Back in the olden days (pre-my birth in 2000) minus 5 decades or so, wealth was symbolized as having golden jewelry, majestic labradoodles, white skin, daily new outfits for each outing, handkerchiefs, gloves and carriages with white ponies.
Fast forward a few decades later to the early 21st century, this traditional and classic style evolved from an easy way to judge the rich from the poor to now a comfy and hobo hidden unidentifiable look. Looking back, the style the upper class adopted in the 20th century seems ridiculous yet back then it was an accurate representation of who was who since clothing wasnāt just something to throw on to get eggs or go see a movie, it was a statement and representation of class structure just like skin color.
Coincidentally today, style to skin color has flipped. The tanner you are as a Caucasian, the more wealthy you seem to be as you have enough disposable income to dish out a Turks & Caicos vacation in the middle of a blizzard and WFH from there all pandemic long while in the early 20th century, resembling Anderson Cooperās polar bear white skin with no sun kiss was a true sign of privilege.
Thankfully times are changing. We now seem to pay attention and value more important things such as personality and impact not looks. The richest people on the planet are unrecognizable for their clothing choices and embody the stealth wealth lifestyle not bothering to waste their life impressing others. Thereās no doubt first impressions still matter but more people, especially women have become lenient and less critical on what they wear. Theyāve finally get to shine their own personality on what they want not what men want to see.
Starting in the dot-com age of the early 2000s when Silicon Valley adopted its title for being the largest tech hub in the world and billionaires started to flee from Seattle, Washington to San Fransisco, California, people started paying attention to what these role models were up to. TV had already been around for half a century but with modern technology of the internet and the ubiquitous social media craze taking shape, people on Wall Street and beyond started taking notice of what these change makers and innovators, mostly men, have been wearing and working in. We want what others have and are convinced if Bezos wears this polo, we must buy it to turn into him.
Our perception on the wealthiest in the world has flipped which has positively influenced how we dress and work. Of course there are industries that are still stringent on their dress code but overall, leisurewear, WFH and everyday outside of the office looks have benefited all classes as they are now dressing more alike with no stark differences.
Caught On?
To this day, if you were to compare two people side by side and ask which one is wealthier just observing their appearance and clothing, you would make an educated assumption and most likely say the one with the ānicerā āelegantā āsimpleā clothing, based on societal norms and history would be on the higher end of the ladder.
And this is exactly the wealthyās plan.
To fool us.
More than ever, hipster, thrift, lounge, athleisure wear, and ripped jeans are back in style. Just look at the Dad shoe that supermodels Hailey Bieber to Kendall Jenner are wearing or the 200ās Nostalgia Urban Outfitters section. The rich have no reason to impress because they are too confident in themselves. In fact, they donāt want to stand-out. Personally, I never thought I would ever want to own a Polaroid camera and wear the same white shirt every day to increase productivity but it came to me and now I love it!
Divided Blend
So why is trashy, unappealing irresistibly comfortable, and dollar store looks that were once called unacceptable coming back and not embarrassing?
For one, if you feel the need to prove your wealth, you arenāt wealthy.
There is a big misconception about perception vsĀ reality.
I did a mini experiment the other day in a city I call my jungle, New York. I know it by the back of my hand. The various Burroughs, neighborhoods, cobble stone streets, favorite and most popular eateries, hang out spots, where not to walk as a female past a certain hour, and where celebs reside.
Throughout Iāve found distinct similarities in fashion and image by class divide but it was harder than ever to identify.
Majority of an average Americanās wealth is tied up in their primary residence. A quick way to tell what someone is worth is by zip code since residence cannot be faked. Louis Vuitton, yachts, vacations, and net worth can.
Still today, 80% of Americanās net worth is locked up in their homeās equity and during the Housing Crisis it was near a staggering 97%.
No wonder most homes went into foreclosure and a great deal of the population declared bankruptcy! Their homeās value was their livelihood!
In the city and beyond, the easiest and best way to tell if someone is wealthy is to check out where they live since highly populated areas are dense. Old colonialism Greenwich Village buildings versus modern Park Ave skyscrapers are easily noticeable.
In NYC, the higher up you are in the sky, the wealthier you tend to be and itās unnoticeable on theĀ streets.
Residences are one of the few things the truly wealthy will not compromise and āfakeā since their homes are their sanctuary, where they can refuel, become their best and relaxāāāsomething they desperately need if they are flying to space the next day or getting ready to flip another hotel property and turn it into a Trump hotel.
Plus, you need extensive proof to buy any property with a secure down payment deposit, recommendations, credit score/report, referrals and stable income + multiple income streams. Thereās no sneaky path into 663 Park Ave.
What Iāve observed from the residents, mostly celebrities that are around the most prized and secluded areas in NYC which mainly include Tribeca, the Upper East and West Side and Greenwich Village is that despite their massive wealth, they look bland, basic, plane and simple. If I didnāt know they were there, they would not be recognized.
They rush out of their sky high apartments into their black limo. They never strive to show off, except on the red carpet and rarely intend to flash the title of an overpriced luxury brand on their sweatshirt compared to someone who realistically cannot afford it that will. Times have changed and looking entitled, naive and selfish is something they cannot risk their careers over as majority of them are in the entertainment industry, a one-hit wonder of rich and famous that can easily be lost if the paparazzi spins a story around.
This is the sneakiest genius trend only the real wealthy follow. Iāve adopted this trend far before I thought it was popular. In fact I have kept 4 pairs of the same shirts for years in order to waste careless decision making in the morning, ironically, exactly what Zuckerberg does to spend more time on other things besides clothes, something we both have no taste or style in.
For Yourself
The truth is, the rich arenāt here to be rich for others. They are internally wealthy not externally motivated. They have no reason to please people, except for their clients since they are the ones whoāve propelled their wealth. We assume celebs dish out thousands and waste their wealth, which to be honest a great deal still do since theyāve never received a massive windfall or gone through HS but in reality, most of them are frugal, basic, reserved folks that count their blessings and every dollar because they know they didnāt win the lottery, they earned it the long, slow and rewarding way.
After all, in order to stay rich, you canāt give it up. You have to keep more than you earn/make.
So the next time you cross someone on the street wearing full fledged top to bottom Gucci, realize majority of them are in debt to please you. First impressions will always matter but they are deceiving in some way.
Clothing is a big lie and striving to impress people we donāt like with money we donāt have will never make sense for anyone, especially your wallet and future.
Focus on what matters.