What makes a man or a woman look wealthy?

A perp interviewed on television said he mugs men with expensive shoes.

It depends whether you mean old money or new.

The flashy expensive stuff flaunted by the nouveaux doesn't necessarily mean wealthy; to me it reads "up to eyeballs in credit card debt."

Go to link and just keep scrolling.

Manicured and clear-polished nails on a man.

Standing next to homeless people

Well put together outfits and well groomed is definitely part of it.

For women, it's all about the hair cut, color and style. Most importantly, a flawless blowout. A wealthy woman could be wearing old sweats and no make up or jewelery, but the hair always gives away the $$$$$.

Also, pale colored perfectly manicured nails. No talons.

I'm talking about classy rich women here, not the tacky rich bitches who want to look like Rhianna and Lady GaGa.

Not caring about all the above.

Being trim, and having your clothes tailored to fit you perfectly. Male or female.

Money

Why would someone want to look wealthy unless he actually were? And why would even he care whether or not he looked wealthy?

"There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are... and it's a beautiful day! Well. I just don't understand it." --Marge Gunderson, FARGO

OP, note that there's a distinct difference between "expensive stuff" and "flashy expensive stuff." A sable coat, chunky-gold and diamond-studded Jacob the Jeweler watch and sequined Louboutin pumps are flashy and expensive; an Hermes men's bomber jacket, a classic Patek Phillippe watch and a pair of custom-made John Lobb shoes are merely expensive. The former are signs of the nouveaux riche; the latter are indicators of older money.

In any event, the best indicator of wealth -- on a man, at least -- is a custom-made suit. If you have enough eye to detail, you can spot a man in a custom suit out from 50 feet away. On women, look for a Birkin bag, but note the subtle difference: an obscenely expensive crocodile Birkin is usually a sign of new money, but a gently worn Birkin in classic tan is common among older money.

Please post photos of who looks rich

earrings

caftans

This looks rich (woman)

[quote]For women, it's all about the hair cut, color and style. Most importantly, a flawless blowout.

NYC, L.A. and Dallas now have blowout-specific salons where you can get that "flawless" look for under fifty bucks. Try again.

Old money - Nothing on trend. Classic styles, no obvious name brands or designer insignias. A lot of blue blazers and khakis.

New money - Latest trends, logos, and flash.

MIT says that you better look rich or your bag will look fake!!

File this under “Things That Really Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone, Ever.”

According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Renee Richardson Gosline (yeah, that’s right, MIT is interested in your handbag), consumers are far more likely to identify a counterfeit bag as real when worn by someone that “looks” rich and a real bag as counterfeit when worn by someone that “looks” poor. I’m not sure why that would come as a huge surprise to anyone, but the fact that its been scientifically confirmed means that we can all congratulate ourselves on being logical, I suppose..

Before you fire up the keyboard and claim in the comments that you don’t care if people think your bag is fake or that it’s shallow for people to assume things about you because you dress a certain way, please slow your roll and read the stuff after the jump.

Inherent in fashion is the desire to create a cohesive personal style and public image, and if we weren’t expecting for it to matter in some way how we portray ourselves to the world, then we’d just all wear sweatpants and Ugg boots like we all really want to, deep down (or maybe I’m projecting). And it’s okay! Caring about public perception is actually a very grown-up thing to do, no matter how many times you told your mom that you didn’t care what people thought of you as a teenager.

As it turns out, the efforts that we make on behalf of our egos are perceived pretty accurately, which is to say that people with money usually do a good job looking like they have money, and others are more likely to assume that the bags of wealthy-looking people are real. On the other hand, most people think a bag is fake if the other contextual clues in the wearer’s appearance don’t project wealth.

The most relevant conclusion of the study for people that love authentic bags is that buying a counterfeits, by itself, isn’t fooling anyone. Carrying a fake bag (one which many people might perceive as expensive in another context) isn’t enough to override everything else about someone’s appearance – instead of making the person look rich by proximity, it just makes everyone think that the bag they’re carrying is fake. That means that the people out there that bought a fake Louis Vuitton and have no other personal style to speak of wasted their money, and most people are able to accurately surmise that their bag isn’t the real thing. As it turns out, you really can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, as they say.

