Being rich and looking rich are two different things. One requires money, effort, and connections while the other just requires updating your wardrobe. You don’t need to spend a fortune if you want to learn how to dress rich. All you really need is an eye for detail and a few tips, which we’ve outlined below.
Now keep in mind that dressing rich comes with acting rich. You want your confidence to show through even if you know that you’re wearing affordable clothes and accessories. On top of that, you want to genuinely appreciate your clothes, even if they’re not from big designer brands. The best way to do this is by taking good care of them. With all that said, here’s how you can dress rich and impress women.
Tips for How to Dress Rich
There are so many things you can do if you really want to learn how to dress rich. From where to pick your clothes to the types of fabrics that you should avoid and how to groom yourself to look like a million bucks. Below, are my favorite eight tips to show you how rich people dress:
Invest in a good tailor
Off-the-rack clothes are made for the masses. They are designed NOT to fit nicely but to match the average body type of each size so they can sell to as many customers as possible.
In order to look rich, you need clothes that are designed specifically for you. Wearing baggy, unfitting clothes only shows people that you don’t have much to wear or you’re too cheap to spend money on fancy clothes. On the other hand, wearing tailored clothes of fancy fabrics - if chosen right - will make you look more professional and wealthier.
Even if there’s something about you that you don’t like – like being short or overweight - the right tailor with the right tools and the right colors can hide those flaws, fix your posture and make you look a bit taller and fitter.
Get fit
Rich people today are seeking to be fit. Hundreds of years ago, when food was rare, men preferred curvy thick women over thin ones because only the rich and noble had money to overeat.
Today is the opposite. Rich people are fitter and healthier than the average Joe. They hit the best gyms, eat quality foods, hire personal trainers, and have enough spare time to exercise regularly.
Fortunately, you don’t need a personal trainer to shadow you all day long in order to get fit. In fact, you can wear a plastic bag and you’ll still look cool if you’re jacked and have your belly fat under 15%. Just dedicate yourself to six months or a year of training and eating clean and you will achieve similar results without buying a single item.
Hit the gym no less than 4 times a week and pay attention to what goes into your mouth. Once you turn yourself into eye candy, anything will look awesome on you with little or no effort, and appearing richer will be a matter of just a few retouches.
Read: How to meet and date hot, fit girls
Drop the logos
Fashion is a statement in today’s world. You can use it to convey a message or to reflect your own personal taste. That’s why, wearing clothes with so many logos on them is often seen as a loud cry for attention. It screams “try-hard” and makes you look insecure.
And guess what? Expensive brands get it too.
To separate royalties and billionaires from the “Nouveau riche” – most high-end brands conceal their logos, shrink them down or make custom-made, logo-free versions only for the elites. For example, this is one of the richest men on the planet, can you count the logos on him?
You rarely see Zuckerberg, Musk, or Bezos wearing labeled clothes unless they’re working out in a pair of Nikes. It’s not because they shop in Macy's, but because the truly rich don’t need logos to show off.
Take good care of your shoes
When it comes to footwear, rich people tend to have two things:
- They have clean shoes, and
- They have lots of them
Since you came here to learn how to dress rich on a budget, I won’t ask you to buy a ton of shoes just to look good. But the least you can do is:
Have at least one good pair of shoes for every occasion
There are more than 15 types of shoes in the market for men to buy. But for the sake of minimalism, you can stick to at least one pair of these ones: dress shoes, gym sneakers, boots, casuals, and at least a pair of white sneakers.
Also, try to choose colors like black, brown, and dark blue that work with several outfits instead of going for odd colors like red or orange. This will save a lot of money.
Clean your shoes frequently to look as good as new
The most un-richly thing a man can wear is a pair of old, faded, worn-out shoes. Ask any woman, and she’ll say that one of the first things women notice in a man’s attire is his shoes. Simply, because shoes cost money and men don’t buy enough of them because they either can’t afford them or they lack style.
If you’re wondering how to take proper care of your shoes, here are a few tips:
- Polish them regularly
- Keep them well-supported and don’t bend for a long time
- Use shoe trees to reform shoes back after usage
- Keep your shoes away from direct sunlight and store the ones you don’t use in boxes
- Don’t use water or moisturizers to clean your shoes
- Wash your white sneakers every other week and soak the laces in bleach
- Rotate your shoes so they have time to recover from being worn
Groom regularly
No man, regardless of how much he makes, should look messy or careless. Being a slop turns people off even before knowing you. As I said earlier, one of the perks of being rich is having control over your time. Rich people afford to delegate work just so they can get a massage or a tan somewhere. This means that just by looking neat you’ll imply that you have enough spare time and thus you belong to the sassy class.
But how exactly should you groom?
First off, you need to shower daily. That’s a must. Second, you must visit the barber preferably once every two weeks or at least once a month. Pay extra and visit an expensive barber for a trendy haircut. Once he finds you something that matches your face and shape, take as many photos as possible of this new haircut then show them to your local barber to get it done for much less.
Read: Bad Men’s Haircuts: 7 Men's Hairstyles That Drive Women Away
But what about skincare?
Rich men also have better skin because they can afford to take care of it, unlike most men. The least you can do is use moisturizers and cleansers to block and remove the pores on your skin – especially the nasal area – so you can look young and elegant.
Other grooming tips include:
- Exfoliate dead skin cells
- Drink plenty of water to keep skin cells healthy
- Remove nose and ear hair regularly
- Shave every day and moisturize afterward
- If you have a beard, trim it at least once a week and apply beard oil to it
- Ironing your clothes before you go out
- Cleanse your face and use a facial moisturizer
Wear sunscreen to prevent premature aging
Get at least one signature perfume
It’s quite easy to make a good first impression if you smell like a real gentleman. Perfumes are classy accessories that can reflect your personality, confidence, and knowledge about fashion. Also, women pay close attention to a man’s perfume the same way they do to his shoes. They’re more sensitive to odors than men and can easily remember you just by your smell alone.
