How to look 'expensive'

[INeedSomeHelp]

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?

Someone was bound to get offended about something or other, amazed it took this long to be honest.

1. Posture. No or little make up. Draw attention to face with pearls or a tiny scarf or a headband. Keep skin naturally healthy

1. Comfortable and appropriate. Rarely heels. A plain smart knee length boot to bookend (match colour of) one's hair.

1. Have good basics (these will depend on your own figure - I'm square jawed with a shortish neck so a black boatneck looks great on me).

1. But with these basics, add something "of yourself". I read once one should accessorise based on all the countries and beautiful places one has visited or would like to visit.

Don't go all self conscious and stick to "tan neutrals and navy quilted", that looks dated and lacking in personality. Some women look great in this plan ensemble, but you look at their face and figure and realise they'd look great in anything.

This has been a fab thread to follow.
Have enjoyed it immensely and have read some really good advice.
I feel inspired to " turn myself out" a little better from now on.

I do agree with the poster who mentioned gazelle ankles. I heard that saying as " tiny tits and racehorse ankles".

Yes to the quality, cut and colour in order to be stylish. Your wardrobe doesn't have to cost a fortune. Yes to good teeth, hair and skin.

And I hadn't heard of the blogger Mai Tai. I googled her and found the rceipie for a cocktail . Love her style.

I Don't have expensive clothes. But my jewellery is subtle and as expensive as I can afford.

Thanks for the read, ladies.

I'm not sure about expensive but I aspire to look smart and natural, even if wearing primark or supermarket.
As others have said clean hair, nails and shoes.
Don't over do the make up or jewellery and buy clothes that suit you rather than being a slave to the latest catwalk look.
Spend a bit more on certain key pieces that will not look dated such as a well fitting pair of jeans, good leather shoes and boots and a couple of quality coats. Pay attention to your colours and avoid garish patterns or slogans on tops.
Looking after your clothes is important, wash carefully.

My personal bug bears are excessive fake tan and those ridiculous brows and fake nails which look cheap as plastic.

You have to find a way of working the look you want, that suits you. Don't try to be anyone else.

cresset, I bought a pair of classic 501s this Autumn, with the same sentiment of being a bit tired of skinny jeans. While the weather has been mild, I've worn them with low top Converses and no socks but now that it's getting colder, none of my winter boots seem to go with them .

I personally always look to the Gary Pepper blog for inspiration about looking 'expensive'.

So can I just ask....if you have massive shoulders what do you wear when you would be wearing a blazer?

I haven't worn a blazer for ages because it's such a dated look (except for casual jersey ones that look great on my daughter) but for tailoring I have to go higher end. Basler, Jaeger, etc., and that extends to coats and dresses too.

To balance the shoulders I tend to go for a V neck, the longer line gilets coming in this year are fabulous, I have always been a fan of really good quality cardigan/jackets which can be quite structured (not many around at present) and the Boden coatigan. Another old staple that must be due a revival is the serape rather than the pasmina.

Broad shoulders can be hard though. Even blouse buying can be difficult. I've tried on a Next 18 (when I was very much a 12) and still the buttons at the chest pulled and not because of norkage although they are present.

Blazers are not dated

Interesting thread! Placemarking...

One of my friends has this look. She only wears navy and white, ever.

Think good quality jeans, navy blazer, crisp white shirt. Or plain navy shift dresses, good quality knitwear. Minimal jewelry, sharp haircut.

Does everyone dress how they like to dress, or how they feel they ought to dress?

Personally I love trendy oralternative styles. But never got that look together so I started wearing what suits me (classic, feminine), it's almost a lazy uniform .... My long belted camel coat (£££ had it 5 years, have had it relined ), smart trench (belted again), lots of cashmere, silk, t-shirts that were way to expensive (but last years and 1000 washes), love my tweed mini or wrap dress and smart boots look for work. Quick. Easy.

I get compliments for always looking "smart" or "elegant" (haha) but am bored with this style, really.

Secretly I wish I was trendy or arty

I definitely dress how I want. There is no ought about it! I have quite a strong personal style and tend to keep to a core base of the same brands/designers, augmented with judiciously chosen cheaper bits. I spend very little on shoes relative to clothes - I often wear trainers that I order on Amazon.

Mominatrix - stand corrected. When I think blazer I think a certain navy style. The term is broader but I would call most if what you have linked to a jacket.

Blazers are not dated. Find the right fit and colour. I think they work well on the larger ladies too. It's one of those pieces that upgrades your cloths from simple casual to smart by just putting it on. You could get one without buttons, Or one which is shorter or short sleeves. Making it a bit edgier. I do think there are Blazers for everybody. I have a bout five and my favourite was from marks and spencer. Bought it for twenty reduced from ninety.

From having a quick look on line. The slightly stylish ones are in Selfridges and John Lewis.

The best place to achieve your look easily if you have a bit more money is Karen Milan.

The Emmanuelle Alt blazer look bores me to tears! It's a generation's take on bourgeoise conformity.

i'd wear this. shorter sleeves. not stuffy.

i don't know why some people try to look so uptight though.

I have an older friend who only ever wears black and white, has perfectly coiffed hair, always immaculately made-up and turned-out...but she somehow has the look of Rita Sullivan/ Blackpool landlady about her (my lovely great aunt was a Blackpool landlady before anyone takes offence)

I like to try different looks. I'd bore myself senseless if I only ever wore navy and white and tiny stud earrings.

Giovanna Battaglia is my style heroine.

"Good shoes, well polished. Only brown in the city on Fridays."

"Does this mean "Brown may only be worn on a Friday, in the city (City?)", or "In the city, on Fridays, only brown may be worn"?"

The former. It means if you must wear brown (was thinking of man's shoes, but actually applies to other male garments too), then it should be only on Fridays (ahead of going out of town for the weekend). It's old-fashioned, but endures and is why why 'expensive' looking men are in grey or blue in the working week and browns/green/tweeds etc only come out elsewhere.

(I may not be one of the younger MNers, but I wasn't born in 1909! Men's clothes "rules" are considerably more durable than women's, probably as there is less expectation they should be decorative).

I find the trouble is that I dress solely by colour.
My drawers are organised by colours and when I wake up I think of what colour mood I am in that day.
I love bright colours, mostly autumn colours.
I would love to have a style as such.
Perhaps I need to start buying fashion mags or sit in public places people watching?

Jenna Lyons is another person who has amazing personal style hinged upon wearing blazers. She looks "expensive" but definitely never boring.

Jenna Lyons' blazer style is not aggressive in the Emmanuelle Alt Paris bourgeoise way. It's the aggression in the French rock chic bourgeoise that I find so tedious.

But black and white can be very unforgiving as you age, even if you have the type of skin that in youth rarely looks better in anything else. I've always suited it - as though I was being really well lit - but I've started edging more towards navy for some things.

In my experience it's harder to get away with monochrome less expensively too; texture seems to matter more. Sometimes it can just look sort of hard.