Contrary to what many people think, it is possible to dress lavishly on a budget. Even though some of the best clothes and designers are crazy expensive, there are still some easy ways to look expensive without spending a lot of money.
Looking expensive and classy has nothing to do with how much money someone has. Some people may not make a lot of money, but they sure know how to get people’s attention by looking like they do.
Thankfully, you don’t have to keep up with the Joneses for people to like your looks or outfit.
Achieving High-End Fashion Without the High Cost
People spend so much money on expensive clothes because they care a lot about how they look and how much attention it gets them. If you’re in this group of fashionistas, you won’t be able to save a dime and spend all your hard-earned money trying to figure out how to look rich.
But you don’t have to spend half your salary to look rich and put together. You just need to wear clothes that look expensive. You don’t even need to have a lot of designer clothes if you know how to mix and match them.
For a piece of clothing to look expensive, it needs to have the right texture, design, and color. So look for attractive and beautiful outfits that don’t cost too much. If you do it right, no one will know what the price tag says.
Being fashionable is a skill. If this does not come naturally to you, ask an expert in the fashion industry for advice. They know where to get quality clothes for cheap. You can also follow fashionable influencers on YouTube or TikTok for free.
Otherwise, here are some great tips that will show you how to look rich, even if you aren’t.
1. Use Neutral Colors
Colors are a big part of putting together the right outfit, and bright colors have their place in your closet. However, if you want to look stylish, wear neutral colors like black, navy blue, brown, grey, muted green, and white.
Neutral colors never go out of style, which means you don’t have to have a lot of clothes in your closet. They are also easy to pair with bright and bold colors if you want to.
2. Buy Things That Will Last Forever
You don’t need a lot of clothing; what you need are high-quality, classic pieces that won’t go out of style for a very long time. So skip that fast fashion and always spend your money on good-quality clothes.
Trying to keep up with the latest trends is a quick way to waste money and spend more than you need to, especially if you don’t know how to make a budget to monitor your spending.
The problem with following trends is that they never end. There’s always something new and tempting that wants to take all your money. This is why it’s smart and safe to ignore the trends and buy pieces that will always be in style.
When you go shopping next, don’t look at all the fancy things that are popular now. Instead, buy a pair of jeans that will last for years.
3. Wear Clothes That Are the Right Size
One simple way to look expensive is to avoid wearing something too big or too small for your body. Wearing clothes that don’t fit makes you look very strange and out of place, even if the clothes are expensive.
Don’t pay too much attention to the sizes on the tags. We all know that a “small” in one brand is a “large” for another, so before you buy an outfit, try different styles to find the one that looks best on you.
4. Taking Care of Your Clothing
It is very important to know how to take care of your clothes. You might spend a lot of money on a piece of clothing, but if you don’t take good care of it, it will lose its quality quickly, and you won’t be able to show it off for long.
Taking good care of your clothes usually means freshly ironing them and washing them according to the instructions for fabrics like wool, silk, or cashmere.
Plus, if you take care of your clothes, they will last longer, and you won’t have to buy new ones as often.
5. Look at the Fabrics
The quality of an outfit depends on the fabric it’s made of, so the material you choose can make a big difference in making you look rich.
A piece’s design can look great, but the fabric used to make it can be pretty bad. It won’t take long for it to start fraying and looking cheap.
The next time you go shopping, pay attention to the fabrics of the clothes you want to buy. It’s best to buy clothes made of natural materials like wool, cotton, silk, and linen.
6. Keep Your Appearance Clean
Imagine you’re wearing stylish clothes, but your hair isn’t done, and your accessories don’t go with what you’re wearing. You could be covered head-to-toe in designer name brands like Gucci, Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, but people won’t think you’re wealthy.
Rich people don’t look messy. They try as hard as they can to look perfect so that they can live up to their “rich” status. You need to think in the same way if you want to look expensive on a tight budget.
How do you care for your hair, nails, and teeth? If you want people to love and admire your looks, you have to look after these things, too.
7. Avoid Extravagant Make-up
Be careful with your make-up, if you wear it. Many people think that you need a lot of make-up to look polished and expensive, but that’s not true. You don’t have to put on 15 different kinds of make-up just to figure out how to look expensive. If you do this, people will think you are trying too hard to impress them.
Also, good beauty products tend to be expensive. So, if you always wear expensive makeup, it will cost you a lot. Remember that the goal is to learn how to look rich without spending a lot of money, so keep your makeup routine simple and classic.
8. Accessorize With the Right Things
There is no rule about how many accessories you should wear to look wealthy. But to look expensive without spending a lot of money, wear a nice wristwatch and maybe a necklace or earrings that go with your outfit.
For example, it doesn’t make sense to wear a gold chain with a suit, which is a formal business outfit.
9. Take Care of Your Hair
How you do your hair is also a big part of how you look. This is not just for women; men should also know how to style and take care of their hair (including facial hair).
A fresh, modern haircut will help you get rid of any split ends and update your look. You might also want to buy some nice hair products to keep your hair healthy, shiny, and full-looking.
10. Look After Your Shoes
Your shoes can say a lot about you and your status. Most of the time, people judge how rich you look by how expensive your shoes are.
Regardless of how much you paid for them, take care of your shoes. For example, spraying them with waterproofing will keep them from getting wet from spills or rain.
If you wear leather shoes, get a shoe polishing kit. This will make your shoes last longer and make you look rich, even if you aren’t.
How to Spend Less and Look More Expensive
Don’t let your wallet hold you back from looking fabulous. With these tips, you can look like a million bucks without breaking the bank. It’s all about paying attention to the finer details and keeping it clean and simple. These simple yet effective tricks will have you looking like a true class act in no time!
Amanda Kay, the founder of My Life, I Guess, provides valuable career advice and support for anyone striving to make a living and, more importantly, make a life. Whether it's navigating job searches, learning new skills, overcoming unemployment, or dealing with debt, My Life, I Guess has been a go-to resource for career guidance and financial stability since 2013. Amanda's expertise and relatable approach have been featured in trusted publications such as MSN, Credit.com, Yahoo! Finance, the Ladders and Fairygodboss.