Expensive Clothes Don’t Make You Stylish (And Cheap Clothes Don’t Ruin You)
Expensive Clothes Don’t Make You Stylish (And Cheap Clothes Don’t Ruin You)
There were many times I wore something really expensive, and emotionally, I felt good about it at first. Not because it truly felt like me, but because I was looking forward to people’s comments and reactions. I knew eyes would turn. I knew compliments would come. But the truth is, wearing something expensive never guaranteed my comfort.
Most of the time, I felt uncomfortable — physically and emotionally. That discomfort slowly messed with my confidence, and it became a cycle. I felt confident because I was wearing something expensive, and I knew I’d probably be the only one wearing it. But at the same time, the clothes gave off an impression of someone I wasn’t. Deep down, I feared I didn’t belong. I felt like I was trying to meet other people’s expectations instead of being myself, and that fear affected my confidence more than I realised.
I know I’m not the only one who has gone through this. Many of us wear expensive clothes or items purely for recognition, but it messes with us physically, emotionally, and even mentally. Sometimes I felt off because of the fit. Sometimes it was the way I styled it. But most times, it was simply the way I felt in it. It didn’t feel like me.
It’s not that I wasn’t used to owning expensive clothes or items — sometimes I just overdid it. I wanted reactions. At some point, style stopped mattering to me. What mattered was the price tag and how expensive the clothes looked. Even though I loved styling, I found it difficult to style most of my expensive pieces because I wanted to wear them all at once. I didn’t understand balance then. I didn’t understand that wearing “all expensive” doesn’t mean cheaper clothes can’t work beautifully.
What made me realise that the price of a piece of clothing or an accessory doesn’t guarantee looking good was when I stopped listening to what people had to say about my outfits and started paying attention to what made me feel confident and comfortable. Once I focused on my personal style, the compliments changed. People stopped complimenting just my clothes — they started complimenting me. I felt more comfortable, and more importantly, more confident. That experience taught me something very important about style.
Styling and being in the fashion space for more than half a decade taught me this: your outfit matters more than the price.
To change my mindset about how I dress, I had to answer one question honestly:
“What does a good fit mean to me?”
That question changed my life and my style.
For me, a good fit is any outfit that makes me feel confident and comfortable — and that is very important. A good outfit is any outfit that allows you to feel like yourself. One thing people often ignore when styling is how well clothes fit their body. Two shirts can be the same design, texture, and quality, but a small, medium, and large will all look completely different on the same person.
Knowing what fits your body is important, and it’s not a bad thing if certain clothes don’t fit you. A well-fitted outfit affects both how you see yourself and how others see you. When your clothes fit well, you’re not worried about what people think. You’re comfortable, confident, and people naturally admire that.
One thing I’ll never get tired of seeing or experiencing is affordable clothes working perfectly. I remember buying a pair of black jeans from a thrift market, and that single pair produced more than 45 outfits for me. Just because it was cheap didn’t mean it wouldn’t work — it worked beautifully and still does. I also have expensive clothes that have done the same. That’s when I truly understood that sometimes it’s not the price of the clothing, but how well you can style it.
I’ve seen many content creators style clothes from Shein or Temu really well, and it proved to me that cheap clothes don’t automatically affect someone’s style. On the flip side, it doesn’t feel good when you buy something expensive and it doesn’t fit well or look good. It feels like a waste — of time, hope, and most importantly, money.
Don’t aim to buy expensive pieces. Aim to buy clothes that fit you.
I’ve always believed that if tailoring my clothes will make them look better than an expensive outfit filled with logos, I will choose tailoring every single time. Nothing beats clothing that fits your body shape and size. Clothes that fit you affect your posture, your confidence, and your overall appearance — and that is the true goal of an outfit.
Style is bigger than clothing. Style is a mindset.
When I understood this, my life and the way I dressed changed forever. If you really think about it, you’ll notice that confident people always seem well-dressed — even when they’re wearing something very simple. That’s because confidence is part of style.
It’s all a cycle. Your outfit should be influenced by your comfort and confidence, and in return, your outfit reflects that confidence back to you. That’s why confident people don’t need flashy or expensive items to look good. Their clothes reflect how comfortable they are, and that comfort builds confidence.
Confidence changes how you look. It affects your posture, body language, the way you walk, smile, and speak. For me, confidence changed how clothes sat on my body. It made even simple outfits look better. I’ve seen people wear basic outfits and completely own the room — that aura comes from confidence.
When you don’t know what fits you, or when you’re insecure, anything you wear looks awkward — even the most expensive outfit in the world. Expensive clothes might give you confidence for a short time, but they can’t buy style. Style is personal. It’s something you grow into.
I remember wearing a very simple outfit to church once: black jeans, a black button-up shirt, a black tee, and a pair of Converse. Nothing flashy. Nothing expensive. Yet the entire congregation admired the outfit. I remember how confident and comfortable I felt, and that energy reflected in every interaction I had. The outfit played its role, but my confidence did too.
One of the most common mistakes people make — and one I personally made — is trying to go all out with expensive items. Wearing everything expensive at once, full of logos and statement pieces, often ruins the outfit. Too many statement pieces, too many logos, and too many accessories will destroy balance.
One of the most important steps in styling is learning how to balance your outfit — balance the statement pieces, the colours, the sizes, and the shapes. Trying too hard in fashion always backfires because it’s no longer authentic. When you’re trying to be someone else, it shows.
Balance is a game-changer. Colour balance, size balance, and shape balance can transform your outfit completely. I’ve explained this in detail in a free lesson (link attached). Learning balance is not optional — it’s essential.
Person B may look confident at first glance, but with time, the insecurity becomes noticeable. The difference isn’t money — it’s balance, style, and confidence.
This piece is meant to encourage you, not judge you. I wish I had read something like this when I started taking my style seriously. I learned the hard way — but you don’t have to.
Stop believing that expensive clothes and accessories alone will make you look or feel better. Only you can do that. And stop believing that cheap or simple clothes are signs of poverty or lack of style.
Instead of focusing on price, focus on your personal style, what makes you confident and comfortable, and how to balance your outfits. Style is a mindset, and with that mindset, you can change how you think, how you feel, and how you show up.
For me, style in three words is confidence, balance, and comfort.
Style isn’t about how much you spend — it’s about how you show up.
Before you finish reading, ask yourself:
What outfit have you worn that made you feel confident and comfortable, no matter the price?
In Summary
-
Simple ≠ boring
-
Balance > price
-
Fit and proportion do the heavy lifting
(If you want to learn more about balance, I created a free course explaining it perfectly. You can download it here for free =Understanding Style )
Comments
Post a Comment