Bloomberg really managed to bury the lede on this article, though. All of the previous stuff seems fairly logical, but what I found most interesting was this little statistic, nestled at the end: Of women that buy counterfeit bags, 46% go on to buy the real thing within two years. People that buy fakes may think that they have one over on the rest of us bag-buying fools, but as it turns out, a lot of them are just at the beginning of a fashion progression that will ultimately turn them into the high-dollar consumers that they thought they could fool with a pleather Gucci.

[quote]Try again.

You're stupid aren't you?

On women: lots of dressing down in expensive but understated sportswear (no Juicy Couture or anything like that), but only if they have perfect, girlish figures.

r4 wealthy men have their nails buffed. Clear polish is the sign of white trash gangsters.

R17 has a reading comprehension problem.

What I think is so fascinating about the article at r19 is the idea that anyone besides a small group of other women would care what kind of bag you carry. I have yet to meet a man (gay or straight) who cares or even notices what kind of bag a woman carries.

For women of a certain age, it's plastic surgery.

A woman of means may go out without makeup or designer clothes, but she'll be damned if she'll go out with wrinkles!

An expensive watch. A man or a woman can be wearing torn clothes but an expensive watch always gives them away.

[quote]Old money - Nothing on trend. Classic styles, no obvious name brands or designer insignias. A lot of blue blazers and khakis.

The problem with your analogy is the catch-22 that classic, preppy styles are "on trend" and have been for at least the past couple of years now, with no signs of abating.

Interesting story, R19, but also obvious: people with even a rudimentary knowledge of how something like a Vuitton bag is constructed can spot a fake almost instantly, whether the consumer is poor *or* rich.

R22, I'm trying, but failing, to picture white trash MEN doing something "faggy" and comparatively expensive like getting a mani/pedi. Agreed that wealthy men who care about grooming get their nails buffed; I do it and I'm not that wealthy.

OP's planning to dress as a rich lady for her reunion.

[quote]I have yet to meet a man (gay or straight) who cares or even notices what kind of bag a woman carries.

Do you live in Bumfucke? Gay men may not *say* anything when, say, their female BFF pops in carrying this season's "It Bag," but many of them certainly notice it. I certainly do, and I don't even follow trends that closely.

[quote]people with even a rudimentary knowledge of how something like a Vuitton bag is constructed can spot a fake almost instantly, whether the consumer is poor *or* rich.

How many people in the general population have that knowledge, or would even care to *have* that knowledge? Even among rich people I think the percentage would be fairly small, particularly among men.

The trouble with the fashion world is that the people immersed in it seem to think everyone in the world cares about who designed your bag and how it was constructed, etc. That only matters to a small percentage of the population (and a small percentage which is mostly female, to boot).

It's funny when you go to the dollar store and see the welfare moms with a "Chanel" or "Vuitton" bag.

Body language that suggests casual knowledge that they are in control of the world and can have whatever they want. Wearing clothes that they took the time to have custom made or tailored, so that it doesn't look off the rack or cheap. They don't even have to look that attractive, but they should look well-cared for - good teeth and well-coiffed hair (even in casual dress, you should be able to tell that they have the means to maintain this weekly or whenever they feel like it).

Shiny gold-plated hubcaps

I'm a pocket gay Latino that has no expensive clothes, shoes or anything. Once I went to see a friend that works in a hotel and sitting in the reception were two Irish deaf-mute guys. My friend, who knows sign language, told me: those guys are talking about you, they say that you must be rich.

They got that wrong

[quote]two Irish deaf-mute guys

Well no wonder they got it wrong.

No, no, NO! Ostentations bags and watches are for the aspirational classes, or insecure nouveau riches, not the real deal.

The true wealthy do carry watches and bags that we can't afford, of course, but that's true of everything they own. It's not how they know their own.

Good teeth?

Good teeth is middle class and up, at least in the US. In most Western European countries (except possibly the UK and Ireland), it's almost everyone.

Nice, well cared for skin.

www.GOOP.com

"Do you live in Bumfucke?"

Seattle.

good teeth, toned body, tailored clothing.

An engagement ring with a diamond as big as your fist

no missing teeth good white straight teeth decent hair cut

daddy is a billionaire

Most of the things described are completely within reach of the middle and upper middle classes.

The question was not "How do you tell apart the nouveau riche from people with old money?"

Not sure why people keep answering that question, patting themselves on the back for making the distinction with cliched, even dated, observations.

