How to look 'expensive'

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I'm not sure if that's the right word but I was in Sainsbury's today and the woman in the queue in front of me just looked 'expensive'.
She wasn't wearing anything remarkable - a leather jacket with a fur collar, skinny jeans and brown knee length boots but somehow she looked 'done' whereas I looked like a sack of spuds.
How to achieve that expensive look without the budget?

Confidence definitely helps - it means that you don't feel the need for logos or too much make up or tight uncomfortable clothes or shoes to feel good.

But as cresset has said it's about thinking and effort. So analysing what you like and feel comfortable in, getting rid of any clothes that you don't actually like, don't flatter you and that you don't feel comfortable in. Buying fewer, good quality clothes that work together and maintaining them and making sure you dress right for your lifestyle.

I'm obsessed with capsule wardrobes but sometimes they make people fall into the trap of thinking they need to have a trench coat, an lbd and some black heels - which really won't work if they're not your style. But building a capsule wardrobe of clothes that you like, which fit in with your style and which work together - so a limited palette - will make you feel more groomed.

And leather handbags. They don't have to be wildly expensive but they usually look a lot better and last longer than plastic

I agree that it is not about just buying expensive things. Have a think about what you like, what you like on others, what you own body type is, and what you feel comfortable wearing. Once you know this, buy clothes which are made of good quality materials and find a tailor/seamstress who can adapt the clothes to fit you properly. A tee shirt and jeans can look expensive if they fit well and the tee is made of nice materials or are a great design. Make sure that your basics are the best quality (coats shoes bags) as these will be worn for years if purchased well, and again, minor tweaks from a tailor make an inexpensive item look more expensive.

Inexpensive basics can be found at places like Uniqlo - which also does free hemming on their trousers if you are a shortie like me.

If there is a designer you like, look on sites like Vestaire for gently worn designer items from recent collections.

The key is that the clothes you wear should be things you like to wear and that you feel comfortable in - this will allow you to wear the clothes with confidence.

I do agree about wearing the right thing for the right occasion and in my opinion that is quite hard to do on a tiny capsule wardrobe.

However as one gets older and accumulates more stuff - then hopefully you should be able to dress for most occasions. This is also why I tend to buy items if I love them even if I don't immediately have the occasion to wear them.

The problem I find with a lot of cheap clothes is that they wash dreadfully and so look nice on the first wear but 4 weeks in they look like rags.

I also think it is important to de-clutter your wardrobe and not to hang onto stuff from years ago if you never wear it.

Most things date.

Confidence is learned but much of it is fake, and learning to stand up straight, not military posture, but shoulders and chest lifted away from the pelvic girdle... to maximise the space between rib cage and hip bones... gives most people a better shape and a more elegant carriage. And then, even a basic pair of jeans and T look better. Eliminate the unnecessary or the ornaments, and concentrate on the raw elements. After that, think about the person you are with and talking to. Trust me, the harder you work on forgetting you and making the other person feel great, the higher they will rate you!

What's more expensive though? The coat you pay £600 for and wear 600 times because it makes you feel a million dollars or the coat you pay £99 for and wear for a season.

If I buy a turquoise/pink summer dress I might buy a pair of sandals/shoes in a colour to match from M&S if I can find them; I wouldn't buy a pair in that sort of colour for £199(ish) from R&B because I wouldn't wear them enough to justify the cost. But I would pay £350 for something like the Gucci Loafers I posted up thread because I'd perhaps wear them 350 times.

If I pay £99 for a coat and wear it for a season, that's probably 99 days if I wear it every day (1/3 of the year being coat weather is about right).

I spend on coats as wear them for 11 months. Summer clothes - not so much.

Just asked dp what he would consider a man would need to wear to look expensive . He replied men don't notice all that bollocks but the things he does look at are shoes, wallet and watch

Cost per wear; I've got expensive mistakes (usually bought in sales) but I mostly buy cheapish clothes and expensive scarves and accessories as they are rarely sized. A scarf I bought 20 years ago is regularly brought out, and lent to good friends, and I will never be too old or too fat for it.

I think I am sounding obsessed! Sorry everyone .

Mominatrix, agreed about alterations. I resigned myself a long time ago to always getting hems and cuffs taken up a bit and other minor alterations (am a shortarse)- makes a big difference.

Be slim.
Wear natural fibres in natural colours.
Wear things that can't immediately be identified by the store they came from.
Layer cleverly.
Have really good haircut, really good shoes, really good accessories.
Spend money on good trousers or jeans that are cut to fit well.

It's a little more complicated for men than your DH is making out, Donge13 but it is easier as there's less social pressure to be fashionable or decorative (a message also contained in the 'Dress for Success' book mentioned above)

What is needed is a really good suit in a a non exaggerated style and natural fabric. Mark of good fit is not gaping at the back of the collar. Non-shiny ties. Good cuff links, good watch. Good shoes, well polished. Only brown in the city on Fridays.

