What makes someone look rich / wealthy?

[cococovido]

Piggy backing onto the LV bag thread - so many responses saying you can tell if the bag is fake / real depending on the persons hair and general look.

I've really noticed this where I live during lockdown - even though we're all predominantly in scruffy clothes / gym gear (just me?!) you can just tell some people look 'rich' - for lack of a better word.

What is it? It's like an unspoken code or something.

And I can’t stand this fairytale notion lots of people have on here where every old money person is super nice and very newly rich people are all twats. It really does smack of doff capping and bowing and scraping at your ‘betters’ and is cringey.

If you asked my old manager the answer would be, being in a members club, judging people based on looks, and gushing about how you can sneeze hundreds of pounds at stupid frittery bits of crap.

I always thought though that properly rich people looked more down to earth and "normal". Usually the people who try to look rich aren't at all.

Depends how rich you mean. At my dds private school gate (where people are obviously at least fairly well off to afford to send their children) all the mums and dads look way more scruffy / casual / non latest fashion than at the local primary gate. Although cars are always brand names!

I personally think it’s a “I don’t care - I don’t need to impress” attitude that gives away older money

Most of the mums at dds private school are thin. A fair proportion have blonde streaks. Expensive trainers. They all know each other.

I wonder if it varies by location too - we’re rural which maybe means more casual rich people than London city wealth

The facial features give it away. Wealthy people often a softer look that's genetics rather than skincare, even if they're weather beaten outdoors people. I put it down to quality of diet and less stress down the generations.

An old colleague of mine was a bona fide Lady and part of the landed gentry living in an exclusive Mews in West London. She smoked like a trooper, never brushed her hair, ate with her mouth open and bought clothes from charity shops. However, she had a cut glass accent and traditional manners honed from a top boarding school.

@TeachesOfPeaches

An old colleague of mine was a bona fide Lady and part of the landed gentry living in an exclusive Mews in West London. She smoked like a trooper, never brushed her hair, ate with her mouth open and bought clothes from charity shops. However, she had a cut glass accent and traditional manners honed from a top boarding school.

I don't know anyone rich or aristocratic that looks like this. Even if they aren't glamorous they are always slim and have expensive clothes, even if those clothes are riding things or for gardening

wellguessitwouldbenice The facial features give it away. Wealthy people often a softer look that's genetics rather than skincare, even if they're weather beaten outdoors people. I put it down to quality of diet and less stress down the generations.

Absolutely. And they age much better too, often looking a decade or so younger, especially the men. Generalising hugely, but they do. Also less prone to putting on large amounts of weight.

I saw a film of street scenes in 1902 recently and it was noticable how stressed and worried most of the people looked. There were what were clearly young boys whose faces were already so aged and ravaged looking that they were beginning to look like old men.

Without those stresses, it must be much easier to stay looking relatively fresh and wholesome.

The facial features give it away. Wealthy people often a softer look that's genetics rather than skincare, even if they're weather beaten outdoors people.

Eh? A ‘softer look’? Not achieved by skincare? Do you mean that their skin is somehow ‘softer’ than the skins of commoners? Like in the Princess and the Pea? Because you do know that skincare doesn’t change anyone’s facial features, right?

My observation is that the aristocracy often look a bit like ferrets. Except the Windsors, they look a bit like horses.

Proper rich? Bloody scruffy, crazy hair and knackered old car because they don’t give a shit about what others think about them. They are usually very affable too. Very different from the yoga mat toting new money who care what EVERYONE thinks about them.

I agree with the thick hair thing though, I live in a town with an exclusive private school at its heart - all the pupils have the most amazing, swishy thick hair (and dress like they are homeless on Sundays while going into town to nick anything that isn’t nailed down)

So is ‘proper rich’ now synonymous with old money?

These threads are fascinating. I suppose if you invest a great deal of time in trying to look as if you belong to a certain group, you’re going to make sure that you revere that group and bash their rivals (those dreadful, vulgar people with new money who splash it around and wear conspicuous labels, how awful!).

Is that what goes through the minds of people buying awful frumpy outfits from Joules? I can’t think of any other logical explanation.

What’s that saying, ‘money talks, wealth whispers’? Dripping in designer labels is the very epitome of trying to impress and shouting what you have loudly. To want to do this, you have to give a shit about what others think. If you are REALLY rich, you are comfortable enough to not need to shout about it. Also, it could have come from Sloane street or a market stall - very few people can tell the difference!

Not this subject again!!

(Secretly invested...)

I love that you think really rich people would buy clothes from Joules we obviously have a different idea of really rich!

My observation is that the aristocracy often look a bit like ferrets.

😆

@Iamthewombat

So is ‘proper rich’ now synonymous with old money?

These threads are fascinating. I suppose if you invest a great deal of time in trying to look as if you belong to a certain group, you’re going to make sure that you revere that group and bash their rivals (those dreadful, vulgar people with new money who splash it around and wear conspicuous labels, how awful!).

Is that what goes through the minds of people buying awful frumpy outfits from Joules? I can’t think of any other logical explanation.

I very much doubt anyone properly rich spends any time on here.

@thegreenlight

I love that you think really rich people would buy clothes from Joules we obviously have a different idea of really rich!

Joules? JOULES!?!

How amusing.

Innate confidence that you can cope with whatever is thrown at you, or you can find someone who can.

Innate confidence that you can cope with whatever is thrown at you

I have that. I'm not properly rich though.

Have you all stepped out of the pages of a frigging Jilly Cooper book?
It's not what they look like it's what they sound like that is the dead giveaway IMHO

I’m sure rich people would not use the term “proper rich” or “ properly rich”.

@Notsayingnothin

Crazy too how earning your own money is looked down upon on this thread, whilst inheriting your wealth somehow makes you so much better than everyone else. The upper classes still have their daft, fawning bit very committed fans, they show up on every thread even faintly related to class.

This is very true. Don't forget that a lot of British upper classes inherited their wealth from their slave-owning ancestors.

People have always thought I was wealthy, when I grew up the exact opposite. The only thing I can think of it that:

1. I'm mixed race but somehow the brown is quite faint, so I look more olive skinned like I'm just always tanned.
2. I have never dyed my hair and it is very dark - I also have very white teeth but no idea how or why. I buy whichever Colgate is on offer. Contrast perhaps?

I've also never had spots/acne, once again this will be entirely down to genes. Although I'm not sure how as every one of my ancestors was impoverished.

The Queen was thin when she was younger! That's not exclusive to the Upper classes!😂

@Iamthewombat

The facial features give it away. Wealthy people often a softer look that's genetics rather than skincare, even if they're weather beaten outdoors people.

Eh? A ‘softer look’? Not achieved by skincare? Do you mean that their skin is somehow ‘softer’ than the skins of commoners? Like in the Princess and the Pea? Because you do know that skincare doesn’t change anyone’s facial features, right?

My observation is that the aristocracy often look a bit like ferrets. Except the Windsors, they look a bit like horses.

Posh people have posh chin, if you haven't noticed, look.

Also there's an insane amount of incest in these posh blue blood circles.