Want Your Outfits to Look Expensive? Follow These 9 Tips!

When it comes to our wardrobes, I’m sure we’d all love a little extra cash to add a little extra zing to our looks. However, it doesn’t take a pile of money to look expensive when you know the secrets to look expensive without breaking the bank!

On Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills, looking expensive might be wearing a tracksuit that’s covered in name-brand logos. While in London’s financial district, it might look more like a dark two-piece suit paired with a colorful tie and flashy shoes. As we are a classic style channel, our definition of looking expensive harkens back to bespoke garments made from luxury materials like those worn by our style icons in the real world.

Why do we specify “in the real world”? When scrolling through social media, you often see menswear items that are highlighted and showcased in a way that is much bigger and bolder than they actually are. Set against a glittering nightclub scene, these outfits look hip and dynamic. But, at the end of the day, it’s just a gray hoodie and a black T-shirt, no matter how much they might actually cost. So, for us, looking expensive refers to classically-styled clothing that emanates value and worth, while still maintaining a classic look.

Why would you want to look expensive?

As you know, we often don’t recommend flashy or showy clothes here at the Gentleman’s Gazette, and we would never want you to use your clothes to show off or belittle others. There may be certain occasions where you want your look to exude classic style and still maintain a look of expense.

For instance, if you’re meeting a potential client in a professional setting, an air of financial excess can make you appear more reputable. This works for most financial meetings in general. Like when Rafael secured a larger line of credit after meeting an executive from his bank on a flight. He was impressed by the high standard of dress Rafael is wearing on a plane.

And fewer things give you more confidence than dressing like a million bucks to feel like a million bucks. So, you’ll be at your peak when dining at a fancy restaurant, getting drinks at an exclusive bar, or visiting a private club. But, really, do you need an excuse to dress up and look great for your enjoyment? We certainly think not.

Tips To Look More Expensive: 1. Perfect Fits

We’ll take our first tip from the lyrics of the Irving Berlin song, first made perfect by Fred Astaire, perfect fits. It doesn’t matter if you have a cashmere suit with silk lining and gold buttons. If the fit is off, it just won’t look good. Conversely, a well-tailored suit will give the impression that the garment was made expressly for you, and looking bespoke is rarely seen as cheap.

But, you don’t always need to go custom. You might have seen others buy inexpensive suits and then have them altered. Just look at these before and after results from Don at Splurge Frugal.

Oftentimes, alterations are not all that expensive, especially if you’re able to save money on the original garment. And even basic alterations will massively improve the look of your garments, making them appear more expensive as a result. You can learn our seven top tips for tailoring in our guide to alterations.

2. Care For Your Clothes

Whether your clothes actually cost a lot of money or you just want them to look like they did, all of your garments should be regularly cleaned, neatly pressed, and attentively cared for. Not only will this extend the life of your clothing, it makes the clothes themselves actually look bett er as well as making them look more expensive.

Need some help getting started? Our playlist on clothing maintenance has over two dozen videos that cover everything in detail from sewing buttons to ironing suits and removing stains to long-term storage. So, whatever your wardrobe needs to look well-maintained, we’ve got you covered.

Naturally, you don’t want your clothes to look more put together than you do. So, don’t neglect your own appearance. You won’t need a 24-karat gold facial to make your hygiene routine look expensive. Just follow the basics of personal grooming, and it’ll be both so fresh and so clean.

3. Ditch The Labels

Brand names might be a big part of looking expensive in contemporary styling, but did you know that draping yourself on labels can actually have the opposite effect?

Essentially, trying to prove that your outfit is expensive by making the branding extremely obvious usually backfires. Over reliance on labels can make it very obvious to the casual viewer that you’re trying to look expensive with the implication that the outfit isn’t actually that expensive. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with wearing tasteful designer goods, they work best in moderation.

As an example, let’s consider this outfit – modeled very tastefully, if I do say so myself. The only explicitly branded feature is my navy Ralph Lauren sweater with a contrasting red logo. Compare this to a monogrammed Fendi sweater. That sweater costs almost a thousand dollars, but my Ralph Lauren looks more expensive and costs a lot less than that.

Why does it look more expensive? It’s not over-the-top. It doesn’t appear to be compensating for anything with excessive branding and more closely resembles classic and timeless style elements, with quality materials, simple lines, and subtle charm.

Need help separating genuine quality from brand hype? That’s what our Is It Worth It? series is all about.

4. Curate Combinations

Contrary to what you might assume, you don’t need a massive walk-in closet the size of Ace Rothstein’s in “Casino” to have a wardrobe that looks expensive. But, you should endeavor to have a sizable selection of staples. This will allow you to rotate your selection and employ different articles into different combinations, so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing the same thing over and over again.

By emphasizing and investing in quality staples, you can make a relatively modest well-curated wardrobe look like the sartorial selection of the most luxurious clotheshorse.

Our guide to capsule wardrobes introduces the basics of how to build ensembles in this way. This especially applies to accessories – luxurious jewelry, ties, socks, and pocket squares are versatile enough to be worn with multiple outfits and will make each one appear more expensive and elegant.

Need help determining what should make the cut? We have suggestions for essentials there, but we give you a big hint with our next tip.

5. Wear White Shirts

The crisp, elegant look of a fine white shirt is the perfect pop to elevate any look. Why? White matches any color and creates dazzling contrast that makes other colors appear more vibrant and lustrous. And therefore, more expensive.

Culturally, white is also a color associated with wealth because pure white is expensive to dye and more expensive to keep clean. Check out our post on white clothing in general to learn more about this connotation.

So, between its effect and other colors and its social associations, a beautiful white shirt can make any outfit look more expensive – whether it’s a more casual sweater outfit or a more formal suit ensemble. There’s a reason that white shirts are the go-to for the most formal, most expensive Black and White Tie dress codes, and why they are standard issue for inductees into the Kingsman.