The question is how does someone look rich. Ivana Trump looks rich because she is. Whether that's rich and trashy is irrelevant. New money is green just like the rest of it.

(And old money is no money as they say, but that's another story.)

Think 21st century, people.

Good hair color job.

The wealthiest woman I've ever known was worth several hundred million dollars and she never wore anything that even whimpered designer. No make-up. Clear nail polish. Plain classic clothing. A simple platinum wedding band. But when she walked by, she reeked money. I think it was the way she carried herself. She didn't need to impress anyone and she didn't need to be impressed. She also had a kind heart. A good lesson on the difference between real wealth and nouveau-riche.

Counterfeit merchandise is not made the way it used to be, and people with a pulse on fashion know it. When you have to inspect zipper pulls and refer to serial numbers to determine authenticity, you've lost that particular battle. No way of knowing nowadays if a woman is carrying a fake bag unless it is blatantly obvious. And any woman who would carry such a terrible fake isn't worried about impressing snobs anyway.

[quote]The question is how does someone look rich.

Well bitch, it is a very important distinction. Money is money, but the way it is spent tells the true story.

Why are people so impressed with old money? People with new money might have actually worked hard to earn it, learned a skill, got an education, and groomed something from nothing. Old money most likely started out in illegal activity and passed on from one ungrateful heir to the next.

What has a current Rockefeller done to earn your respect, over say, someone who made money in the tech industry?

[quote]An engagement ring with a diamond as big as your fist

BEYOND tacky. The truly rich look for quality, not quantity; a near-flawless two-carat diamond is worth vastly more than some obscenely huge bauble with tons of minute flaws.

[quote]Well bitch, it is a very important distinction.

To whom? Prissy social climbing gay men who have had their heads turned by reading Edith Wharton and Dominick Dunne novels? I'm afraid the days of the Grenvilles (much less that of the van der Luydens) died out years ago.

[quote]Money is money, but the way it is spent tells the true story.

Doubtless, Blanche. But it still wasn't the question.

btw People like to imagine that "old money" looks like some Ralph Lauren fantasy, and that they themselves are tasteful enough to know the subtle shades of distinctions which are the true test of sophistication.

The reality is old money looks more like the cat lady and the Beales of Grey Gardens.

[quote]good teeth, toned body, tailored clothing.

That perfectly describes Bill and Melinda Gates, the two wealthiest people in America! Good call!

I'll tell you a story:

When we were little we were coming back from a day at the ocean (Atlantic, if you must know). We lived about 40 minutes away so we would go quite often in the summer. My mother would take us and let us spend the day while she sat in the shade with a book.

On the way home was a very expensive seafood/lobster restaurant, and one day my mother got a wild hair and wanted a lobster dinner. We all had a fit because she looked good and we looked like hell from having spent the day at the beach. We told her we would be embarrassed to go in and have dinner "with a bunch of rich people" looking like we did.

And my mother said:

"Rich people don't really care what their kids look like".

And she was right.

They look relaxed and without worry because they usually are. People who live a life a leisure are generally relaxed, laid back, unhurried and in control, whether they are wearing sweats or an evening gown.

It's not fat or skinny, ugly or pretty. My ex's mother never carried a designer bag in her life, and she and her husband were worth about 30 million. He drove a Caddy because he liked them. She drove a Jag. They kept the cars for several years. They had beautiful well appointed homes but not mansions.

If you saw them on the street you would think they were just a random nice old couple.

If their spouse is far too beautiful for them or a couple of decades younger.

[quote]The reality is old money looks more like the cat lady and the Beales of Grey Gardens.

That's not "old money". That's "I used to have money and now I'm broke".

Some of the wealthiest people I have met (through work) were those who could afford to let the muddy dogs climb in and out of the Jag and not care, or wore their jodphurs all day, with a rather mucky jumper, as they were out with their horses. They were also the ones who children did not need to attend university, as mummy and daddy had enough contacts and connections to bypass such tediousness.

Attitude can often be a giveaway.

I've lived in wealthy neighbourhoods in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Toronto, though I'm not rich myself.

The rich don't always dress "rich", but they always, always behave in a way that is quite different from the average person.

They're extremely confident. Usually they have fantastic manners. The rude ones are terribly smug.

Their accents and syntax also give them away. Wealthy people speak quite differently from ordinary folks.

