Danny, IIRC the Sezane jeans are mainly of interest for those who are a bit straight up and down. IME if you're somewhat curvy, either hourglass or pear, it may be worth going down the US premium denim road. I tend to buy them from YOOX, occasionally from eBay if I'm familiar with the model and end up paying around high street prices (and far less on eBay, have paid under 10GBP for a new pair). My only pair of skinnies are from Acne though. Weekday also does some good jeans, not sure what their skinny is like as I’m not really a fan of them.
Brogues - I recced the Bobbies on here and that did get some buying from the brand, but it was all court shoes and sandals I think. I do like them as a slightly less severe/more feminine brogue type flat.
Coats - really depends on what you're looking for.
I am with others on here though that 'investing' can be a dangerous mentality and incentivises 'safe' buys. So whilst it may tick a lot of boxes it may very well end up being something you're all that enthused about as a reslt, and you may find yourself swapping out that investment buy for a different cheapy thing that you bought on a whim.
Peregrane, hope you're feeling better now. Take care of yourself, and get some greens and proteins in you.
WRT your question on Japanese vs. Parisian and 'trying too hard'. I have many thoughts 
I'm basing it mostly on traveling in both countries and an unhealthy dose of interest in both cultures.
So the Japanese in isolation have a very high regard for skill and craftsmanship and they're very singularly driven in it (which ties into my thoughts on minimalism -and by extension Zen Buddhism- previously expressed on here). Fashion falls within that tradition of craft so it's very much treated with a great amount of reverence and the master of the craft is treated in similar vein and trusted above all, so things are generally worn as designed, and you will often see them in head to toe in one designer as an expression respect. So whilst it seems they’re more open to avant-garde concepts when it comes to dressing there is an element of submission there. Granted this is a very small subset, the Japanese you see in Europe or in fashion specials aren't representative for the population as a whole.
Most are dressed in neat, modest, and well cared for clothing (even the homeless, who even take off their shoes outside the cardboard boxes they reside in) but climate impacts it greatly (so summer fabrics are very thin which does little for shape and silhouette) and colour palettes aren't terribly exciting. I think because it's all so ordinary, somewhat conservative and staid, unlike elsewhere, it’s quite a dominant culture which means it has opportunity for counter movements to emerge as seen in the street styles (Harakuja etc.), and the highly conceptual, and even Margaret Howell who seems almost very ordinary in the extreme to us feeds into a counter-movement as utilitarian clothes still very much exist in Japan and are quite visible in everyday life in many variations of uniforms, denouncing those in them as decidedly working class, so to voluntarily dress down in class, in a country obsessed with hierarchy and what everyone earns, is considered quite radical. It's also far more about joining in with movements that represent your values rather than being about personal expression and style. It’s a distancing from society at large without stepping outside of it entirely, which is quite a symbiotic approach which I would say defines much of the Japanese mindset where the Parisians are very much children of the Enlightenment which is steeped heavily in individualism.
The don’t ‘too try hard’ angle in Parisian fashion is one I question often. I think it’s mostly distilled from the Coco Chanel advice of always taking off one accessory before leaving the house (or something like that) which seems to often get explained as not flaunting excess where, to me, it’s more a statement of knowing when and how to edit. You still need to take an extra step over the line to understand the existence of the boundary, it's not about respecting the existence of the line at all time by always remaining behind it.
This is just personal observation and musings, but since the various terrorist attacks, the Parisians do seem to be pushing the boat out more when it comes to dressing in response to attempts of their beloved liberté being undermined. It’s part of their city identity and they seem more motivated to carry it out forth on a daily basis almost like a statement that it won’t be taken from them that easily, they dress with a sense of purpose far more than they once did. Much of what they wear would be OTT elsewhere but it works then and there because they’re all in on it, fraternité, and the city’s architecture makes for a dramatic enough background to counteract it and allows them to connect with it at the same time.
What I do think still ties into that ‘too try hard’ angle is that they are still decidedly dressing for themselves, the obvious effort is not so much taboo anymore (if it ever was), it appears, but the taboo of dressing to impress others of something you’re perhaps not is, égalité and all that.
Flo, I think predicting the longevity of items can be easier done with certain items, eg. tailored pieces, you can see how the cloth is cut, finished, whether it’s in the right direction, etc. those things are probably easier to spot if you’ve attempted it yourself. I think knitwear is far more of a wildcard, the only constant I’ve found is that a bit of synthetic (polyamide rather than acrylic) in there to strengthen the yarn does help in longevity.
Hmm those shorts really must be magic Chester, although an odd sort if they’re so flattering yet still make everyone leave them behind in the shop 
Love the inspiration pic, jon, I had earmarked those Arket trousers too but I think the smallest size would be too wide in the waist for me and too much trouble to get altered but if they do come in small or TTS I’ll be in the Arket shop ASAP.
Speaking of Joseph, I read that the current designer (woman, sorry forgot her name but should look it up again) is stepping down.
I’ve also been contemplating on the new season, should probably get some collages up again as I’ve been screenshotting things. I am contemplating how much of an autumn we’ll get though, the current rain and ‘lower’ temps are going to make way for hotter weather again soon here and predictions are that will carry on into September. So potentially an Indian Summer scenario and usually October is just very wet and therefore mostly practical and November is winter in full here.
With that in mind, I do need to get a new raincoat but considering how many I’ve tossed out over the years I am wondering what’s a sensible step as the fabrics used are terrible from an environmental standpoint and I don’t find many have longevity, regardless of price. A technical coat would maybe be better but I don’t like the suffocating feel of them on. Saw an environmentally responsible one online somewhere but that was scarily expensive. I’m not that ethical… And the whole needing a split of sorts to be able to bike with them tends to limit my choices as well.
I hope 
and 
are in order for you and yours this week Xing, am slightly confused though as I thought you’d mentioned he wore THE coat to his graduation much to his teachers' admiration. Have I misremembered or am I just psychic 