You don’t need a designer budget to look well-dressed. According to stylists, making high-street pieces look premium is less about price tags and more about small and subtle changes.
From tailoring tweaks to disciplined colour choices, here are seven ways to elevate what you already own.
1. Add structure to every outfit
“When it comes to instant transformation, adding shoulder pads to almost anything works every time,” says celebrity stylist Deborah Sheridan-Taylor.
Slip them into a sweater, blouse, blazer or even a coat and the silhouette immediately becomes more streamlined.
“Watch the price point multiply before your eyes,” she says. While the Eighties shoulder has been dominating the fashion week runways, the added structure also creates a stronger line through the shoulders, making the waist and overall proportions look more considered and therefore higher-end.
Luxury fashion stylist Oriona Robb agrees that small, proportional tweaks are everything. “It’s about looking like you meant to wear it that way,” she says.
“A half tuck, pushing sleeves up properly, adding a belt or swapping the shoe can suddenly make an outfit feel properly styled and more expensive.”
Prym White Set-In Shoulder Pads With Hook And Loop, £5, John Lewis
2. Tailoring is non-negotiable
Many think getting an item of clothing tailored should be reserved for investment pieces, but actually, spending money on tapering a pair of high-street jeans can make them look like you’ve spent triple the cost.
“Transformative, non-negotiable and wildly underestimated,” is how Sheridan-Taylor describes tailoring.
Trouser length, she says, is critical. “Even the most luxurious trousers can look off if they’re hemmed too short. Go super long, or go home.”
She also recommends subtle tweaks such as reshaping sleeves (what she calls “banana-ing” – turning a cuff into a curved hem), nipping in a blazer at the waist or removing bulky pocket bags from trousers to streamline the front.
Robb highlights similar details. “If trousers are bunching or dragging it immediately looks off.
In high-street tailoring, arm and leg lengths are often shorter, to save on fabric costs, but this can often make a piece look cheaper, such as if it’s short in the arm.
However, it’s more difficult to make a piece longer in tailoring, so the stylists suggest buying bigger, then paying for clothes to get hemmed or shortened.
A good tailor can make an average piece feel bespoke.
M&S Tie Belted Blazer with Linen, £60
Boden Belgravia Ponte Trousers, £89
3. Size up for a better drape
That leads onto one of Sheridan-Taylor’s most repeated rules: “Size up.”
“When fabric is under strain, every weakness becomes visible – seams, lining, stitching. It immediately lowers the perceived value,” she explains.
Going up a size (sometimes even two) allows fabric to drape as opposed to cling.
The silhouette becomes more fluid, more relaxed and ultimately more expensive-looking. Adjustments can then be made strategically to refine the fit.
Robb says when pieces don’t quite fit underneath or feel overly tight, they can instantly cheapen a look.
So ignore the size on the label and focus on the lines when on. This may vary from shop to shop, so trying on in-person is a necessity.
4. Choose fabrics wisely
“Fabric is usually the giveaway,” says Robb.
Pieces with weight and texture, like proper cotton shirting, 100% wool and linen, tend to hold their shape and photograph well.
Sheridan-Taylor would always rather buy luxury second-hand than mediocre new, prioritising natural fibres such as cashmere, camel hair, merino wool, silk and gabardine.
Synthetic fabrics, she explains, can sit poorly on the body and rarely improve with wear. “Natural fibres soften and develop character.”
Print is another detail to focus on.
“High-street prints are often overly recognisable and date quickly,” she says. Strong plains tend to look more timeless and in turn more expensive.
Mango 100% Satin Silk Blouse, £89.99
5. Master a tonal palette
Print brings us onto colour, which can add more perceived value than you may think.
“I am a firm believer that going tonally – committing to one colour from head to toe – is the single fastest route to an expensive finish,” says Sheridan-Taylor.
Tonally doesn’t mean monochromatic. So instead of all-one-colour, go for chalk with ivory, olive with moss or navy with cobalt.
Robb agrees that more pared-back colour combinations work best. “Creams, browns, soft greys and navy layered together look effortless and timeless.”
That doesn’t mean avoiding bold colour entirely. Sheridan-Taylor suggests pairing unexpected shades but keep it in alignment with primary, secondary and tertiary colour palettes, such as a brown pencil skirt with an Oxford blue shirt and tomato-red knit.
This ensures the combination stays feeling harmonious rather than chaotic.
And Other Stories Red Knitted Jumper, £57
Cos Tailored Pima Cotton Shirt, £65
Mint Velvet Tan Suede Midi Skirt, £109 (was £199)
6. Let accessories do the heavy lifting
“An absolutely integral and entirely underestimated role,” says Sheridan-Taylor of accessories.
Oversized 1970s-inspired sunglasses or small Nineties frames can instantly elevate an outfit.
Layered jewellery in mixed metals, chunky earrings or long pendants can add richness and depth.
Brooches worn in place of basic buttons can make a classic cardigan look cooler and more elevated.
Belts, Robb explains, are another tool that can provide structure and break up proportions in a flattering way.
A vintage leather bag with natural patina paired with simple jeans and a white T-shirt can bridge the gap between high street and high end.
Toast Jeans Belt, £59
7. Avoid the small mistakes
The fastest way to undermine an outfit is to overcomplicate it.
“Creases, worn-out shoes, too many trends layered together,” Robb says, are all elements that can cheapen your look.
“The outfits that feel the most expensive are often the simplest ones.” Investing in the basics, like good quality, cotton T-shirts, is key.
Sheridan-Taylor also warns against head-to-toe high street. Mixing in something vintage – whether a 1970s blouse or an Eighties bag – creates a uniqueness that fast fashion cannot replicate.
Ultimately, looking expensive isn’t about logos or labels. It’s about proportion, fabric, colour and care.
As both stylists suggest, when an outfit looks unique, it will always read as premium.
Cos Clean Cut T-shirt, £29