6. Find Fabulous Fabrics

When value is dictated by quality and not brands, you’ll find yourself with considerably more financial wiggle room to then spend on high-quality pieces. When it comes to sourcing quality, garments that were quality from the ground up are a great place to start. That is to say, seek out menswear articles that are made from quality materials.

For clothing, this often means sourcing natural fabrics. Not only do natural fibers like cotton, linen, wool, silk, and cashmere have numerous innate qualities that set them apart from synthetics, their naturally refined appearance marks them as being more valuable and expensive. Trust us, a discerning eye will always be able to tell the difference between pique cotton and polyester or synthetic Shantung silk from the real thing.

In a similar vein, you should also seek out well-made fabrics woven from these materials. Weaves can greatly impact the particular qualities of a fabric as illustrated in our dress shirt guide. When it comes to looking expensive, you can easily achieve this with heavier fabrics. They will appear more plush and decadent and have a better drape – highlighting your silhouette well without appearing constricting or baggy.

Do you know about all those gorgeous fashion illustrations of impeccably dressed gentlemen with well-draped suits? The heavier weight and historic fabric are a major factors in why they look so good.

We’ll also note that items made from high-quality materials often have craftsmanship to match. While it does occasionally happen, few craftsmen who care to source expensive raw materials will risk ruining those materials with inferior production methods.

Granted, we know that, most of the time, natural, high-quality fabrics are gonna cost more than cheaper, synthetic varieties. But, by focusing what money you do have on versatile pieces, you can make your limited funds go further.

7. Be Functionally Formal

It’s a cliché that traditionally wealthy people overdress for all occasions, including even, it would seem, sleeping. But, taking the time to appear more formal in your day-to-day life will give the impression that you are wealthier.

Formal clothes are socially coded as being nicer and of better quality than casual clothes. For most people, this $1,500 suit ensemble appears more expensive than the casual outfit from Gucci, even though the Gucci outfit costs over twice as much.

Does this mean that you should wear a suit every hour of every day? No. But, in order to look more expensive, consider dressing more formally than those around you. Perhaps one step up the dress code hierarchy.

For instance, on a social lunch date, wear business casual with a sport coat and odd trousers instead of just a polo. Dressing this way will help you stand out in a positive way and appear wealthy and successful like a TV executive.

8. Craft Complete Outfits

One reason that more formal clothing appears more expensive is that it is more structured and put together. All the elements come together in a complete and unified whole – giving the impression of a distinct matching set purchased together. Perhaps this fact explains why monochromatic outfits often appear expensive-looking. They are obviously part of a whole.

Although, upon closer examination, the matchy-matchy ensemble is often aesthetically unpleasing. Not that we’ll say that to John Wick’s face, of course, and it’s almost impossible for all of the colors to match entirely. So, Mr. Bale, just because Batman wears black all the time doesn’t mean that you have to.

Rather than employing a monochromatic approach, you should ensure that your entire outfit is coordinated, employing complementary and contrasting colors but also patterns, textures, and fabrics. This means ensuring that every aspect of your outfit – from your shoes to your hat – actually looks like it belongs and contributes to the overall look. This approach might tempt you to focus on minimalist outfits as it will be easier to fit all the elements together.

It’s true, this cohesive approach is a great way to make sure that simple and understated minimalist outfits appear more expensive. But, it also works for maximalist outfits.

Although we don’t want you to think that this means cramming expensive accessories into your look simply to prove that you can afford them, it’s pretty easy to see through this ploy. Instead, outfits with numerous elements need to be carefully crafted. This ensures that there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

Let’s take a look at Preston’s outfit as an example. He’s really piled on the gold accessories – cufflinks, a lapel pin, a watch chain, and a collar bar. But, rather than looking gaudy, the gold fits neatly into place with the off-white shirt and orange and yellow pocket square. Both the dark gray suit and black shoes keep the entire outfit grounded.

The result: a maximalist outfit where every element has a place to be and a role to play. Not only does this outfit look great, but it also looks expensive because every component works together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

9. Adopt A Signature Piece

Money can’t buy confidence, but money can buy unique and special items that make you feel more confident. A signature piece is often employed by wealthy men of style to set them apart from others. Think of Gianni Agnelli and the luxury watches he would wear over his shirts, Lino Ieluzzi and his iconic number 7 tie, or Tom Ford and his signature black suits.

Your signature piece can assume many forms. Maybe it’s one expensive item that you wear prominently like a ring or a pair of exotic leather shoes; or a unique color choice like always featuring pink in your outfit; or an unusual way of wearing an article like how you button your jacket or wear your bow tie. 

Even if your signature piece isn’t expensive itself, it’ll put people in mind of the luxury show pieces showcased by wealthy men and set you apart as a man of distinction and taste.

The signature piece will work best if it develops naturally and if it’s significant for you. Don’t feel like you have to force yourself to have one. And if you do adopt one, recall that, by nature, a signature piece will attract attention and bend some style rules. So, keep in mind that anything too outlandish or trendy may not be in line with classic style.

Conclusion

Of course, at the end of the day, only you know how much money you actually have in your bank account. The confidence you use when interacting with others will be the defining line of your look.

We hope that the suggestions that we’ve given you today will help you feel and exude that confidence as you build outfits that look like you had to spend a bundle, but all you actually had to do was spend some time – time planning on ensembles, whose worth and style far outweighs their worth and money.

Outfit Rundown

Here’s how I tried to achieve that with today’s outfit. I’m wearing a navy cable knit Ralph Lauren sweater with a blue and white striped dress shirt, khaki trousers, brown dress shoes, and Fort Belvedere socks. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop for socks like these.