What brands do posh people wear in London

[MrsDeadlock]

I am northern, and not posh. However I do have a fancy job that usually requires a level of travel.

There is a dress code that I'm not very good at reading for my London based contemporaries. Think Meg and Julia in Motherland types.

What brands do these types wear? I can spot a Mulberry handbag at ten paces usually but the rest is baffling and I'm genuinely intrigued. They always look so well dressed!

Please help me, I can't ask in real life!

A recommendation from my colleague was Matt and Nat (vegan bags and clothes) and I now love them!

Emma Hill on IG

Good for neutral palette of quality pieces for that understated "London" look is a good place to start

I'm not sure about all this 'following' of people ... In truth, all the most interesting people I know in London follow their own path, style wise. Either spectacularly badly dressed or, whilst wearing 'good' clothes, so completely themselves.

Worth mentioning that all the designer brands recommended on here can be bought much cheaper on The Outnet. I get a ton of stuff there that I couldn't possibly afford full price - especially in their clearance sales.

This is a great thread, explained beautifully by OP. I'm also in STEM and can work with all sorts of people and just want to look polished enough to not attract attention but also like my clothes. I'll read with interest. I'm usually very dark or red nails but like the very pale Nigella look of nails too. Tidy and done but not "look at me". Also need good advice on a bag. Thanks for posting this

Rixo is popular among my circles

OP would you hate me if I commented on the items you've linked?

People can wear what they like, obvs - but you asked for 'posh' ... I'm not an Aspinal fan in general and I really don't feel the bag you've chosen looks like £695.00. To me the leather is not lovely, it seems fussy, looks a bit dated, and the fabric lining will probably fall apart far too soon. (FWIW I don't like Chanel either, so it's not a question of price.)

The boots are ... ok but they're perhaps not expensive enough to carry off the metalwork. Brands like Grenson have similar styles with a tougher attitude.

Apologies ...

Which bit of London is your hunting ground?

Wandsworth is very different to Shoreditch which is different again to Hampstead or Ealing.

I remember Smythson bags being popular.

www.smythson.com/uk/women/bags?start=0&sz=72

I really like Staud bags but I'm don't dress corporate at all.

Love Mansur bags too

I kinda love this look. Understated but glowing. Everything in fairly neutral colours and high quality looking fabric - wish I knew where from. Not too loose and not too tight.

Shiny, healthy hair in a natural colour / style. Either expensive jewellery/ watch or quite unique one off pieces.

Smart shoes - never high heels!

@PoulePouletteEternellement

OP would you hate me if I commented on the items you've linked?

People can wear what they like, obvs - but you asked for 'posh' ... I'm not an Aspinal fan in general and I really don't feel the bag you've chosen looks like £695.00. To me the leather is not lovely, it seems fussy, looks a bit dated, and the fabric lining will probably fall apart far too soon. (FWIW I don't like Chanel either, so it's not a question of price.)

The boots are ... ok but they're perhaps not expensive enough to carry off the metalwork. Brands like Grenson have similar styles with a tougher attitude.

Apologies ...

No apologies necessary! This is exactly what I'm here for!

I like the colour and style of the Aspinall bag, but I don't think I could spend £700 on it. I've had a look at Sezane and Matt and Nat(?) and like the look of their bags, which are cheaper. I don't think they are posh though? Maybe just nice brands I wasn't aware of before.

Re the boots, I LOVE what a former colleague calls 'pirate lesbian' boots. I used to wear big chunky boots all the time for work, but I am finding that this look has not aged well as I have climbed the greasy pole. Anyway, I have similar cheaper ones from Hush without the gaudy metal bit.

I'm off to have a look at Grenson now!

I'm struggling to articulate it perhaps, but its more about the unspoken language of clothes worn by a different group to my own. I can see it, but I can't read and interpret it. Not sure if that makes any sense!

OP do you mean posh, wealthy or stylish? I think they can be quite different if that makes sense.

Your motherland references I would interpret as quite North London creative types.

@jillypill I think I mean... A woman with a good job who looks really well groomed in a classic style. What brands does she wear?

I think the motherland reference may be a red herring 🤔

Cambridge Satchel Company does nice leather bags OP. Not cheap but not Aspinal prices!

@MrsDeadlock have you seen The Split? I would say that would be the look of someone who was well groomed in a corporate role & went for classic choices.

