Can we start an updated 2016 "How to look expensive thread"?

[WhatInTheWorld76]

I appreciate that many of the previous thread title's advice remains valid, but can we have a shiny new 2016 version?

[DelicatePreciousThing1]

Camel wool trench coat style.

Very little jewellery - a discreet necklace in silver and seed pearls or jeweller-artist made. Ring the changes but do not use "statement pieces".

Rings on ring finger only.

No droopy or jangly earrings - even no earrings.

Natural hair: no fake curls or poker straightened hair, no two-tone colour thing.
A longish bob is nice and doesn't date.

Low heeled shoes. Pointy. Mainly black.

Classic tote bags.

Lots of black crepe skirts - not long and droopy but not overly short.

Cotton or merino or cotton and silk knitwear.

Quirky brooches - artist/jeweller designed and made.

Nothing ostentatious.
No matchy matchy bags and shoes.
Few prints,
No garish colours.
Nothing bling.
Multiple rings.
Bags covered in zips and pockets etc
Etc

[P1nkP0ppy]

I think that good posture goes a long way in making clothes look expensive along with clean hair and subtle makeup, manicured nails and ironed clothes.

[Cellardoor23]

I try to avoid chunky jewllery unless it is expensive. Even then it's hard to pull off. Cubic zirconia or faux pearls is just as effective. And cheap!

Also never underestimate a good fitting bra. You could have a £100 top on but if the bra is giving you double boob or over hang on the sides, your outfit will look cheap. Same goes for muffin top.

[DelicatePreciousThing1]

Plus:

Shortish clean nails

• no hideous fakes or gel stuff or tacky colours.
  

Hair - washed every day.

Perfumes - fresh and zingy rather than heavy and cloying.

Make-up naturalist but not too invisible. No Kardashian-style contouring etc

[DelicatePreciousThing1]

..,natural

[absolutelynotfabulous]

delicate I agree with your list, but I'm afraid I'd look frumpy and dated in that.

My dilemma is "how to look expensive and non-frumpy whilst being ancient"?

And I'm a 12, too. So not slim but trying very, very, hard.

[PrettyBotanicals]

Cashmere from Pure is always worth the money. And weirdly, I've had a cheap-ish cashmere polo neck from Benneton for years that hasn't bobbled.

Neutral colours look expensive. Prints struggle to.

Zara has some very expensive looking clothes in this season but I'm not sure how well they wear. Anyone know?

Shoes are crucial.

[Feckinlego]

In the last few weeks I've bought lots of clothes. I got inspiration from Pinterest and copied the exact outfits. I should look as good as the photos right? Wrong, I don't and I realised its because nothing fits exactly right. I think the key is extremely well fitting clothes, with the right accessories. Just need to take my own advice now

[Cellardoor23]

*jewellery. I'm typos galore today. I think I need to change my smart phone.

[DelicatePreciousThing1]

@PrettyBotanicals
One of my favourite coats ever came from Zara in Lisbon.
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fe/b4/95/feb4951e836be1e4944286d1bb835a98.jpg
I have never been able to find a similar coat there since then. The Lisbon shop was really lovely and not strewn and heaped with garments as out ones are.

[DelicatePreciousThing1]

our ones

[Floisme]

Neutral colours look expensive.
I realise this thread isn't really my thing but I'm still going to say, I couldn't disagree more.

Poor quality looks poor quality in any palette. Cheap black looks particularly awful after only a couple of washes.

[BallerinaBecky]

I disagree that prints don't look expensive and neutrals do. Beige/black/white look grubby so quickly.

Also look at Kate Middleton's printed trousers from Gap. I think it depends with what the print is worn with.

One of my favourite tv presenter's wardrobes is Sophie Robinson who never wears neutrals and always looks amazing.

[ChinUpChestOut]

I'm coming to the conclusion that there's a couple of rules to be observed, above and beyond the personal grooming ones.

