Do higher income (or class) individuals dress a certain way? (thin, women)
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Rather than new money vs. old money, I think the biggest difference is between the working upper-middle class (upper 1-10%) and the truly wealthy (e.g. upper .25%) whose investments work for them. There is a difference between high net-worth owners of companies/real estate and high income/upper mid-class workers. I think the upper mid-class workers are often lumped together with the truly independently wealthy, but those 2 classes of people have different motivations when buying clothing.
I do think the truly wealthy worry less about impressing others, however they are aware of the impression they make. They often want to downplay their personal wealth (e.g. because of employees, investors) so do not want to dress in a flashy, ostentatious manner. I think they shop for quality and tend to dress conservatively. I work with some very high net worth individuals and I think much of their clothing comes straight out of catalogs like L.L. Bean. That is the conservative, comfortable, down-to-earth, relatively high-quality style they seem to prefer. The look of Bill and Melinda Gates.
Those who are moving up the corporate ladder, the upper middle class workers, seem to want to be more showy with clothes. They are using clothes to signify to others that they are on the path to success/wealth. These are the people who like to flaunt a Coach or LV logo, whereas a wealthier person may choose a more subdued designer (e.g. Hermes) or even a local boutique designer with a goal of investing in their local community. Of course, there are always exceptions to this.
To me it just means they spend more money on clothes.
More money does not equal style sense or class in a lot of cases.
I'm not sure about that. Classic style is always acceptable, always with us. It pays to spend money on classics.
On the other hand, there is a sort of fashion that is sold to the masses that is current and hip and is in one year and out the other. This is probably not worth spending much on.
I think people who do the first are self assured and do not feel the need to prove themselves as much as those who do the latter.
I'm not sure about that. Classic style is always acceptable, always with us. It pays to spend money on classics.
Agreed but my point is...just because you have money "doesn't" mean you dress with class. Heck look at the movie and TV stars of today. I know they spend a lot more money on clothes than I do but a lot of their clothes look like rags to me
I think entertainers (rock stars, movie stars, sports figures) are in a separate category. I do not know what % of overall wealth they hold. They have to be in the public eye and they are dressing to sell themselves, their brand, their image, start fashion trends, etc. They are appealing to the masses and dress accordingly. They flash a LV bag or red CL heel and then the masses want to buy LV and CL. They are often sponsoring these flashy products and get the clothes for free.
They have different motivations than those who have made their wealth from business/financial/real estate investment (the majority way wealth is acquired). I still think a larger than expected percentage of these type of wealthy individuals buy their clothes from L.L. Bean/Land's End or similar mid-priced, conservative style catalogs. I just know several cases of this. I wonder if they ever did a study on this?
Agreed but my point is...just because you have money "doesn't" mean you dress with class. Heck look at the movie and TV stars of today. I know they spend a lot more money on clothes than I do but a lot of their clothes look like rags to me
Seriously, a lot of celebrities dress in what I like to call "homeless chic."
Of course. Most people live within their means. In general if you have more money, you live in an area that has pricier shopping and higher class stores.
Yeah right. That's why there are currently 18.7 million empty forclosed homes in this country, 'cause people lived within their means alright.
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Originally Posted by SLCPUNK
Not at all.
I know all sorts of people and some of the poorest are the best dressed and the two millionaires I know are both Jeans/T-shirts 90% of the time. One even does his own yard work.
Yup, same here.
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Originally Posted by 1208
Of course they do.
Not only that, there are even certain brands that are completely class specific. Think: Gucci, Hanna Anderson, Versace
vs
Fox, Diesel, Carhartt
ROFLMFAO! You REALLY think Diesel and Carhartt are in the same group? You GOTTA be joking!
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Originally Posted by 1208
Ok. I was just going off the top of my head, I don't know a lot about clothes brands. I thought it was thug kind of clothes.
Fox is a dirtbike mororcycle racing brand, and Carhartt is heavy duty work clothing for outdoors work, like construction or farming. Diesel is some mall brand.
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Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
Ehh...I'm not so sure about "Walmart clothes". Most men I know who have accumulated wealth don't necessarily buy haute couture but by the same token, don't buy cheap clothing. There's a difference between quality clothing that is inexpensive and cheap clothing.
Sam Walton before he died.
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Originally Posted by Info Guy
You can take the boy/girl out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy/girl. Rich folks also donate clothes.
Exactly! Not to mention I love when they do, since I can scoop up super deals!
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Originally Posted by allenk893
It's not just dress. Check out the amount of tattoos the higher class have. Almost zip to none.
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Originally Posted by stan4
I actually have a thing for funny t shirts.
My latest acquisition says, "Back in my day, we had 9 planets."
LOVE IT! Too cute! Reminds me of my neuron t shirt. "Neuron walks into a bar and orders a drink and asks how much. The bartender says, for you? No charge."
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Originally Posted by MOKAN
Sometimes I think of as restaurant servers as modern servants. Those that become snotty need to be reminded that they are basically servants. Of course, the butlers of the past are portrayed as being snooty, at least in TV shows and movies.
Oh and let me tell you, they get really b*tchy sometimes and totally need to be put in place.
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Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
But if you have a net worth of over $20 million...I'd consider that about the threshold between upper-middle class and wealthy.
Your personal perceptions of wealthy and upper-middle class are greatly skewed.
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Originally Posted by tonym9428
MOST wealthy spend their money and live lavish lives. Just because you knew one or two who didn't, doesn't mean that others don't.
Maybe where you are at, but certainly not most, and I would venture to say probably not even half.
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Originally Posted by jade408
If you have a larger bust lines or hips, or a small waist, it is too bad for you.
Ain't that the damn truth!
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Originally Posted by MOKAN
I've heard this rhetoric before and always thought the person was trying to prove something. I don't know of anything that stacks up to the 18k gold Rolex Day-Date. I like gold watches. Could you point me to another fine and timeless gold watch? Even the two-tone Datejust is hard to match, though there are far less expensive alternatives, like Raymond Weil. Even in the cheap/border-line "fashion" category, a couple of Burberry pieces are the only I know of that are gold(plated) bracelet watches.
Seriously, if you can afford to purchase a 30k watch, you can certainly afford to fly to Switzerland to find a custom watch maker and design your own classic time piece. Then, not only do you know it's high quality, but you also know it's a one-of-a-kind.
Rather than new money vs. old money, I think the biggest difference is between the working upper-middle class (upper 1-10%) and the truly wealthy (e.g. upper .25%) whose investments work for them. .
I think this all boils down to insecurity and/or personal tastes/style.
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That's why there are currently 18.7 million empty forclosed homes in this country, 'cause people lived within their means alright.
. Most men I know who have accumulated wealth don't necessarily buy haute couture but by the same token, don't buy cheap clothing. There's a difference between quality clothing that is inexpensive and cheap clothing. 
