Does having less money make you more stylish?

*PLUS* 10 things you can do to make any outfit (irrelevant of cost) more stylish

Me in 2018 shortly after moving to LA (forgive the pose) with two suitcases, a dream and very much else. I spent the savings I did have on my Visa and the move. My shoes were my Mum’s old Tods loafers, all the accessories including the sunnies were from a flea market in LA and everything else was highstreet. I still love this look and would happily wear it now.

As a huge believer in creative constraints, there’s no denying money is one of them.

We all perceive style in different ways, through various lens, and this in my opinion is a great thing. When I think of a stylish person, my brain jumps to the woman in advanced style who made the most beautiful bracelets out of toilet roll looms. I think of the student who borrowed her dad’s corduroy blazer and made it her own. I think about the models off duty before they became famous and had the money and access to designer clothing. I think of Chloe Sevigny when she used to style herself for the red carpet before she could afford a stylist. I associate style with creativity, and there isn’t a right way to be creative. An all black ensemble can read just as stylish as a colorful one, and a minimal approach equal to a maximalist expression.

I’ve always loved a blazer! And looks like this were often my go to for working with celebrity clients. This blazer I found for a steal in Nordstrom Rack, it was by Frame and I wore it to death.

When I first moved to LA I was aiming to break into the celebrity market working as a makeup artist. When I got invited to PR events for award season, I found myself swimming in a sea of designer handbags, labels and air kisses. Whereas I was having to craft my looks using Nordstrom rack finds, vintage, thrifted or high street pieces. The look above quickly became one of my go to looks, a good quality blazer that did the heavy lifting, a pair of Uniqlo pants and then jewelry that was personal to me. I would have loved to be able to afford a really lovely tailored suit, but wearing all black meant I could create the illusion of an expensive matching suit, which always made me feel stylish on a budget. It always came back to my creativity. That and I refused to believe I couldn’t take part in the joy of expressing myself just because I couldn’t afford certain things.

One of my favorite things in fashion magazines growing up was the frequent feature ‘skinted or minted’, where they would show you the designer look head to toe and then how to replicate it on the high street/on a budget. This was a huge part of what inspired me to thrift so much in my late teens and throughout my twenties living in London. Back then, I couldn’t afford the high street version, let alone the designer pieces. In those days thrift stores (or charity shops as we call them in the UK) weren’t overflowing with primark, forever 21 and other fast fashion brands. There were still gems to find from the generations before who bought less, and bought better. (Paid subscribers can enjoy my pro guide to thrifting here btw).

harrymakesitup

A post shared by @harrymakesitup

This Tik Tok by Eliza, shows how it’s not always obvious which outfit cost more and while this is replicating an outfit like for like, it’s worth acknowledging the impact of styling vs wearing clothes. See the example I shared in Instagram above, using a button up and how quickly a piece can feel very different depending on how it is styled. The shirt cost me less than $25 and i’ve had it in my wardrobe for over four years now. Styling helps you give life to a piece of clothing. It’s how you make any outfit, irrelevant of cost more dynamic, more interesting and ultimately more personal to you and your tastes.

Still a style icon in my eyes

You also can’t safely assume how much money someone has just from what they are wearing, case in point: Adam Sandler wandering around New York city in a generic wool coat, trainers, and scarf eating from a jar of pickles (legend). On various social media sites everyone kept pointing out you would never know he’s reportedly worth over $440 Million dollars from how he dresses. While this piece is about having less money, not more, I wanted to highlight the point that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover.

When it comes to style, the designers who create notable shifts in how we dress more times than not are looking at what the kids are wearing. They are influenced by and responding to what is happening culturally. It’s one of the reasons street style has always been and continues to be so impactful. When you have less money you have no choice but to be more creative. True style will always come down to how resourceful you are, not how much money you have. Giving someone the highest quality paints, and the finest paint brushes doesn’t guarantee they’ll create a Mona Lisa.

The shorts in question that i’m adding to my wishlist ready to make cutoffs with

The stylistic choices I find myself appreciating on others have always come from how they put things together, not what they are wearing. At a recent work event I attended, it wasn’t the women wearing designer bags I couldn’t stop staring it, it was the woman who was wearing a pair of Dickies men’s workwear shorts which she had cut to the perfect length with a crisp white shirt, and olive green shoes. I knew I had to chat to her. As we chatted and I got all the deets of her incredible look, she showed me a link to the pair she was wearing and told me how she had found them for $10 on Depop. She told me was inspired by her friend wearing the Dickies on the beach with a bikini, and I am now inspired by her and i’m excited to put my spin on it. That’s the beauty of inspiration in action, anyone can put their spin on an idea no matter their budget.

Image source showing 80’s punk on the streets

It’s what designers do everyday. Designers pay attention to counter culture, for example punk, and grunge weren’t inspired by rich people or aristocracy. And while the pendulum will always swing both ways, stylistic trends are created in reaction to what is happening at any given time.

Style isn’t a competition, and it goes without saying women don’t need yet another thing to to be pitted against each other for, that’s not what this is about. But what it is about is creativity, no matter your budget. It’s about appreciating that yes money gives you access to certain pieces, but dressing head to toe in a brand that cost thousands doesn’t necessarily translate to having great style. Spending a lot of money is also no longer a guarantee of quality or craftsmanship as spoken about here.

Ultimately, having less of anything requires you to be more resourceful which in itself I believe fuels creativity, and thinking outside of the box. Money can’t buy style. It can buy you a shed load of stuff, but at some point being stylish has more to do with your approach to getting dressed and choosing ownership over your own definition of style.

10 things you can do to make your outfits more stylish (on any budget)