With household budgets already stretched by seasonal costs, a fashion professional with two decades of experience says the most effective style upgrades cost very little – or nothing at all.
The pressure to look good at festive parties, dinners, and gatherings is a reliable seasonal constant. The budget to fund a new wardrobe, for most people, is not. According to Leanna Spektor, co-founder and style expert at Brand House Direct, an Australian footwear and apparel retailer, that tension is largely unnecessary – because the factors that make an outfit look expensive have far more to do with presentation than price.
“Looking expensive is less about how much you spend and more about how you present yourself,” Spektor said. “These simple steps prove you don’t need a new wardrobe to look polished.”
Here are the eight changes she recommends.
1. Prioritise Fit Above Everything Else
Mass-produced clothing is cut to general proportions that rarely match any individual body well. The result is that even well-made garments can look mediocre when worn off the rack. Minor alterations – taking in a waist, shortening a hem, adjusting a sleeve – change how a piece sits on the body and, by extension, how it reads to everyone else.
“A £20 dress that fits perfectly will always look more expensive than a £200 dress that doesn’t,” Spektor said. “Clean lines and symmetry are what our brains associate with quality and care.” For anyone working within a tight budget, having one or two key pieces properly fitted is likely to deliver better returns than buying something new.
2. Iron or Steam Before You Leave the House
Creased fabric is one of the most reliable signals of a hastily assembled outfit, regardless of what the garment actually cost. Five minutes with an iron or steamer produces a noticeably different result – smooth fabric catches light in a more flattering way, photographs better, and reads as deliberate rather than rushed.
“Pressed clothing signals attention to detail and self-respect,” Spektor said. “It suggests you’ve made an effort, which boosts not just your outfit but how others perceive you.” It is also, notably, free.
3. Dress in a Single Colour
A head-to-toe monochrome outfit creates a continuous silhouette that the eye reads as intentional and refined. It eliminates the visual interruptions that competing colours and patterns introduce, and has the added effect of making the wearer appear taller. Neutral tones – black, navy, camel, and cream – tend to be particularly effective, though the principle applies to any colour.
“When there are no competing colours or patterns, the eye sees you as one elegant line rather than separate pieces,” Spektor explained. It is a technique that professional stylists deploy regularly for precisely this reason.
4. Build Your Wardrobe Around Quality Basics
Trend-driven pieces date quickly and rarely repay their cost. A well-made white shirt, a pair of properly fitting black trousers, and a structured blazer, by contrast, provide a versatile foundation that makes everything around them look more considered. Spektor recommends prioritising fabric quality and fit over novelty when allocating any clothing budget.
“Quality basics last longer and look better wash after wash,” she said. “They create a solid base that makes everything else in your wardrobe look more expensive by association.”
5. Take Care of Your Footwear
Worn, scuffed, or dirty shoes can undermine an otherwise well-assembled outfit more decisively than almost any other single element. Spektor recommends keeping shoes clean, polished, and structurally sound. For anyone not in a position to buy new footwear, a thorough polish and a fresh pair of laces can produce a significant improvement at minimal cost.
“People notice shoes more than you think,” she said. “Clean, well-maintained footwear suggests you pay attention to details – and that has an outsized impact on how polished you appear overall.”
6. Choose One or Two Accessories, Not Several
Layering multiple accessories tends to create visual noise rather than visual interest. A single well-chosen piece – a classic watch, a simple necklace, or a structured bag – reads as more considered and more expensive than a collection of trend-driven items worn together. Spektor advises choosing metals that complement your skin tone and gravitating toward timeless shapes over seasonal styles.
“Minimal accessorising creates visual calm and sophistication,” she said. “It suggests confidence and restraint – both hallmarks of expensive style.”
7. Keep Grooming Simple and Neat
The overall impression an outfit makes is shaped as much by grooming as by clothing. Clean, shaped nails and tidy, simply styled hair complete a look in a way that no garment can compensate for if they are neglected. Spektor notes that this requires time rather than money.
“Well-groomed details signal self-care and attention – qualities that people associate with luxury,” she said. “When everything about your appearance looks intentional, people assume you’ve invested time and money, even when you haven’t.”
8. Wear What You’re Wearing With Conviction
The final recommendation is the one that costs nothing and arguably matters most. Posture, eye contact, and the ease with which someone inhabits their clothes affect how an outfit is perceived more than most people realise.
“I’ve seen people in high-street basics look incredible simply because they wore them with certainty,” Spektor said. “Confidence is the ultimate accessory. When you believe you look good, others believe it too.”
Spektor’s broader point is that the festive season’s aesthetic demands do not require financial sacrifice. Start with what is already in the wardrobe, get the fit right, press everything before wearing it, and approach the occasion with assurance. “That combination,” she said, “is unbeatable.”