Also, rich people never wear cheap shoes. Their clothing may be shitty Gap stuff, but you'll never see the wealthy in shitty shoes.

[quote] "I used to have money and now I'm broke".

Often that's precisely the case with "old money." Also it's often just a plain ol' "I don't give a fuck" or else downright crazy.

But keep livin' in that Ralph Lauren fantasy.

[quote]you'll never see the wealthy in shitty shoes.

very true.

If someone carries a sack with a dollar sign on it, you know they're wealthy.

Here's a trivial one for men: if you've ever seen him wear red pants and not look gay or retarded (even though they might be either).

Syntax is another. Though it's sometimes faked and you get someone who sounds like Tom Ford.

[quote]They were also the ones who children did not need to attend university, as mummy and daddy had enough contacts and connections to bypass such tediousness.

That is utter bullshit. They ALWAYS send their kids to school. It might be to study something idiotic like 14th century French poetry, but they always go at least for a year or more.

[quote]Here's a trivial one for men: if you've ever seen him wear red pants and not look gay or retarded (even though they might be either).

Red pants (faded red, that is) are another preppy style that's on trend. I went out with a straight 24-year-old friend (well-paid for his age but by no means "rich") who was wearing them last night, actually. And he's hot, not "retarded."

[quote] you'll never see the wealthy in shitty shoes.

Kristen Stewart $34.5 million

[quote]Often that's precisely the case with "old money." Also it's often just a plain ol' "I don't give a fuck" or else downright crazy. But keep livin' in that Ralph Lauren fantasy.

Honey, the Beale's couldn't afford to pay the light bill. They were flat broke.

Try reading something once in awhile. You might not look so stupid next time.

[quote]you'll never see the wealthy in shitty shoes.

Very true.

Only the massively insecure wish to "look" wealthy. Their self-esteem depends on it.

We call them "label queens".

Old money doesn't give a shit.

Remember the TV series, Highlander? He was immortal and had been around for 400 years or something, so he was really clueless about old vs. new and trends. He drove that 65 Thunderbird, his trenchcoat was from WWII, he liked shirts from the 50's, and his haircut was from 1510 and he saw no need to change it--that's how old money operates.

They buy quality and own it forever, or until they stop liking it. New means nothing to them. They pay attention to brands, but their shoe choices are LL Bean vs. Quoddy, not some flash in the pan designer name.

[quote]Honey, the Beale's couldn't afford to pay the light bill

Um, dipshit. Try reading something yourself and start with my post, which plainly points out that people like the Beales who come from "old money" are often broke. Old money can run out, which is the point there, dear.

Wow. Just wow.

You're an idiot R73. Seriously.

WOW JUST WOW

Great comeback, douchebag.

Obviously a thread dear to DL's collective heart.

Maybe bullshit in your experience, r66, but I was speaking of those I had met and no, they did not. Who knows what they have done in their time since.

They have a title and use it.

Did you hear? Twenty-five thousand!

A damn fine handbag!

A woman of monetary wealth.

Teeth. I have spent about 10K on my teeth. The Kennedys look weird because big papa didn't fix his kids teeth. Think Maria Shriver. She looks like white trash. Oprah looks good because of her teeth. All the Kennedy grand kids have beautiful teeth. If you want to look like you have access to everything good fix your teeth.

i have a cousin that is worth about 500 Million. I have been with him in casual, not designer clothes, and met up with other uberly wealthy self made individuals. They all have good teeth and an attitude. They own the air they breath.

A Repug Donation listing

Everyone here has missed the big one.

Language. Listen to how they talk, their enunciation and choice of words. You will know right away, which social class they come from.

Anyone can finance an expensive watch or shoes or tell you stories.

Sparkly things... and labels, LABELS, [bold]LABELS!!![/bold]

Upmarket jewellery store staff always look at shoes first.

I knew a girl - a right scrubber, who nevertheless looked not just sexy, but EXPENSIVE. And expensive to maintain. And it was catnip to bankers. They like to possess expensive toys. They like a challenge. And she looked, even though she wasn't, a sexual Everest for these overlunched hyper-competitive fatboys. Consequently she married very very very well.

The above posts about Louis Vuitton are funny.

