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I have expensive taste. I made peace with that a long time ago, and at 60 I’ve got a pretty clear list of what’s worth paying full price for.
That doesn’t mean I spend without thinking. It means quality is the thing I actually care about, and after decades of shopping I’ve gotten very good at telling the difference between something that’s genuinely well made and something that was designed to look well made in a photo.
Sometimes Amazon absolutely nails it. I’ve found Amazon lookalike pieces there I’ve worn for years, and I’ll shout about them all day long. But sometimes I go hunting for the dupe, I order it, I put it on, and I know in about four seconds that it’s not the same thing. The fabric is thinner. The hardware feels hollow. It’s fine, and fine wasn’t what I was after.
When that happens, I buy the original and I pay full price, and I don’t feel one bit guilty about it.
I’d rather own fewer things that are really good than a closet full of almost-right. So here’s my honest list: fifteen things I’ll pay full price for, and five where the less expensive version genuinely performs just as well (because that’s true too, and I’d never pretend otherwise).
Some of these will surprise you (a phone case made the list, ladies).
How I Decide What’s Worth Full Price
Before we get to the list, here’s the filter I run everything through. Every one of these questions is about quality, and the price tag is just what comes out the other end.
Is there a real dupe, or only a less expensive version? Those are two completely different things. A real dupe performs the same, and I will happily take it. A less expensive version just costs less, and you can feel that difference the second it’s on your body.
Cost per wear. A great coat I wear 120 days a year in Minneapolis works out cheaper than a mediocre one I stop reaching for by January. Divide the price by how many times you’ll actually use it. That number tells the truth.
Does it touch my body every day? A winter coat, my skincare, the tools I use every single morning. This is where quality shows up immediately. (Though as you’ll see below, there are a few of these where the lookalike genuinely wins, so I check rather than assume.)
Would I be annoyed if it broke? If yes, buy the good one. If I’d shrug and replace it, the affordable one is doing its job just fine.
Read this twice: paying full price isn’t about the label on it. It’s about buying the version that’s actually good so you’re not replacing it next year.
15 Things I’m Willing to Pay Full Price For
Every one of these is something I own, use hard, and would buy again tomorrow at full price.
1. Aritzia Super Puff Coat
I live in Minneapolis. I have opinions about winter coats, and this one is the best down jacket I’ve ever owned. Full stop. I’ve tried the cheaper puffers and they either flatten out by year two or leave you cold at the bus stop, and neither of those is acceptable when it’s 8 degrees and you still have to walk the dog.
2. Athleta Leggings (and Honestly Most of Their Clothes)
I teach live group fitness classes every week and I’ve been doing it for 25 years, so I’ve worn every legging on the market. Athleta’s quality is just different. The fabric holds up wash after wash, the waistbands don’t roll, and they don’t go see-through in a squat (hello, the actual test that matters).
Shop more of my Athleta fashion favorites!
3. Lodge Pants
I’ve genuinely looked for a dupe for these and I can’t find one. The fabric is the whole thing. Cheaper versions of this kind of pant always feel thin or stiff, and you can spot the difference the second you put them on.
4. Anthropologie Colette Pants (the Printed Ones & Specialty Fabrics)
The plain Colettes have dupes everywhere. The prints and specialty fabrics like corduroy do not. If you want an actual cute print or corduroy texture for all, Amazon is not going to get you there, and I’ve tried. These are the pants I reach for when I want to look put together without thinking about it.
5. Rag & Bone Sweatpant Jeans
I want to love a cheaper version of these. I really do. But every knockoff I’ve tried looks like sweatpants pretending to be jeans, and these actually look good. Comfortable enough to travel in, structured enough to wear to lunch.
6. Rothy’s Clogs
These are just good. Comfortable straight out of the box, easy to throw on, washable (which matters more than you think), and they go with everything I already own.
7. L’ange Hair Tools
I use my L’ange tools to style my hair every single morning, and they have absolutely earned their spot on my counter. When something is part of your routine 365 days a year, it’s worth owning the version that actually performs.
8. Clare V Handbags
I’m not spending Chanel money. But Clare V sits in that sweet spot where you get a genuinely beautiful, well-made bag without the truly insane designer prices. I use mine constantly, and a good bag is one of those things you carry every single day for years.
9. BEIS Travel Bag
Travel is not the place to cheap out. Zippers that fail in an airport, wheels that stick, straps that dig into your shoulder while you’re already stressed and running late. My BEIS bag is well made and it makes travel days easier.
10. Jane Win Jewelry
I get more compliments on my Jane Win pieces than almost anything else I wear. They feel real and they look real, which is exactly what you want in a statement piece. Cheap jewelry announces itself, usually about ten minutes after you put it on.
11. The Real Apple AirPods
I have tried the generic ones. They stink. The connection drops, the sound is flat, and the case dies. I’m in my AirPods for workouts, calls, walks, and podcasts, and they’re worth every penny of full price.
