So, how do very wealthy people dress day by day?

[bellaiceberg]

Very daft thread title i know.
I don't need to know this because I want to emulate it or copy it. I'm not interested in looking rich, I could make the most expensive item in the world look like a bin bag, hehe

But have been in a conversation with my sister who believes rich (or very well off) people don't feel the need to worry about clothes or style so wear very basic, ordinary (even cheap) clothing during the day or school run, etc but get the really expensive stuff out for special occasions and specific pursuits only. So basically you would never guess from the clothing if a person was very well off (generalisation alert!)

My opinion is a bit different in that I would imagine you can enjoy playing with style and might prefer to express your identity with lovely quality pieces, like we all might (depending on our budget). So I mainly presume we are all essentially the same, just having different incomes.
I must admit that having once lived in a wealthy part of the UK a lot of people did tend to just bob about in jeans, tshirt and converse. But that was years ago,

So which is it? P'raps it differs across the UK?

@Laiste

The folk round here with pots and pots of cash are mostly wearing holey leggings, filthy body-warmers and crocs. or Hunter wellies. But then we're in the countryside and most of the wealthy are into their horses ect. They drive properly old battered 4x4s and do school pick up with bits of hay sticking out of the doors and mud all over the windows.

This made me laugh 😂

Very true though

@Helpstopthepain

Tiaras and ball gowns. That’s what I wear day to day.

😂😂😂

Doesn't it depend on how you have done by the money / the lifestyle you have?

Eg if someone is rich because they are earning money in a high powered job: or someone may be rich because their husband is in a high powered job; or someone is rich because they won the lottery etc

All different lifestyles so different types of clothing

Meanwhile, I'm not rich, I WFH and am lazy so mostly I wear joggers and a hoodie . I'm trying to work out whether, if I had a lot of money I would wear more expensive joggers, or whether I would go out more and so wear nicer clothing . I'm not sure .

I dress my son in good quality coat, shoes (x2) and one pair of Levi’s for the year. Everything else for him is off EBay and supermarket brands. Most of my stuff is H&M and I try not to buy too many clothes a year. We’re low income but not struggling (we were before and all his clothes were designer but from Ebay). I’m not sure if anyone could tell?

@bellaiceberg you are completely right about it being a choice thing. If I don’t see a pair of jeans I like on eBay, it is no problem. I can just buy something new for more money. Whereas someone else may have a strict budget and will have to wait until they can find a pair they can afford. Similarly, I buy a lot of veg from Aldi or Lidl but if they have run out, I will happily buy in Waitrose or M&S.
interesting theory about the era we live in removing the ‘shame’ of buying second hand. I think this has a big part to play. It is seen as an ethical choice and even one linked to creative expression and individuality. Obviously it is a necessity for some but I think the fact it is a choice for others maybe removes some of the stigma. I love an eBay bargain and told everyone on my wedding day how much my eBay bargain wedding dress cost! I was pleased that I had hunted down my perfect dress for a great price. However, if I had only been able to afford to buy second hand to begin with, likely I would’ve felt a bit self conscious of that and hankered for a brand new expensive dress instead. It’s all about perception and the stories we have running in our heads: savvy bargain Hunter versus unable to afford anything else.

Btw I works form home and most of the time I’m wearing jeans and a coat when I drop him off at nursery, I’m not looking stylish because I don’t care- no one is seeing me other than the nursery staff and some parents.

The duke who drives an old Skoda, wears a bin bag and is best mates with the local vagrant is a Mumsnet trope. To be compared sniffily to the mum on the council estate who dresses little Nevaeh in fake Gucci.

That may not be the thread you intended to start OP, but it’s probably the thread you’ll end up with.

[quote EssexLioness]@bellaiceberg you are completely right about it being a choice thing. If I don’t see a pair of jeans I like on eBay, it is no problem. I can just buy something new for more money. Whereas someone else may have a strict budget and will have to wait until they can find a pair they can afford. Similarly, I buy a lot of veg from Aldi or Lidl but if they have run out, I will happily buy in Waitrose or M&S.
interesting theory about the era we live in removing the ‘shame’ of buying second hand. I think this has a big part to play. It is seen as an ethical choice and even one linked to creative expression and individuality. Obviously it is a necessity for some but I think the fact it is a choice for others maybe removes some of the stigma. I love an eBay bargain and told everyone on my wedding day how much my eBay bargain wedding dress cost! I was pleased that I had hunted down my perfect dress for a great price. However, if I had only been able to afford to buy second hand to begin with, likely I would’ve felt a bit self conscious of that and hankered for a brand new expensive dress instead. It’s all about perception and the stories we have running in our heads: savvy bargain Hunter versus unable to afford anything else.[/quote]
Thank you, a great, thoughtful post!

It makes me think that we possibly yearn for the expensive dress more if we are less able to justify it?
To be at ease, financially, might enable some to become less concerned about how they appear to others. Not always the case of course.

I also agree that the stigma is somewhat erased by current attitudes to buying used items. Culturally though, perhaps not.....because those who do experience hardship might not be able to separate 'used' from 'poor'.

We're very well off but not superyacht status. Shoes are usually good. And coats. We're pretty scruffy day to day, though, jeans, old cashmere jumpers with holes, t-shirts. Higher end of high street. Natural fabrics (wools, linen, cotton). Yoga kit on the school run so I can go straight to a class. Jewellery is noticeable I think (as in people comment on it) - unusual, large, heirloom pieces. We dress up more for weddings and parties.