I had never heard of Louis Vuitton when I moved to NY at age 18 from Florida back in 1985. Everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE I went all I saw were women with those knock off brown and beige bags. I had no idea they actually imitations of an expensive brand. I just thought they were some tacky looking bags that people sold from card tables on the street or in cheap stores around the city. LV items - even the genuine stuff - will ALWAYS look hideously cheap to me. I don't care what it costs, the LV all over the leather looks tacky and cheap.

R37's correct. Ostentatious bags and watches are for the aspirational classes, or insecure nouveau riches, not the real deal

A monocle makes anyone look wealthy.

Also you'll appear wealthy if you start all your sentences with 'I say old bean'.

People with true social class can always tell. It's like those Bostonians from the Back Bay, who think they are better than those of us who came from families that were here long before that.

"For women, it's all about the hair cut, color and style. Most importantly, a flawless blowout. A wealthy woman could be wearing old sweats and no make up or jewelery, but the hair always gives away the $$$$$."

Perhaps true of the younger women who are from old money, but the older rich crones seem to have receding hairlines with cotton candy looking hair. Check out the Sunday New York Times Style section with the event photos.

Muffy Potter Ashton, or whatever her name is, has badly thinning hair and huge forehead. These women are wealthy, yet aren't even wearing wigs or even a topper hairpiece.

So who is an a good example of someone why has upperclass speech paterns? Male and female examples please.

For many Americans wealthy people I saw, they generally don't wear expensive clothes and shoes. I wonder (or it seems to me) if they don't want to be recognized as rich for their own security. But I'd been in a job that I had to look up the whole paycheck/price tag so I recognized how rich they were (or weren't while they were PRETENDING to be rich and brag the connections with powerful people) So I don't believe the clothes or what they are saying. But you may reconnize them by the style and the attitude.

For non-American accent Asians, it's easy to distinguish: Rich/wealthy people wear expensive clothes and shoes. They have to make a difference with a maid they are travelling with.

RE 61 Has it right. The giveaway is language, and manners. I grew up wealthy, and my parents, especially my mother, would not permit my sister, or I , to speak the wrong grammar. We were not allowed to say 'like' over and over, as most people do, or 'you know' which seems to come out of every teen's mouth, hundreds of times a day. If someone wished us a nice day, we would respond "and you, as well". it's the little things that seep through, if someone is trying to fake it. I can spot a phony, or nouveau rich person, a mile away. Flashy car (make, & color), jewelry (too much), clothes (if they are shwing me a label), and yes, the way they speak. In the end, it doesn't mean anything, other than how sad it is that whomever someone is, it doesn't seem to be enough, because so many think that 'showing' who they are, is more important.

The ignorance of knowing how to perform simple daily tasks like opening a can of soup. The wealthy are incompetent.

ya social-climbing queens wouldn't know "old money" if it bit ya on yer waxed fake-tanned asses.

if ya got it, flaunt it.

R91, of Americans: Holland Taylor, the late Katharine Hepburn, Gore Vidal (possibly).

Well, Carla, I met people in college who were from old money. They had deep pockets, but short arms.

Pastels

Grayson Perry did a really good documentary on this recently in the UK, where he investigated the style choices of Britains working, middle and upper classes.

In my experience, how rich people signify their wealth depends on whether they are middle or upper class. Middle class wealth likes everything to be new, branded and up-to-date and they often think the price of something signifies its quality or value.

Upper class wealth likes everything to be the best quality. They buy their suits and shoes made to measure - and then wear them until they wear out. Their kitchen supplies are a mixture of luxury and very cheap items - because they know that the price doesn't always denote the quality. The brands you'll see tend to be "heritage" brands (like OXO cubes) and they probably redecorate every 20 or 30 years (the last time I remember improvements being made to my grandparents' home was 1986)

One does not look wealthy, one looks like one has grace. You're born into it my dear it is not what can be acquired.

Like being in the correct first families in America.

OXO cubes is a heritage brand?!

Wealthy people are around a lot of other wealthy people, of all generations, so they unconsciously begin to talk like them.

In England this is called the "Queens English" in America it would be the "Harvard Accent".

What R8 said.

There is no one answer. Rich people dress however they like. Some are flashy and out to impress and awe, some are more tasteful and stylish but still out to impress.

