The “how to look expensive” thread

[Throwaway1066]

I remember this thread from possibly years ago, but search function is failing me.

Does any one have the link still? Or failing that…..any tips for looking “expensive”

By that I mean effortlessly stylish, simple pieces, maybe kinda like a Parisian!

Hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, fragrance, jewellery…. Everything! What’s you favourite “expensive” tip?

(bonus if it’s not actually expensive)

Trinny is quite wealthy in her own right and of course, was with horrible old wealthy Saachi who only eats at Scott's, she's a fan of the big white trainer and she definitely has a polish about her (and a lot of handbags). Would that be what people would mean by expensive? That's kind of what I think of: thin people with nice cashmere sweaters that always look new for some reason and not like they hang their clothes on the floordrobe like me!

It's harder to look 'expensive' in summer than winter. Winter is easier with wool trousers, cashmere sweaters and camel coats. But even then, unless your camel coat really is expensive and your sweater is truly cashmere and your trousers are expertly tailored you won't look expensive- you'll just look like someone copying 'a look' rather than actually having the look.

At the end of the day, I think you have this look or you don't and if it's not your natural style it's hard to recreate.

Go for what you love- not a 'look' and you'll hopefully look stylish and have your own style.

Was recently in Paris and did not find the women dressing like this thread would suggest. The styles were varied, and there is lots of colour in French women's wardrobes. Florals were everywhere. Most were wearing trainers and walking shoes or ankle boots on the city streets.

The luxe style in a neutral palette which this thread seems to class as expensive is more Kardashian than Parisian.

For typical French every day style look at Zadig and Voltaire, Sezane, Pinko, Sandro etc.

I come in contact with wealthy people through my work. Usually not the titled horsey sort, nor the tacky new money sort. They’re mostly company owners who have a few generations of business related wealth behind them. And generally their clothing is very understated with no visible logos, mostly neutral colours but fantastic quality with nice details. And they tend to be slim and fairly fit.

Actually, Camilla did spend money on her hair, particularly her colour, long before her and Charles married. I know this because she goes to the same Mayfair hairdressers as me, and she's been going there for well over 30 years.

Just because some look like they're not spending money on their appearance, doesn't necessarily they are not.

Looking expensive means different things to different people, and one can do all the things stipulated in this thread and still not look expensive.

You can wear the most desirable labels in the world, but unless you have confident arrogance you won't pass.

This is true. I was out in public today in Papaya viscose palm print elasticated beach trousers but my face is so haughty I got quite a few admiring looks.

I didn’t say that old money doesn’t get its hair cut. I said that they think it’s naff to be overly concerned with appearance. Camilla (pre-Queen) and her ilk will never be wafting around in neutral silk co-ords, like Shiv in Succession.

Take heart fellow floralist. Have a look at Erdem. The entire premise of Erdem is floral dresses starting at a minimum of £800.

There's an awful lot of tosh on this thread.

My MiL looks a bit like Camilla pre Queendom. In fact, now I think about it, my MiL is a wealthy woman, inherited so she's always been wealthy. I'd say her 'look' is unpolished nails, slightly scruffy hair, always wearing the right thing in lovely fabrics, never anything fashionable as such.

When she goes out to the theatre or something, it's a similar look, but the fabric changes - silk or velvet.

I've never seen her wear nail polish - always beautifully filed though. Total social confidence, excellent social skills and so on.

She's probably my idea of looking 'expensive' but I'm not sure her version is what the OP is seeking

😂

Placemarkimg 😁

Have to agree here.

JenKnowsbest?

No!!

I am old and grumpy now(58) but… and genuinely asking.. why do people crave to be what they are not.
I am all for good grooming, washed hair, well cut nails, clean clothes… all the basics. But what makes a person look good is being absolutely themselves… their personality, their kindness, their openness to other people, honouring their own life experiences. There , said , it will now duck against the 🔥

@Highdaysandholidays1 Trinny has a lot of agency. She’s very confident and I think that plus her height and accent are what make it obvious!

