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!

Sorry but “tailored, well-fitted, classic” is not London. It’s a prosperous parochial look that I associate with Home Counties or affluent market towns in Surrey. The London look is much freer.

You can wear linen that's properly cut which is what I mean by tailored (as opposed to Cos random cutting). Ditto Westwood ... A lot of the stuff done by The Fold is what I'd call tailored. Just usually horrible fabrics.

Stick to linen, wool, cotton & silk. But I make most of my clothes (definitely not parochial styling!) and I can tell polyester at 20 paces ... So for me, it's about the fabric, the swing of the coat or jacket from the shoulders, the fit to the waist.

and am close to buying my first cashmere jumper

I have some gorgeous cashmere jumpers & cardigans from Pure and N. Peal, and the cashmere/silk mix pyjamas I bought are just the Best Thing Ever. Current 'price per wear' in lockdown is probably about 10p!

But part of the joke is that they're not actually 'posh' - they're nouveau riche!

I thought Julia was defo posh hence the joggers & unbrushed hair.

And if you really want pared-down but efficient & smart, I'd go for some of the Prada/Armani/St Laurent in their more 'mannish' Le Smoking styles - not close fitting except at the waist (if that flatters you), broadish shoulders in jackets - room to move, but when you button them up, well-fitted to you. Fine wool twill for trousers - it never creases, silk shirts - or silk jersey if you don't want to iron. Pretty classic & the right combinations can look really easy but stylish.

In your profession, flappy things might not work - smooth and streamlined might be what to look for. For ease, I tend to like dresses + jackets. The single line of a dress means nothing to crease up, or keeping on needing to be tucked in. Dresses can be very flattering. Jacket (or cardigan) on top.

And Grenson do gorgeous shoes - have a look at the back stories on the blog En Brogue for some ideas. I also rather adore John Fluevog shoes (I buy quite a few pairs most times I'm in NYC) but sadly, I don't rate their endurance/price ratio (I walk everywhere & they can't take the pounding!) Unlike my Bally lace-up ankle boots, which are still going strong after 20 years.

OP, if you want to start buying cashmere, have a look at Chinti & Parker. Some of the patterns are a bit wacky but others are lovely, and they do a good range of cashmere basics. I have been buying their cashmere in the sale for years and it rarely bobbles. The sale is currently 60 per cent off - they should go up to 70 per cent soon. www.chintiandparker.com

Ah now if we're talking shoes that look good, are well made AND are comfy to walk in, it has to be Tracey Neuls. I have an extensive collection of her shoes from the last decade and none of them have been uncomfortable (apart from one pair of bastard sandals that ripped my feet to shreds on the first wear). Her boots and her Geek shoes are particularly comfy. I have tramped around NYC for hours in her (heeled!) boots and my feet were fine. Her shoes are classic with a twist. Often spotted in the depths of east London (where I live) although sadly she did close her Redchurch St shop this year...which has saved me a small fortune.

traceyneuls.com/

These are some of my favourites:
traceyneuls.com/collections/heel-boots/products/calvin_stardust-suede_ankle-boot
Super-comfy and just a little bit fab. Worn with some Huit black jeans and a Mother of Pearl black fringed blouse, they look amazing. Sadly no more going round for Sat night dinner cooked by a handsome man and teetering about in my boots ("what these old things?"). Back to tramping around in the dark, cold and mud instead. Damn you Covid, when can we wear nice shoes again?!

@HundredMilesAnHour beautiful shoes! What's the sizing like? I'm a 38.5 and always unsure whether to size up or down
Thanks

I find them true-to-size. But they have a chat feature so you can just ask their advice about a particular style's sizing.

Thanks! I love the black lace up wedge heel shoes - they're really gorgeous! As are the boots you linked to but think they're out of my size

@caperplips Her shoes are fabulous. I have these boots too and they're so comfy:
traceyneuls.com/collections/designers-edit/products/stella-smoke-black-leather-boots

Who am I kidding? I have tons of pairs of her shoes. They don't really date so I just wheel them out randomly. She only makes relatively small quantities so once they're sold out, they're usually gone (unless you get very lucky).

