The Style of The Very Wealthy

It’s worth the time to look at these styles, particularly today as there is a group that wants to look responsible but not dowdy, and current but not strange, and most current fashion designers really aren’t providing much inspiration like that. There are a few like Ralph Lauren, Zac Posen, and Jason Wu. The problem is that this short list of designers have their “street creds” and don’t need to make a splash on the runway to get press or even attention. Basically, folks will go to their sites and buy their clothes off the videos, or even when prompted by a text or email. And that’s how these designers are selling and existing. Most designers when they first come out of school absolutely don’t know anyone and don’t know how to get their name out there, so they believe if they follow the latest trend-du-jour and then make it more outlandish that the next “newbie” that they will get noticed and can return back to something really somewhat sane, i. e. flattering, feminine and comfortable.

But there is another source, and that is what the modern, current, responsible woman on the street is wearing. A lot of times that refers to leaders of businesses, communities, and countries. Those gals who are in responsible positions are looking to project professionalism and they look for fashion that will do that. Good luck! That’s really hard to find unless…

Wait for it…unless…you sew!

And therein lies a lot of answers to how the wealthy really dress.

This suit is not a real Chanel. It’s important to remember that Jacqueline Bouvier, seen as someone of great wealth was not showy. Often the generationally wealthy had garments made that were hugely discounted from what the price was in stores. They would often have garments copied from the runways of Paris, New York and Milan. In this case, Jackie K had been scolded for wearing so many European designers, and not enough American designers. This historical garment was a line-by-line copy of a Chanel dress and jacket.

The point is that the truly wealthy don’t always buy those expensive clothes from the designers of Europe or how fiction or the movies would have us believe. I know that for a fact in my own small city. We have a few who are in this class of generational wealth, where the money is handed down from generation to generation, with no stopping it. Each generation has been taught how to be guardians of the bulk of the wealth rather than exhibitors of it. As a result, they dress differently, but not so much as you might think.

These styles don’t look like much, but when you examine them a little closer you can see more than you think. For one thing, they are almost to a tee, all taken from the classic Chanel jacket. For another, the trim on them is intricately detailed which means it may have come in a roll, but parts of it had to be custom applied to make the design work – like around the corner of the necklines and the curve of the neckline. Even the yellow dress has a scalloped edge that has to be worked expertly so that the corners will match or at least look like they can be turned without any tell-tale sign of the trim being straight when it was originally woven.

Things like this are a designer’s dream. I literally picked up this trim and the fabric and the buttons to go with the trim. The fun in mitering these corners and then matching the front of the jacket are so much fun and so rewarding. But you NEVER see this in anything ready-to-wear – or if you do it’s all junked up and there’s certainly no artistry to it.

This was a beautiful trim I found in London and couldn’t resist it. What made this even more fun was mitering the corner on the cuff so that the design didn’t look like a miter, and matching the center front so that it didn’t look unmatched. It actually doesn’t match exactly, however, when I wear it, it crosses over just a smidgen enough to look really good. Of course, with trim like this, you don’t need jewelry. This is on a 4-ply black silk crepe which makes for a very flowing and lovely jacket.

This is Brooke Aster one of New York’s Society doyenne. She not only had to dress correctly, but responsibly, adultly, and yet not weird or crazy. Her clothes are stylish, yet very VERY classic. Many may even look like the same pattern, and yet with different trims and pocket treatments, even different stances (the location of the highest button), can be variations that make the whole outfit look different.

Looking at how the wealthy really dress you see that it’s timeless. These outfits last forever, and even though they have incredible detail and probably tons of handwork, they are basically a classic style. All of the wealthy women dress very well, very appropriately, but these photos are of a time when ripped-out jeans, frayed edges, and ill-fitting clothes were all in fashion, and yet look at how together and well-thought-out their outfits are. They resemble the very idea of grace, style, and poise, but not following the fashion of the time and having their own dressmakers/designers create the clothes that they know work for them, and make them feel special. This is exactly what I did. I never wore hipsters, all my pants came to my waist cause that’s what felt most comfortable. I never wore ripped-out jeans, cause my pants were tailored for me and looked great on me, and made me feel special.

I wasn’t a shopper in the 90s for Grunge clothing, because I had spent the 70s, 80s and early 90s making beautiful clothing. I had gotten so spoiled for that beautiful clothing that wearing something other than beautiful, flattering clothing was simply not my style. And what made me even more spoiled was that everything I made was comfortable and flattered me. Even today people comment about how thin I am, when I’ve shrunk a couple of inches and put on a couple of pounds, I know that I’m not thinner. But what I do know is that what I wear is flattering, complementary, and beautiful. That beats anything I could buy in a store.

This isn’t a post so much admonishing fashion, as it is my permission for you sewists to wear what you know looks good on you, what flatters you, what benefits you, and most of all what is comfortable for you. I don’t think you have to give up flattery or fashion for comfort (RTW does). This is also my permission to give you freedom to vary from the fashion of the day and make your own fashion statement. There is so much more freedom we sewists have when we know that we don’t have to follow the fashion-du-jour, and most of all that we can relax and be comfortable in what we know is good for us.