Bloody woke crowd, can't say tan now

But it's okay to say blondes can be too pale

🤔

I don't think Trinny looks expensive. She's tell and slim, so carries clothes well but tbh, she often looks like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards

I think untanned very clear smooth and soft skin

The problem is for many white people, they don't have very clear skin, hence why the pp probably suggested a light tan. My face is ruddy in places and my very white skin has rather prominent blue veins, neither of which are conducive to looking polished IMO. I don't tan, but I think if I did it would make me less ill looking. From what I have seen, it's much easier for black and brown women to look glowing (which in turn looks very healthy and polished IMO) even by just applying some type of body butter. When I do that I look greasy, rather than glowing.
One thing I have done that I think has made a bit of difference is to shave my arms once a week. I have very fair but cactus spine like hair on my arms which looks very untidy. I feel more polished like this, even if I don't look it.

@LunaTheCat … I was tempted yesterday to cross reference this thread with the ‘Do I need an iron?’ thread. Legions of militants confirming they haven’t owned an iron in all their adult lives.* And those that do claiming they only iron school shirts, and do that on the kitchen table.

Being so irredeemably ancient you’ll probably have some idea of what a clothes brush is? I recall a whole thread of people clamouring to be told what I might use such a strange object for.

And you’ve had decades to discern that MN’s favourite clothing emporium is probably Next. Remember when Next was new and fabulous - after George Davies converted some Kendall’s stores in 1982? (I always say my first graduate job suit looked like actual Chanel - for years afterwards friends and relatives used to borrow it for interviews …) I’ll keep my opinion of Next’s merits in 2023 to myself … (It’s too early to be running from pitchforks.)

But I honestly don’t think you need worry that the British population is going to fool other nations into thinking we’re a land of billionaires through our clothes. We must continue to rely on wit and our elite queueing skills.

*That said, one of the most stylish and fortunate people I know is a man resident in Europe whose clothes leap straight from the washing line to his person. I recently watched him navigate an entire festival of grand auditorium performances in spectacularly crumpled linen. Don’t know if he looked expensive - the tickets certainly were.

Off the back of this thread I looked up Myka the etiquette expert's page. To me she has the BA hostess look, along with Aggie from How Clean is Your House. Some people would describe them as posh looking, and they obviously take a lot of time for grooming (which follows on that there is a very big difference to being groomed and looking polished).

I've come to the conclusion that you can't look polished unless you have the genes. Groomed, yes, but polished, no. No amount of money, tailored blazers or good diet is going to make me look polished unfortunately. I'm overweight, have a very round back, head and shoulders and I'm overweight with no boobs.
I know lots of women who spend a fortune on grooming but none of them look polished IMO. The polished woman I know has a very expensive face, as does her 94 year old mother. She is completely understated, she doesn't even have the MN swooshy hair, but she's slim, toned, has beautiful manners and walks like she has a rod down her back. She's the carer of a severely disabled adult child, so doesn't go to the gym or have time for tweakments. She was MOG recently and very unremarkable wrt her hair/outfit, but she looked so incredibly elegant. The MOB had gone all out on dress/hair/makeup but everyone kept saying how fantastic MOG looked.

Agree!

Oh, I understand this. However, I disagree about old money thinking it's naff to be overly concerned with appearance. The fact that C (pre-Queen) was already paying £300+ for highlights every few months does rather demonstrate that she does care about her appearance - we wear our hair everyday, so investing in it is a given.

What I think is part of the problem is using shows like Succession as an example of how to look expensive, because it's not real. For every real-life uber wealthy person who does dress in that way, there are many many more who don't. Also, someone can buy the neutral silk and cashmere co-ords from Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, The Row, Gabriela Hearst et al and still not look polished or wealthy.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Placemark

@LunaTheCat - having read through this thread with interest but also a degree of bemusement, I agree with you.

I'm not sure why looking expensive is so prized. Perhaps it is down to the influence of the Kardashians et al?