Brands like Maxmara & Burberry, Roland Mourat, Equipment, Goat

Stuart Weitzman footwear

A woman with a good job who looks really well groomed in a classic style. What brands does she wear?

Dang ... The amount of work I could be getting done instead of arguing with your question!

I think you're conflating too many things. A woman with a really good job probably doesn't need to worry about timid 'classic style' - she has more room for individual self expression. And, frankly, 'really well groomed' is time (and your own money!) expended on nonsense like gel nails while men are divvying up the better jobs amongst themselves.

I honestly have no idea which brands other real life women wear. In four decades of adulthood I've had about three friends who were even vaguely interested in talking about clothes. A long time ago, when I had a high status/high pressure City job I dressed in a mixture of Jil Sander, Top Shop and M&S (for t shirts and vests. I had one MaxMara wearing colleague. I never noticed other women's clothes ... Now, I seem to hang out with a mix of academic and creative types, often incredibly brilliant - there's absolutely no discernible uniform or unspoken understanding of what the 'right' brands are. I'm actually quite surprised that your branch of the STEM world gives the impression of having a tribal costume!

I and a few others have mentioned Matches. (Because N-a-P seems to have gone weird.) They have Nearly All The Right Brands. You could throw £3k at them tonight (not including your MaxMara coat) and emerge, after sizing adjustments, looking amazing in a week's time. Or you could look ridiculous.

I don't feel I'm being helpful ...

If you told us the industry you work in, we’d probably be able to tell you more.

Someone working at a design agency will dress differently to someone working at a law firm, and even within departments there are styles and hierarchies.

Meg is a big shot in a marketing agency isn’t she? She wears cool cuts in out there colours and prints - I would say her look is very Cos and Arket.

Amanda is more well kept wife, so pastel cashmere and expensively blonded hair.

Julia works from home so wears jeans and jumpers with a few statement coats etc. I think her look relies a lot on &Other Stories and H&M.

I don’t think it’s true that Londoners dress expensively. Rent/mortgages and childcare are incredibly expensive here so there’s not much disposable income. My vair posh friends raid their mothers’ wardrobes and do a lot of second hand shopping. Zara, Topshop and H&M is still where they shop.

I think the big thing across all style groups here is flat shoes, big practical bags without being too obviously branded, and coats.

Other things Londoners wear that I don’t see elsewhere in the country are ethnic clothing incorporated into bog standard clothes, like a top made out of Kente cloth or a summer dress in Indian prints. It’s not culturally appropriating so much as just absorbing and adapting.

I work in medicine, but in more of a corporate role. So I'm not on the shop floor so to speak, but the penchant for sensible hardwaring shoes and comfort has left its mark.

I tend to look harassed and overworked rather than groomed. I could never be arsed with gel nails and time consuming routines, but I do get a cut and colour every 6 weeks (covid permitting) and keep my nails short and tidy.

I still dress like a junior, but I would like a more stylish look for when I'm networking/conferencing. I'm paying attention to shoes/bags/coat for the first time in my life.

Some of my more well to do colleagues genuinely look more stylish. I've complimented their coats before and they were their mums old thing from this designer before they got big way back when etc. Some of them come from generations of medics.

Basically, following years of hard work I'm now in a more senior position and have more money. I'm stressed at work with covid and am finding comfort in internet shopping. I've just had 3 months of overtime paid. I'd like a few nice bits that I wouldn't normally spend so much money on. Stuff that will last, and wouldn't look out of place when networking with senior colleagues in London. I admire their dress sense but have no idea where they shop.

I think that just about covers it, sorry for the drip feed

I think coats are expected to make a statement in London because we’re out in public a lot, and walking or taking public transport, not driving to socialise at dinner parties in people’s houses. You need to buy a few mid-range ones rather than one classic expensive one, because otherwise you’ll get bored and wearing classics is a bit ageing.

You need a big bag without logos but in expensive leather. Again, I would say mid range so you can afford to follow trends. A Chanel or Hermes is a bit of a flashy suburban look and Londoners tend to dress down not up.

Footwear is where you get to have some fun but I am not the person to ask as I’m very committed to comfort over style in this department.

It depends how posh you want to go. The two poshest women in London I know:

• one lives is proper old money, old german banking family, lives in a house sold for £100 million in South Kensington (a colleague used to nanny for them) - this lady had lots and lots of Isabel Marant (she'd always pass things on - unworn- to my colleague)
• other one swears by The Fold