In-laws are European aristocracy which I think gives them a bit more natural style than most Brits. Still classic understated clothes though for day to day, and often practical/sporting for sailing, hunting etc. Nothing showy. Jewels are again big and beautiful. Suits will always be handmade though. MIL's outfits for weddings and some parties are couture, made to measure, but she does wear them to multiple different events.

@shinynewapple21

Doesn't it depend on how you have done by the money / the lifestyle you have?

Eg if someone is rich because they are earning money in a high powered job: or someone may be rich because their husband is in a high powered job; or someone is rich because they won the lottery etc

All different lifestyles so different types of clothing

Meanwhile, I'm not rich, I WFH and am lazy so mostly I wear joggers and a hoodie . I'm trying to work out whether, if I had a lot of money I would wear more expensive joggers, or whether I would go out more and so wear nicer clothing . I'm not sure .

Regarding your last paragraph, you might easily become more lazy! Less bothered. Relaxed.

I keep wondering if i would. I am not struggling but i can't quite imagine what attitude i might take if i was extremely wealthy. It might be something you could only perceive once you had achieved it.

I inherited a good sum some years ago, on top of my regular income (five figures, not the famous MN six!). My decisions about what to do with that money would be very different to someone who had absolutely nothing, or had a different upbringing to me. Or someone who was unemployed or in debt.
I could choose to invest some of it, many might not.
And others, it would't even be a blip on their radar considering already existing wealth! Perhaps a cheeky bet with a friend.

@MOmiMa

Nauveau-riche wear latest designs. Old-money-rich wear rags.

True, no Chanel bags and Dubai holidays. Very tacky.

In-laws are European aristocracy which I think gives them a bit more natural style than most Brits

and naturally, this describes me!

The parents at the very cool, posh school near me tend to wear very cool noticeably original clothes. It’s not footballers wives showing off tits and arse or designer labels though.
The rural lot tend to wear anything as long as it’s green or brown.

Not sure what very wealthy is

I think that when you have enough money you loose a bit of perspective. My DH spends £500+ on a pair of shoes (they do last and he resoles etc) but he probably thinks that £200 is the average price.

@lightisnotwhite

The parents at the very cool, posh school near me tend to wear very cool noticeably original clothes. It’s not footballers wives showing off tits and arse or designer labels though. The rural lot tend to wear anything as long as it’s green or brown.

I lived close to a private boarding school for a while. It was a mixed bag. Occasionally in the local chippy, a parent would turn up in the queue, shouting loudly across the restaurant about little timmy boarding and how much it cost them. I sensed insecurity there, and a few similar experiences in local shops.

On the other hand, there were many who kept a tight lip about it, not exactly simmeringly well mannered (as MN often protest), just quietly confident and aloof.

* Occasionally in the local chippy, a parent would turn up in the queue, shouting loudly across the restaurant about little timmy boarding and how much it cost them. I sensed insecurity there, and a few similar experiences in local shops*

See, this is bullshit.

@HolidayTime2021

Not sure what very wealthy is

I think that when you have enough money you loose a bit of perspective. My DH spends £500+ on a pair of shoes (they do last and he resoles etc) but he probably thinks that £200 is the average price.

DP only shops for boots at mountain warehouse. It's like a stubborn hill he is willing to die on. And all his boots wear well and last. He doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks about that. When i was younger i occasionally tried to tempt him to spend more, buy better, but i have to admit he was right.

I only currently wear docs. I have two different pairs and we are four years down the line. I know when this type of talk pops up it is like a landslide of virtue signalling, but my days of giving a fuck died long ago - as i increased my income.
As a struggling self employed artist, i thought nothing of spending a fuck ton on isabel marant suede booties. I would make up for it by turning the heating down! Those days are gone. We do change as we grow and our income alters. For better or worse.

I think if one was at all interested in style then being very wealthy would make you more inclined to take risks/try new looks. It would mean that your prospects weren’t dependent on not offending or not sticking out, which limits “looks” for many of us I’d think.
Personally I have very few clothes all of which are at the ‘interesting’ /androgynous end of plumo (writer pants) or wide leg trousers, plus now very faded heavy cotton french t shirts and big wool rolllnecks and I’d probably just buy more of the same so I’m less holey.

@Squizzley

* Occasionally in the local chippy, a parent would turn up in the queue, shouting loudly across the restaurant about little timmy boarding and how much it cost them. I sensed insecurity there, and a few similar experiences in local shops*

See, this is bullshit.

ok. share your issue, perhaps?

Or you share your issue perhaps? Because nowhere does this happen apart from in your fantasy.

I usually have good but old shoes along same lines - Japanese hi-tops, androgynous brogues, those furrry boots by that woman, whatsername, Birkenstock’s in summer.

I am laughing my head off about the made up scenario in the local chippy about a parent telling everyone about boarding school fees. Is this the socialist worker fantasy blog?

@Squizzley

Or you share your issue perhaps? Because nowhere does this happen apart from in your fantasy.

you sound stupendously pissed off. Why?

I was in a small town, it was my own experience there, i cant help it if the only people i heard being vocal about private school money were in the fucking chippy and Boots. There weren't many other shops!

everyone has their own experience. mine are not sacrosanct. What can i say?

You can say that it’s bullshit because it did not happen?

@Squizzley

Or you share your issue perhaps? Because nowhere does this happen apart from in your fantasy.

If you're a good girl i will spare you the fantasies i have about donald trump