fashion splurge is a good investment, Carlin has a simple recommendation: “Break it down to cost per wear,” she says. “I know, for instance, that if I’m going to buy a pair of jeans, I’ll wear them once a week, if not twice. And all of a sudden, when you take the cost of those jeans and divide it by the wears, you’re probably talking cents per wear ... It makes it easier to know when to invest in certain pieces.”

Lanita Porterfield

Virtuous Closet

The Go-To Gown

Lanita Porterfield’s online boutique specializes in elegant dresses for charity benefits and sorority balls ... so she knows a thing or two about what makes a great gown. And the instant she spotted her favorite lipstick-red, off-the-shoulder number from a manufacturer in the UK, she knew she’d wear it again and again ... and feel incredible every time.

“I said, ‘Yes! This is the one!’ I want to wear it to parties and photo shoots and for the holidays,” she says. “It’s a dress to catch people’s eye.”

While some might consider occasional dresses as a wear-once purchase, celebrities and style setters are increasingly giving their gowns a second act, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, for example, proudly recirculating her favorites again and again. And contrary to the old wisdom, Porterfield says, your signature formal piece doesn’t have to be black — it just has to make you feel unstoppable.

“When you’re investing, just be sure it’s something you feel confident in,” she says. “Because when you feel beautiful, it can change the trajectory of your life.”

Want to learn about how Roxy Broom, Timothy Head, J Bohn Bishop and Crystal McBroom each found their best fashion investments—pieces that not only elevate their style but also hold lasting value and meaning in their lives? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!

The story above is a preview from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!