10 Ways to Look Expensive on a Budget in Summer

To look expensive in summer on a budget, build the wardrobe on natural fabrics and classic cuts: white trousers, linen or cotton shorts, a natural-fibre blouse, a well-cut dress, a close-fitting evening layer, a straw or brown leather bag, three simple shoes, gold jewelry, and old-money swimwear with a pareo or kimono.

As a broke young woman working on the Champs-Élysées, I had to learn how to look expensive on a budget in every season.

Here are ten summer pieces that look far more expensive than they cost, and the small choices that make each one work.

Which trousers look most expensive in summer?

White ones, because they instantly read as more summery and more elegant than the same outfit in blue or black. Choose a cotton-denim or a classic cotton work trouser with a matte finish, which looks far more expensive than anything shiny.

Avoid wide, flared hems and the short, frayed, wide-leg styles that are popular right now, since neither sits within the old-money look you are after.

Buy one piece that lasts, not several that don't.

How do you make shorts look expensive?

With a matte fabric like cotton or linen, in white or beige, that fastens neatly at the waist and is not cut too short, since the shorter the shorts, the more they read as sexy rather than old money. It is just as much a mistake to go too long: a knee-length Bermuda actually shortens the leg and flatters almost no one.

If you like a longer short, choose the long version of the classic tailored short in linen or cotton, which gives you Bermuda-level comfort while still looking expensive.

What top looks expensive for very little?

A linen or cotton blouse, which is the easiest, laziest way to look expensive, as long as it truly is linen, cotton, or a blend of the two, never polyester or synthetic. Check the label, and look for a classic cut: seams on the shoulders, a collar, and a button front.

Keep to white, beige, or a blue or black stripe. And if you want something more casual, a plain white cotton T-shirt works beautifully, provided it carries no slogan or logo.

How do you tell an expensive dress from a cheap one?

By the fabric and the cut. At the same price, the expensive-looking dress is made of a natural material like linen that reflects the light in a matte way, with a classic shape, shoulder seams, a collar, a button front, and a defined waist. The cheap-looking one is a shiny polyester blend in a non-timeless design. Long dresses look expensive almost automatically, thanks to their traditional line.

Short dresses can look expensive too; simply choose a natural fabric, a classic cut, and a length just above the knee, and avoid very short, frilly styles that drift away from the old-money look.

What should you layer over a summer outfit at night?

A thin pullover, a long cardigan, a blazer, a shawl, or a large scarf, in natural fibres. The difference between a cashmere knit and a synthetic one is enormous, and cheap synthetic knits tend not to survive: I once bought a polyester pullover that pilled beyond saving within days.

Whatever the layer, keep it close to the body. An oversized cardigan or too-wide blazer erases the shape a dress creates at the shoulder and waist and can leave you looking shapeless, so a timeless, closer cut always reads as more expensive.

Which summer bag looks most expensive?

A straw bag, which is both very summery and very old money, and often extremely cheap. Mine cost almost nothing on a trip abroad and has looked expensive for years.

If you prefer something more structured, a brown leather bag is the other reliably summery, expensive-looking choice.

How many shoes do you need to look expensive in summer?

Only three pairs: flat sandals, white sneakers, and mules or block heels. For the sneaker, avoid the chunky dad-shoe style, especially with shorts, and choose a timeless, classic shape instead. For sandals, spend a little more than the cheapest option, since bargain pairs often look right but feel uncomfortable and make your feet sweat, and choose a mule in real leather.

Steer clear of plastic shoes, which look minimalist in photos but grow hot and uncomfortable in wear and end up looking cheap.

Does gold jewelry have to be expensive?

No, because any gold instantly lifts an outfit, and from the outside, gold reads as gold. If you can, invest in solid gold, gold-plated, or stainless steel, which lasts; but even inexpensive pieces do the job.

The main difference is longevity, cheaper pieces tarnish and turn your skin green sooner, so buy better when you can, but do not let a small budget stop you.

What makes a swimsuit look expensive?

Its colour and its cut. For an old-money look, stay with black, white, beige, terracotta, bottle green, or navy, all of which read as traditional and expensive. A very high-cut or thong style reads as less expensive, because the old-money aesthetic favours suggestion over display.

Think of it as leaving something to the imagination, like a gift still in its wrapping; if a bolder cut is your style, wear it with confidence, but know it sits outside the understated look.

How do you look expensive coming out of the water?

With a simple cover-up. A cotton pareo is inexpensive and elegant, and a set that matches your swimsuit looks more tasteful still. A kimono is the other lovely option, since it flows behind you for a soft, graceful effect while covering you comfortably.

The one thing to avoid is a mesh cover-up, which reads as cheap because its design borrows none of the codes of an expensive look.