Full disclosure: I'm a lady. Hi!
I'm excited to follow this thread as I often buy clothes for my dear spouse (who happens to not be a lady).
We have slowly started moving towards "buy it for
life at least the long haul" clothing. Overall, I recommend it, even if you start slowly (like, with kitchen items - I started with name brand hot mitts - seriously. Those things, at $15, seemed more expensive than my $0.50 dish towel, but come with 100% less burns.)
One caveat:
Doing this implies a bit of privilege, and some disposable income, which we currently have, which is why I felt comfortable starting. I understand the nature of this upfront expense is tough for some (like me in my younger days - I bought many a $4 cheap-cotton shirt back in the day).
Motivation:
I think, especially for women's clothing, (though I can't speak for the folks in the men's dept.) fast fashion has become the norm (including multiple rounds of "new arrivals per SEASON). Textiles are wildly, grossly un-sustainable and the size of peoples' closets has just grown exponentially, which has contributed to mass amounts of textiles in landfills, and they are shockingly slow to degrade.
This article, which is long, really got me thinking about the whole thing, and we're slowly converting:
http://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/sustainablefashion/Anyway, something about this resonated with me, so we are going for it. On to a few recommendations:
1. Without shame, I'm going to start talking about underwear. Oh yeah. ("Oh yeah" is exactly what I said the first time I put on a pair of Ex Officio undies.) Seriously, they make them for guys and gals and they have lasted for years with 500+ washings already logged. They look
brand new. Plus, infinitely more comfortable than anything that comes in a Hanes plastic pack.
2. Return and various "worn wear" policies in general - REI, Patagonia, & LL Bean come to mind here. Not to be abused, but sometimes they will actually fix your original coat, which is much more fun and sustainable than switching you out for a new one.
2.5. On the LL Bean note, the LL Bean Boot - had a pair for a decade, brand new looking. Also, warranty is excellent so if by some accident yours are not, they will fix/replace them. Mine have gore-tex material inside: extra lovely for cold feet
3. Reasonable luck with Frye made shoes/boots - if they feel too silky or thin, no go, but if they seem durable, they are.
4. Patagonia Fjord Flannel Shirt - oddly specific, but also very durable.
We haven't had good luck on belts, under shirts, or oddly: shoe laces, so if anyone has tips& tricks, reply!
Caution note:
You can take this too far (into "I just love luxury goods" territory); I've had a coworker defend BMW's as "longer lasting" than my Honda - is there evidence for this? Not sure..... I'm also in the wedding stage of life, and if anyone else tells me "A diamond is forever" or some variation of "spending money on this megawatt diamond now so we don't have to upgrade later" (thanks, De Beers....)