How to look expensive on any budget

I’ve always liked the word expensive. As a makeup artist people would say to me what do you want to create, and my answer was always whatever we make it should look expensive. Even if it was a neon orange liner, my goal for my work was always for it to look and feel expensive. I feel the same about clothes.

My goal when getting dressed is to look expensive. I want to look expensive because I also want to embody a feeling of that. But looking expensive has nothing to do with how much something cost.

Above - Men’s Cashmere Black Blazer thrifted from Goodwill - Earrings old H&M - Cigarette Pants old Cos - Ring is the Continuity Ring by Whitespace Jewellery.

I’m always amused when I go to places like Rodeo Drive and I see people head to toe in designer pieces but one thing is missing…personal style. More times than not, it still doesn’t look expensive even if the outfit they’re wearing is.

And the opposite is true, I often see someone walking down the street in a t shirt and jeans, or a thrifted find and I find myself admiring their outfit thinking to myself, yes they look expensive.

To be clear this isn’t about snobbery, it’s about redefining what looking expensive is and isn’t. You can have all the money in the world, but you can’t buy style.

Above - Matching set (old) from Zara that i’ve had for over two years and still wear repeatedly.

When I watch the homes that sell for millions of dollars on selling sunset I’m always floored by carbon copies of bland looking houses that lack character and style that sell for multiple 7 figures.

To quote David Beckham, ‘I like nice things’, many of which are expensive, and I value high quality, beautiful crafted pieces, but I don’t rely on expensive things to make me look or feel expensive.

When I had no money, I relied on finding high quality pieces at my price point. I just needed to know where to look.

My first search always started in the thrift store, especially ones in towns that weren’t university towns, because I wanted to avoid an influx of primark and forever 21 fast fashion castoffs. I loved going to little towns in Devon wear the thrift stores were overflowing with cashmere mens suits and good quality cotton mens shirts.

My second go to was outlet stores, now a word of caution about outlets, this is where restraint is important. A good deal is only a good deal if it’s something you actually want/something you will wear that fits in with your existing pieces.

That being said, I’ve found some great pieces in outlet stores, a navy Sandro blazer comes to mind that I’ve had over 5 years and still return to time and time again, several Vince cashmere sweaters and a pair of acne studios shoes that still bring me so much joy and all were incredible prices.

Above a mix of high low dressing featuring designer pieces, consignment pieces, and highstreet. Cotton oversized Shirt old H&M - Earrings old H&M - Belt Andersons - Trousers The Effortless Pant from Aritzia - Sandals Toteme - Bag Vintage Hermes Kelly 32. Sunglasses Chanel.

And last but not least, the consignment, preloved route. It’s no secret I’ve bought a lot of my forever pieces from consignment stores like The Real Real and FASHIONPHILE but I also think you can’t beat sites like eBay, depot and vinted for finding a good wool coat, or cashmere items by brands that maybe aren’t as trendy/well known.

The thing I like most about consignment especially the online ones is that I know what I’m looking for, and I can compare the preloved price to buying something brand new. It’s also a great way to find pieces by designers that no longer exist or pieces from specific eras that you can no longer buy in store. Case in point old Celine. Two pieces that had been on my wishlist for a LONG time were a pair of loafers and a very specific pair of sunglasses. Both of which I wasn’t in a rush to get but I bought both for a tenth of what they would have cost at full retail buying them pre-loved.

I’m also an avid high low dresser. I have a beautiful chunky wool knit cardigan/jacket I thrifted that looks amazing with Abercrombie jeans and my Hermes kelly. The wool cardigan cost me $20 but the wool is heavy and sumptuous. The details are incredible. It still looks expensive even though is wasn’t.

Don’t forget there’s also a plethora of Independent brands and quality artisans making exceptional pieces (I think i’m going to do a YouTube Video on this soon) that don’t have the designer markups. This gorgeous bag is from Ezra Arthur a US based leather maker and this stunning bag is $300 but could easily pass for a bag that costs $3000 because of the quality and craftsmanship.

Above Silk and cashmere mix Blazer thrifted - Jeans Abercrombie Curve Love Relaxed High Rise 90’s Jean - Sandals old St Agni - H&M vest - Phoebe Nubuck Bag Ezra Arthur (gifted) - Lie Studio Julie Earrings

5 things that make something look expensive

*Some items will have all 5, but generally I think for something to make it into my forever wardrobe it has to at least have 3 of these 5.

1. The fabric - cotton, leather, silk, cashmere will always sit nicer on the body (plus they feel more comfortable) and generally speaking quality natural fabrics will last longer if they are well cared for.

2. The cut (Aka how it sits on the body) - ill fitting clothes is different from something that is purposely oversized. The intention is what’s important. But a well cut piece of clothing will always create a more expensive silhouette.

3. The finish/details - The same is true for the finish of a garment, because the devil is in the details. if hems are loose and the stitching isn’t symmetrical, even or neat, it’s a huge giveaway that piece is poorly made. Attention to detail is the difference between looking expensive and not. A great t shirt with well thought out proportions doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should have clean stitching, the collar should be even and sit at the right place on the neck.

4. How you style it - getting dressed vs styling something. I’ve seen this concept go viral recently and with good reason, a lot of people know how to get dressed, what they don’t know is how to style something. In my free 10 day style challenge one of the concepts I teach is micro tweaks. This concept takes a small tweak that takes a white shirt for example from being worn, to styled. The same outfit can easily look more expensive when you add these micro tweaks, whether that’s how you roll a sleeve up, or how you tuck a T-shirt in. A silk scarf can be worn, but it can also be tied in a way that adds interest, it can add detail and a very intentional focal point that can easily make an outfit look more expensive.

5. Choose timeless over trendy - a question I often ask myself when I’m buying something is am I likely to still wear this 10 years, 20 years from now? Of course style is allowed to evolve but especially when I’m buying high cost items I come back to this question. I also ask myself would I still want this if no one else did? If it wasn’t trending would I have the same desire for it?

My favorite stores for buying quality basics without the designer price tag include

• One Quince - they’re matching cashmere sweat suits are my most worn lounge wear in winter and their 100% silk slip dresses nearly always come with me when I travel because they pack so small plus they are ,t go to to wear to bed in summer.

• & Other Stories - the relaxed T-shirt’s are the best ones one tried. The cut is perfection and rivals that of most designer tshirts I’ve tried. i also think & other stories makes some of the best winter coats I’ve seen, i have a grey one i bought over 5 years ago that still looks as good today as it did when i bought it.

• H&M premium - I’ve been a fan of hm premium for years now expescially their linen Two pieces, and leather pieces.

• Abercrombie & Fitch for jeans, especially if you have curves. The curve love range literally changed my life.

• Aritzia - say it with me….the Wilfred effortless pant…aka my most worn item maybe of all time, the perfect black trouser.

• Ssence - now this one is more expensive as it is a designer store but their prices on certain pieces are always worth checking first, especially on brands like TOTEME , Jil Sander and the Row for example. I bought my Toteme Mid Heel Boots from here and got them for $200 cheaper.

The main point I want to make in this post is that creativity and resourcefulness will always trump a wallet full of cash. Looking expensive has so much more to do with how you put things together than what you buy and how much it cost.

Let me know your thoughts below.

Harry x