Women also know how expensive perfumes are and that you can’t smell good without investing a bit of money. That’s because almost all great perfumes are made of scarce ingredients to make them last longer.
Finding the cologne that works best for you may take you some time but the surest way is to search the internet for what the experts recommend and then try them at your local perfume shop. Many of these perfumes will cost above $150 if not more, which can be expensive to some people, but the impression they leave is quite memorable.
Don’t buy cheap fabrics
There are a few specific types of fabrics that rich people prefer; silk, satin leather, linen, and cashmere.
Expensive fabrics feel better, look better, wash better, and last longer than polyester, thin cotton, and other cheap fabrics. They don’t normally rip easily and can withstand more wear over time. They also do better against bad weather compared to other fabrics.
For example, silk is great in summer as it breathes better and feels softer against the skin than nylon and other synthetics which don’t absorb water and will leave you feeling sticky and hot. Cashmere, on the other hand, is a great heat insulator that makes you feel warm in winter without having to wear your entire closet.
Have items for every occasion
A rich man’s wardrobe is ready for everything. Whether it’s a wedding, a paddle game, or a party they’re hosting, rich people always have something special to wear and they rarely wear the same things over and over.
You may not afford a large wardrobe, but if you don’t want to look boring or embarrass yourself, then your wardrobe should cover as many events as possible: formal events, casual events, business meetings, and job interviews, in addition to beach trips.
And, don’t worry. This costs way less than you think.
First, consider stocking up on a few key pieces at a time. You don't have to go all out at once. Take your time and get one or two new items each month.
Second, buy classic pieces that won't go out of style and can be matched with multiple outfits. This can include dark denim jeans, white and black basic t-shirts, dark chinos, and a decent dark coat. Aim for one or two colors that can get along well with as many colors as possible – think black, blue, white, and gray. That’s much cheaper than, for example, getting 10 polos of different colors.
How Rich People Dress: The Dupes
The easiest way to dress like a rich man is to watch what rich people wear and copy them. There is a handful of clothes that rich people frequently wear that scream “classy” and won’t break your budget. I listed five of them below:
Pocket squares
To some rich men, pocket squares are as necessary to the suit as the tie. Wearing pocket squares on a suit gives it an extra pop and adds a little color and character to it while still keeping all the focus on the suit itself.
But, how to pick the right pocket square?
Some men prefer to use pocket squares as an extension of the tie, but this isn’t always the case. You can choose from dozens of shapes, fabrics, and patterns depending on the occasion and, of course, your taste. For example, a solid white cotton pocket square speaks to the classic man, while a brightly colored silk fabric suggests you enjoy fashion risks.
Leather gloves
If you live in a place where it gets cold quite often, then you need a good pair of leather gloves on you all the time to keep the warm blood moving between your fingers. Wearing leather gloves on a suit or a coat is another way to make a classy statement about your style. Gloves have been around for centuries to showcase social status and provide protection against cuts and colds. It’s an old display of power. In fact, historians attribute believe people wore gloves for one of two reasons:
- Protecting against bacteria and other transmitted diseases
- Demonstrating wealth – Wearing gloves was the wealthy’s way of telling the world he has other people doing hard labor for him
When shopping for leather gloves; look for a pair that is both comfortable and compliments your suit and/or coat. It should be made of durable materials that don’t wear or tear quickly, and preferably lined with soft fabrics like cashmere or silk.
Cufflinks
Cufflinks are more like statement buttons or subtle jewels; the right ones can instantly upgrade your dress shirt from normal to classy. You can also use cufflinks to tighten your cuffs if you have small hands or tiny wrists.
Back in the day, royalties used to give away cufflinks made from precious stones like rubies and diamonds at weddings and graduation ceremonies. Now, you can still wear them anywhere and they will still give the same subtle classic effect.
Overcoats
Even if you shower in freezing ice and wrestle with bears like Khabib Nurmagomedov, you still need a good overcoat when it gets cold. The right coat can make you look classier, thinner, and taller than you really are. Throw a nice, long overcoat on a nice suit and a pair of leather gloves and classic shoes and you’ll instantly look like a millionaire.
There are several styles of an overcoat, but the right overcoat should be heavy, fit, and of natural thick fabrics that don’t absorb water and can isolate your body from cold like wool or cashmere.
Tip: Make sure the coat you choose covers your knees and cuffs. Coats that are either too long or too short have a cheap look on them and won’t make you look rich.
A well-tailored suit
Forget about the “rich people wear jeans and t-shirts, not suits.” It’s total nonsense. A well-tailored suit speaks confidence and authority and will get all eyes on you wherever you go. A recent study even shows that people tend to follow those who wear suits automatically because they think they’re better leaders.
When choosing a suit, focus on fit. It’s the most important aspect of a good suit. Your suit has to be flawless. You want something that rests peacefully on your shoulders and body and isn’t too baggy.
You can get a suit from department stores, but most likely it won’t fit you. Suits that will make you look rich are well-tailored, high-end, and 100 percent wool. An experienced tailor will determine your body type just by looking at you and will design a suit that fits you perfectly and hides any physical flaws you may have.
Pro tip: When getting a suit, make sure that the jacket's shoulder has room and is not so tight to make it look like it’s been in your closet since high school. Also, try to avoid black since it’s the most common suit color out there. Gray, navy, brown and blue are better alternatives that will get you more attention.
Pro tip 2: For a fancy look, unbutton the lower button of your vest. This goes back to Henry the Eighth who was obese and couldn’t button his vest till the end so it became a mark of fancy, bespoke suits.
