Wow and Forever

6 Investment Pieces Worth Every Penny

Updated on October 28, 2009 @ 10:56AM

Christian Louboutin Pumps

Because no two lizard skins are alike, producing truly matched heels requires a fine eye, a lot of patience, and a meticulous level of handiwork. As rarefied as the materials are, however, what makes them so irresistible is that they are molded around a classic d'Orsay shape, which never goes out of style and gives equal panache to that favorite pair of jeans or your newest cocktail dress.

Lizard, Christian Louboutin, $1,095; 212-396-1884.

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Max Mara Atelier Coat

Though its reputation is built upon the quality of its outerwear, Max Mara set out to create a limited line of 15 different couture-level coats that could warm you winter after winter. With dolman bracelet sleeves 9 inches wide (that nearly beg for full-length gloves, a fur muff, or a jeweled cuff) and a high-standing and highly flattering portrait collar, the silhouette is an homage to the influential Richard Avedon photos that defined fashion in the '50s.

Double-faced wool, Max Mara Atelier, $2,450; 212-879-6100.

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Hermes Watch

Called the Cape Cod Tonneau, this emblematic watch is this year's addition to a collection introduced in 1991 and named after that New England seashore. It's the simplicity of this timepiece that best reflects the spirit of the coveted label. And despite the watch's understatement (or maybe because of it), it magically seems to enhance every outfit.

Steel with leather strap, Hermes, $2,250; at Hermes.

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3.1 Phillip Lim Peacoat

The jacket is 100 percent rex-rabbit fur, valued for its velvety texture and near weightlessness. The skins, though tanned and dyed, in no way lose their inherent softness. But the 4-inch lapels insist that it's still a peacoat, which means you can toss the welcome-anywhere profile over just about anything in your closet and strut confidently out the door.

Rabbit fur, 3.1 Phillip Lim, $2,495; 718-797-3774.

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Chanel Bag

Coco Chanel first produced it 54 years ago, when, after admiring the quilted jackets worn by the stable boys at her lover's horse farm, she created a jersey bag lined in lambskin. Also available in alligator, calfskin, PVC, python and velvet, the bag includes an outside pocket for "handy tipping"; one inside for beauty products; a hidden zippered compartment-where Chanel herself kept her love letters-and a tube slot for lipstick.

Jersey, lambskin and metal, $2,575; at select Chanel boutiques.

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Stella McCartney Jacket

Though it revels in McCartney's training in structured Savile Row tailoring, thanks to a canny blend of wool and nylon, this seductively feminized version of the houndstooth double-breasted jacket weighs only 1 pound. And because the elongated torso flares slightly over the hip, it can either be worn with a short skirt, barely revealing more than a hem, a more traditional pair of straight-leg pants, or really cheekily as a saucy coatdress with a pair of leggings.

Wool-nylon, Stella McCartney, $2,085; at Stella McCartney.