12. Oura Ring
There are cheaper trackers out there and some of them are fine. But the Oura Ring is the one I actually wear every day and the one whose data I trust. My sleep score has taught me more about my energy than any other tool I’ve used, and after two decades of wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor, that matters to me.
Read my complete Oura Ring 5 review to see why I switched from the Oura Ring 4!
13. Flaunt Phone Case
Yes, a phone case made this list. It’s just a better case, and I’m on my phone all day for work. I’ve gone through enough cheap cases that cracked or got sticky or stopped protecting anything to know the difference.
14. Cashmere
There’s no faking good cashmere. You can feel the difference the second you pull it on, and the cheap blends pretending to be cashmere pill up and look tired after about two wears.
I’ll pay up for the pricier pieces at Aritzia. I reach for their classic sweaters weekly during the colder months. But I also love love LOVE the cashmere at Quince. Their cashmere cardigan looks just like the much pricier Jenni Kayne cocoon sweater. and their sweaters are beautiful quality for what they cost, which is a rare thing in this category.
15. AG1
This is my morning, every morning. I make my AG1, add a scoop of collagen, and take my vitamin D, omega-3, and creatine gummies alongside it. It’s not the cheapest greens powder on the shelf and I know that. But I trust what’s in it, I’ve been drinking it for years, and I feel the difference when I skip it.
5 Things I’m Not Paying Full Price For
Now the other side of my list. Because as much as quality matters to me, there are whole categories where the less expensive option performs exactly as well as the pricey one, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise just to sound fancy.
1. Name Brand Walking Shoes
This one might get me in trouble, but here we go.
I walk most days, I use a walking pad at 1 mph while I work, and I’ve been on my feet teaching live classes every week for 25 years. I’ve worn a lot of shoes. And I keep coming back to the Amazon lookalike versions, because they’re just as good, and a few of them have honestly been better.
Here’s what I mean. Most of what you’re paying for in a $160 performance shoe was engineered for runners logging serious miles at speed. Carbon plates, race-day foam, all of that. If you’re walking, what you need is cushion, a toe box that’s wide enough, and support that doesn’t collapse on you. The lookalikes deliver all three for a fraction of the price, and I’ve put a lot of miles on mine.
What I will say is replace them on schedule. A worn-out shoe is a worn-out shoe at any price, and that’s where your knees and hips actually feel it.
These are the pair I wear over and over again:
2. Basic Tees, Tanks, and Camis
The layering pieces nobody sees. I’m not spending $80 on a white tee I’m going to wear under a blazer and then spill coffee on. Amazon, Target, and Old Navy have gotten genuinely good at basics, and I buy them in multiples.
This has been my favorite tank this year:
3. Lululemon Leggings
I know. I just put Athleta on the pay-full-price list about five minutes ago, so let me explain the difference.
I’ve worn the Lululemon leggings, and the Amazon lookalikes are every bit as good. In a couple of cases, better. Same buttery feel, same compression, same coverage when you’re down in a squat, and mine have held up wash after wash after wash. I’ve had women in my classes ask me where my leggings are from and be genuinely shocked at the answer.
Leggings are the single most dupe-able thing in my closet, and the price gap is wild for what you’re actually getting. If you love your Lululemons, wear them and enjoy them! I’m not coming for anybody’s closet. I’m just telling you I stopped buying them, and I have not missed them once.
These are my all-time favorite leggings from Amazon:
4. Bras & Underwear
This one surprises people, because underwear feels like a place you’re supposed to splurge. I’ve bought the expensive bras and I’ve bought the Amazon ones, and the Amazon ones are what I actually reach for.
Everyday bra, sports bra, underwear, thongs. I’ve got all four sorted, they fit, they wash well, and they don’t roll or dig or ride up your back by lunchtime. Buy them in multiples and stop thinking about it.
The one thing I won’t budge on is fit. If you’re hard to fit or you need serious support for high-impact work, go get measured and buy whatever actually holds you, because a bra that doesn’t fit is a waste of money at any price.
Here are my favorites from Amazon:
5. Anything Genuinely Trendy
If I know I’ll wear it for one season, quality isn’t the point. The trend pieces, the color of the year, the silhouette that’s everywhere right now. Buy those inexpensively, have fun with them, and let them go without a second thought. Save the real money for the coat you’ll still be reaching for in ten years.
I’m not telling you to go spend money you don’t have. I’m telling you that when you find the thing that’s actually good, the one you’ll use every day for years, it’s okay to buy it at full price and not apologize for it.
Look at what you reach for constantly, and be honest about what you’ve had to buy twice because the first one wasn’t quite right. That’s where the money belongs. And where a less expensive version truly performs the same, take it and don’t think twice, because I do.
PS. If you want to see the rest of what I use and love, everything is linked on my Amazon storefront and my ShopMy page.
