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Do you ever look at some people and feel like they’ve just *got it*? You look them up and down because they look nice, sure, but they don’t seem to be wearing brand-new designer clothes … you can’t quite to put a finger on it…
Fashion truth bomb: You don’t have to have money to look pulled together.
In fact, feeling and looking pulled together can go so much further in life than designer clothes and expensive accessories. If you do have those items or truly enjoy fashion as an art or expression — great! Go for it.
Either way, the key to looking pulled together isn’t in the value of the clothes, but how you present yourself to the world. These tips apply to both situations.
Follow these tips and tricks to make your wardrobe look much more expensive than it actually is.
Tip #1: Be clean.
Simple enough, right? Whether or not it’s fair, people make a judgement about you within three seconds of meeting you. A big part of looking presentable is simply looking fresh.
That means no stained shirts, no sleep in your eyes, and no super noticeable *odors*.
This goes for guys and girls.
For rock stars and Alexa Chung, the “I just rolled out of bed and oy, do I have a hangover!” look is adorable and well suited. For all the rest of us, it’s not charming.
You don’t need to do a full face of makeup and put on a cocktail dress at 8 a.m., but making sure your teeth are brushed, your shirt isn’t visibly dirty and your nails aren’t lined with dirt is is important. Cleanliness and hygiene contribute more to the conversation than you’d think.
RELATED READ: 7 Germ Magnets In Your Home You Are Probably Missing
Tip #2: Invest in nice hangers.
Avoid bulky shoulder bumps in your blazer or stretch marks in your favorite sweater dress! Quality hangers in the proper shape for the clothing item you need can make all the difference.
I know it’s tempting to keep the free plastic hanger that comes with your new TJ Maxx blouse, or to hang on to the wire hanger from the dry cleaners, but they aren’t worth it. Preserve your clothes longer and keep the dreaded “hanger bump” off your shoulders (literally).
These are high-quality hangers for everyday use:
And these are a good idea to help maintain the shape in any expensive jackets, suits or blazers you have:
These velvet hangers are my personal favorite (so good for all those little dress straps and slippery blouses!) and are what fill the majority of my closet:
Oooo, similar ones linked here in a pretty dusty pink! (Wish I’d seen these before I got black ones!)
Tip #3: Get a steamer.
OK, so technically a few of these tips do take some money, but in the end, keeping your clothes in good shape and making them look nicer is cheaper in the long run. On that note, a steamer is an ESSENTIAL hack for looking effortlessly fashionable with very minimal effort.
Your favorite travel bloggers all swear by a small travel steamer in their suitcases to get all those great travel shots. At home or on the road, a steamer is an easy way to make an outfit look fresh and tidy. The most frustrating thing is to pull out a clean dress to wear, only to realize it has several huge creases down the front. Wrinkles just look sloppy, and can take a nice and clean outfit down several notches.
We have a full-sized steamer here at our house. It came with the marriage… I think my husband got it at Costco forevvverrrr ago, but here’s one that is similar (a little pricey! But this one has GREAT reviews and will last for years and years):
This travel steamer has been tapped as the go-to for travel bloggers!
Tip #4: Get it tailor-made to you.
Want to know one reason why gowns worn on the red carpet look so good? They’re built to suit the person wearing them perfectly!
Off-the-rack buys just don’t always fit a body well, and we are so used to ill-fitting clothing that we don’t always care. I’m so conditioned to think that jeans just don’t fit me, I don’t even try any more. 🙁
Side note: If I ever find a perfect pair of jeans that don’t need ANY alterations, I’m buying 10 pairs.
But across the board, your wardrobe looks so much more expensive and stylish if it FITS. This is especially true with professional attire — business skirts, pant suits, jackets, etc.
A good seamstress is hard to find, and not everyone wants to learn themselves. But if you want clothes that actually fit, it comes down to those two options.
Well, there is a third option: don’t buy what doesn’t fit, and save up to get something that will.
Ever found something that’s on so much of mega-sale, that you justify the buy even when you know it doesn’t fit? The harsh truth is that you probably aren’t going to lose the weight/gain the weight/grow into it, just maybe let that purchase go.
RELATED READ: 26 Things You Should Declutter Literally Right Now
Tip #5: Keep moths away.
This tip reverts back to Tip #1. Avoid holes in your sweaters by trying your darnedest to keep moths away from your wardrobe!
Place lavender sachets or cedar blocks in the drawers/chest containing your wool items, or make sure they’re in an air-tight, sealed Tupperware or Rubbermaid storage bin. (Don’t even bother with the ones that don’t lock the lid in place. Those moths can wriggle in like you wouldn’t believe!)
I get the lavender laundry bags from Trader Joe’s (also great for placing under guest pillows while not in use!) for drawers and use these cedar blocks in the bins in my closet. Here’s a similar one with wonderful reviews:
Tip #6: Give your shoes space to breathe.
One way to protect your shoes from getting bent out of shape and scraped is to make sure they aren’t overcrowded. (I am so guilty of this!)
When your shoes are all piled one of top of the other or tossed haphazardly into a shoe bucket, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when they come out looking like they went for a romp in a field.
Keep yard shoes, flip flops and old tennis shoes in a bucket or bin by the mud room, but space out your nice shoes in shoeboxes, shelves or hanging racks so that they won’t tumble around.
Tip #7: Use a shoe buff.
Speaking of keep shoes looking nice … use an inexpensive shoe buff (or rag) to wipe off dirt and gunk before you put them away in your closet.
I’m so bad about this; even when my boots get muddy or wet, I forget to quickly wipe them off before I put them on my closet’s shoe rack. It really takes no time at all, and you can toss the dirty rag or buff in the wash.
There you have it: 7 ways to make your wardrobe look more expensive without buying a bunch of new clothes.
Again, these tips aren’t all necessarily free of charge (unless you have a grandmother as generous as mine, tailored clothes aren’t cheap!).
However, putting in the small effort to keep your clothes well-kept can save you money in the long run because you won’t be constantly replacing scratched shoes and hole-y wool sweaters.
Another general tip to looking more expensive is to purchase items with higher quality, versus more in quantity — at least for the pieces that need to be built to last. If you take care of your items, they will serve their purpose well over time!
What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below if you have any tips or tricks for creating an expensive-looking wardrobe!
Have friends you think would benefit from these tips? Don’t forget to share it on Pinterest now to save it for later!