The wedge heels are a new style this season so hopefully they will be around next season too.

Great boots @HundredMilesAnHour but the part where they cost £600 is a teeny, tiny bit of a problem

@HundredMilesAnHour those long boots are so fabulous! Do they look like short boots with long boots?
Yeah the £600 price tag is sobering but I have a birthday coming up.
I love the black lace shoes

@caperplips No, they look like long boots. The leather is so soft that it's like wearing laced up leather socks. The lacing is a bit tedious but once it's done, just don't take them off.

They usually do a 10% discount for new customers and/or if you chat them. Not a huge discount but it all helps.

Sorry @Respectabitch. Quality and well made I can find for you, cheap not so much.

I'm a fan of beautiful well made shoes/ boots!
I have 3 pairs of Eileen Shields shoes & they're more than a few years old but I only wear them occasionally so I trot them out from time to time. Last year I bought beautiful Isabel Marant snakeskin ankle boots but I've had hardly any opportunities to wear them since..
Some days I just take my beautiful shoes / boots out of their boxes & look at them [sad!]

Oh those Tracey neuls Black boots with the fringe are fabulous. The price though I will hopefully be finishing a hard won postgrad in the summer and may just treat myself to something from her as a massive reward.

It's not the brands, it's the styling.

Get following people on Instagram who have the same body type and colouring as you who also style themselves as you would like. And just copy.

There will only be one or two that for the bill.

To find mine, I put my Mac foundation shade into google and got loads of you tubers who i follow for make up looks.

Then I put: 'Short celebs with hourglass figure into google' and picked a few who's style I like and started following them.

I love trinny and Olivia Palermo's style but in reality I'm a nigella lawson. So I follow her, mainly to figure out what not to wear!!

@HeyGirlHeyBoy I have literally this second bought those boots!! I was dithering between them & the black laced shoes with the wedge heel but I figured I would get more wear from the boots. Although the shoes are beautiful.
I got an unexpected bonus from work & I have used some of it for the boots. They are absolutely my style
Having purchased the Ally Capellino pale blue leather tote & now these boots I now have to step away from this thread before I do any more damage!
It's been fun though!

Ooh the are truly beautiful, so stylish with just an understated outfit. Standout stunning. I will now go and look for that bag! Well done on the bonus and well wear!

Not read whole thread but it’s great and I’m quite amused at the variety of advice on here
I work on the fringes of the city... 6 figures and client facing but sometimes in quite casual industries so adapt my style accordingly.

As PP said 6 figures in London doesn’t mean much... my DH on the same. We have 2 DC in private school and a London mortgage so I am not in a position to blow a grand on a handbag either. Obviously our life our choice etc etc.

I think Aspinall is great for the price.
Wouldn’t be seen dead with a Longchamp nylon shopper for work but I think they are great for the gym or flights.
Knomo is about the only acceptable inexpensive back pack brand.

I wear a lot of the brands mentioned. I adore the French brands like kooples, maje, zadig.
Wear a lot of Zara and Massimo Dutti.
Carefully chosen Hobbs, monsoon and phase 8 because 80% of it is horrible but what I have is lovely.
My smart winter coat is actually from Zara and has lasted years.

And yes to Cos, Arket, & other stories, me & Em. Got a lot of all that stuff.

I'd nearly prefer the longchamps tote to the knomo backpacks, they're a bit nunnish for me but agree the LC v plain and functional.

I do actually have the Longchamp pliage in black leather and it is lovely. Perfect for tucking under your arm on the tube when you might also have a laptop bag.

@NonyaBizniz

Why the Sophie hate? She’s lovely.

Well is she? Imo both her and Caroline come across as pretentious women desparete for fame!

But apart from that I don’t actually see any Sophie hate just Sophie’s over done WAG/look at me I own the Crown Jewels style isn’t the style the op is looking for.

Your welcome to think Sophie’s both lovely and wears nice clothes but it’s not the style op is looking for.

That’s all.

I'm sure Sophie Stanbury is as nice as anyone, but her look is 100% not a London look or the look the OP wants to achieve.