Rule 1, I think, is to work out the correct proportions of accessories, lengths, widths etc for your body size and shape. An example, would be if you've got short legs and a long body, and you wear jeans that aren't the right length - so you look as though you've got even shorter legs.

Rule 2, I think, is working out the colours that suit you - above and beyond thinking "oh blue always suits me'. It's getting that right shade of blue, and working out that in the winter when you might be paler, or when you're older, and your skin tone/hair colour has changed, that that blue needs to be different too.

And rule 3, has to be having clothes that fit. I used to work in the Far East, and a colleague once said that she thought I was really well dressed. I was a post-baby size 14 and was having to have a lot of tops etc made for me, as I was way too hefty for local clothes. But they all fitted me, and that's what my colleague noticed and why she thought I was well dressed.

Just a thought.

[nickEcave]

Absolutely essential that your clothes fit well. I'm under 5 foot with big norks and find it incredibly difficult to find clothes which fit well. I always aim for a neat silhouette and usually have to buy more expensive and structured clothes to achieve that. A well fitting bra is also essential and even expensive bras have to be replaced (or at least downgraded to occasional wear) every 6 months or so as they cease to be fully supportive.

[WeSailTonightForSingapore]

Can I throw in another variable?

Is it possible to look expensive/groomed/stylish whilst casual?

I ask because my workplace and I are both casual (not even business casual!), and my lifestyle is really active and city based. So I live in converse and carry backpacks as anything else makes it impossible to carry on with the day.

All my casual stuff (skinnies, t-shirts) is expensive and high end stuff, but I think I look really boring and would love to have a bit more going on in groomed/styled terms. (yes I already do the good cut, blow dry etc)

So, how can I look groomed but casual?

When I wear trousers instead of jeans, I feel about 20 years older, but probably as I am not used to wearing them!

[BallerinaBecky]

Stylish casual? It almost breaks my converse wearing heart to say this but shoes look so much smarter than converse/trainers. I was in a coffee shop today and a girl walked in wearing skinny black trousers and a t shirt. I looked at her wondering why she looked well as she was wearing such everyday clothes before realising it was her shoes. She was wearing flat black pointed leather shoes that tied at her ankle. It made a huge difference to her overall look.

[PleaseGetOffTheTableDarling]

Watching with interest, I'm really keen to update/improve my 'look' a bit now that I have lost some weight and am no longer breastfeeding.

I've decided to start with footwear while I lose the last few pounds, and am aware of the need to ditch my scruffy ballet pumps. Hoping to find something along the lines of a brogue, but quite feminine...are these still acceptable?! I'm VERY out of touch!

[ChinUpChestOut]

I always think the Italians have nailed that expensive/groomed/stylish whilst casual look. I think it's in their genes. Designer genes, of course......(hahaha I need to go outside and talk to people).

Well, going from memory they tend to do plain rather than print, apart from a scarf somewhere - neck or handbag. They do tend to wear designer gear, rather than not - and have less of it rather than wardrobes full of cheaper stuff.

But then that leads right back to the buying designer gear over high street clothes, and I just don't think that's the answer. There's a way of doing it - some kind of knack where the wearer puts the stuff together and it just goes. Damn it.

[Pisssssedofff]

The key is not yo have spare inches then the clothes hang and fit perfectly well. A £10 dress will look great on a size 10 body, the same cannot be said for a £200 dress on a body with rolls. Again I need to take my own advice but it's true 😩

[ChinUpChestOut]

WeSailTonightForSingapore, you mean this look, don't you.......



The answer to all further questions on Italian style is clearly sunglasses.

[nickEcave]

Sunglasses and very shiney hair!

[squoosh]

I'm never without my sunglasses. I don't always wear them of course, but they're always close to hand.

[Pisssssedofff]

Being 25 doesn't hurt either does it 😂😎

[ChinUpChestOut]

squoosh do people think you're being Italian?