When not in a suit, then probably fairly preppy or something that would look at home on a yacht.

Buy clothes that really suit you, whether or not they're in fashion. I have a cheap dress bought from a local gift shop that has been commented on so many times. I wear it loads and it cost about £15. DH took a photo of me in it once and though I am short and fat and it's a maxi dress, the photo was of some willowy babe. The cut just hid the bad bits and accentuated the good ones.

This thread is disheartening. It's like going into somebody else's house and seeing how perfect it looks, then going home and hating your own. The truth is you don't notice the minor imperfections on other people or in their houses.

If your clothes fit nicely, your clean, hair is tidy and you wear what suits you then you can't go far wrong. Yes too much makeup or bling can spoil a daytime look, but don't over think the rest.

Also here's another thought. A lot of my friends often only see me when I've made an effort and we are going for dinner. They describe me as well groomed and having good style etc. But I look very different doing the school run, being perfectly polished is not something I can keep up with daily. Maybe the lady you saw was having a 'good' day and on others she might do the school run dressed down and her hair in a messy bun.

I'm not bothered about looking like i come from money. I live in a small town where everyone has known me since i was a teeny so i'd be fooling no-one (am benefit recipient/lone parent/cleaner) from WC parents)

Rude, I think you're missing the point.
I don't think any of us want to try fooling people into thinking we have money.
I think it's more a case of having something about you that means that whatever you put on - you look stylish and expensive

Disheartening? I thought the point of thread was, as put in the OP, how to achieve the expensive look without the budget.

Not whether that was the right look to strive for.

It's really not about money; it's about effort, thought and posture. Anyone can look polished. The only place success comes before work... is in the dictionary.

That's the word! Polished

That's what people mean when they say someone looks 'expensive'.

Cost per wear; I've got expensive mistakes (usually bought in sales) but I mostly buy cheapish clothes and expensive scarves and accessories as they are rarely sized. A scarf I bought 20 years ago is regularly brought out, and lent to good friends, and I will never be too old or too fat for it.

Cresset, you seem to know your stuff.
How do you wear scarfs so they don't look frumpy and ageing?
Are there any rules you follow, regards colours, designs, styles, length, knotting etc?

Wear things that can't immediately be identified by the store they came from.

I can spot someone wearing Next from 2 miles away.

Rude, I think you're missing the point.
I don't think any of us want to try fooling people into thinking we have money.

Apologies, it wasnt clear in my post but i was responding to a comment that said they could tell "old money" a mile off (or something along those lines.) i should have quoted the post. I know that people on this thread arent trying to fool anyone, i was just responding to that poster by pointing out that i had no desire to try and look "old money". Hope that makes sense.

Sorry, Rude, I see what you mean now.

, I don't agree with some things said on here, there is no one single formula for looking good that works for everyone, I cant do polished, or expensive or whatever , nor is it my intention to look so, the idea of wearing a Roland moret dress, jimmy choos, and have perfectly coiffed hair, and makeup can be the death of me, I can't do it, even if I look good in it, its not me, and this is very important, being comfortable and confident in what you are wearing, knowing what works for you,both in terms of fit and style, knowing your style identity and staying true to it is what people notice.
picking some tips, inspiration and evolving while still staying to your identity is essential, but copying a look blindly without having any association with it,is what makes it look all wrong and give the impression of being an imposter, a fake.

Flattered that anyone should think I might know my stuff... you wouldn't pick me out as I am v ordinary and spend my life in dogwalking and gardening kit, not unsuited to painting and decorating. If there's a secret, it's looking at people and deciding what looks "now".

I love looking at pictures, proportion, colour and shape, and I waste hours doing it. And I have stuff that goes back years... my great aunt's clothes, and bits that I bought as a student, and from days when I styled a band in NYC in the 80s. Even if I had lots of money I don't, but enough I would not buy lots of things. But I look after what I have and love, and even if the colour and shape doesn't speak to me now, I'll put it away carefully and bring it out when it seems "right" again. No knack to knotting scarves... currently they are all large and wound around the neck/shoulders, so longish. Colours are neutral, but tend to follow this season's palette -- mine, not imposed.

I just go off stuff. I stopped wearing skinny jeans this autumn. Went back to a classic Levi 501 looser leg. And I have suddenly turned off loose, untucked shirts. Tucked in and smooth now looks better. Small square scarves, folded into bandannas, in the neckline will look better in spring than big bulky ones, I predict. Narrower tops, lean but loose leg shape. Gone off earrings big time!

But the rules of polish don't change. An iron, clean and tidy, and I think it is always worth keeping fittish and reminding oneself to stand properly, so you can breathe freely, walk without lumbering and chat comfortably. Your body is the first and most important thing. Very apologetic to anyone who is suffering physical disability or injury. I don't intend to upset anyone who is old or in poor health.