Old money that still HAS money in particular feels absolutely no need to impress anyone, so they wear whatever they feel like wearing. Expensive, cheap, whatever. In fact, in my experience, this type of wealthy person tends to be more eccentric in behaviour and dress than your more middle class rich person. One rich old woman I know looks and acts more like a crazy cat lady than a society matron. Her hair is terrible and she dresses strangely. But she doesn't care what anyone thinks. And that's the point.

My mother worked for an Austrian women, from a old wealth, Austrian family. Their family home put the "Sound of Music" house to shame.

She came over here and married an struggling Italian musician, years ago. You would never know how rich she was. The accent was still Austrian, but the English language skills were impeccable, better than most English as a first language speakers. This was the clue I didn't see at the time.

One day she brought wine over to the house for a diner party. My mother brought me a glass after dinner, even though I was too young to legally drink, saying "my god this bottle of wine cost $1,500". I then found out that the property management company this women ran, was bought for her, at a cost of about $20 million, so she would have a something to do. Everyone, including my mother, though she just worked for the Corporation until then.

She drove a blue 2 door, 8 year old Pontiac Sunbird. Lived in a downtown 3 bedroom house. Dressed very well, but then I didn't know the difference.

Another rich eccentric my family knew walked around town looking like a bum. You'd never know to look at him how rich he was.

He truly didn't care about clothes, but he also looked "poor" on purpose. He knew that people acted weird around the visibly rich and he didn't want that. But on the flip side people in shops and restaurants often treated him badly or dismissed him because of how poor he looked, which he got a tremendous kick out of.

Just dress like Rich Uncle Pennybags from the Monopoly gameboard and you can't go wrong.

I agree w/ some of you on here---it's the deportment. The rich ( especially old money) just carry themselves differently. The walk, the posture, the manners.

My friend's mom used to be friends with an older Scottish lady. Impeccable manners, classy but low key dresser, quite intelligent, extremely witty and carried herself with the air of the upper class. Turns out, she was the illegitimate daughter of a high ranking noble and his children's nanny.

Well if that is true r93, they did a piss poor job.

[quote]I grew up wealthy, and my parents, especially my mother, would not permit my sister, or I , to speak the wrong grammar.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear!

Bumps for more "insights"

[quote]The ignorance of knowing how to perform simple daily tasks like opening a can of soup. The wealthy are incompetent.

Yes, this is a good one. One time when I was shopping in the produce section of a grocery store in one of the rich areas, this older, conservatively dressed woman (navy blue skirt, cardigan, sensible shoes) asked me if I would show her how to pick out good potatoes. Usually by the time one reaches that age, they have already figured out how to do the marketing, so I can only guess the maid was on vacation that week.

R109, the person whose mother wouldn't allow he to speak with poor grammar did say "speak." There was no suggestion that he could write.

When you shop at Walmart, it shows.

[quote]One time when I was shopping in the produce section of a grocery store in one of the rich areas, this older, conservatively dressed woman (navy blue skirt, cardigan, sensible shoes) asked me if I would show her how to pick out good potatoes.

R111, you're a beautifully sweet, silly and stupid oblivious shit-for-brains; that was a cougar trying to jump on your fuck stick.

Only in your mind, R114.

Many years ago I saw Bob Woodward's stepmother, she was well over 50 but she was dressed like a $20 dollar hooker. I guess that's why her husband married her. I know Bob hated his stepmother.

My point was, I feel sure that they had plenty of money but still...

[quote]The ignorance of knowing how to perform simple daily tasks like opening a can of soup.

A girl I met in college had nary a clue how to launder her clothes. The girls in her dorm had to show her how to run a washing machine and dryer. She had grown up with servants to handle that sort of thing.

total self confidence

Nice skin

Silicon Valley gazillionaires: jeans, t-shirts.

lots 'o bling mean yo rich

Well groomed. Not fat.

Rich people are seldom fat...except for people like Limbaugh.

When I'm walking down the street, I can tell a wealthy person is approaching me when I can see directly up their nostrils.

Countess Helen Fioratti is their decorator.

It depends on the person. Some people are wealthy but don't broadcast it or make it a point to notify the entire world.

Their pussies don't stink.

If they roll down their window at a red light and ask if you have any Grey Poupon, they're definitely rich.

They all wear Belgian Shoes. Seriously. CZ Guest did too!

They DO NOT wear 20 designer labels to make others think they are wealthy.

There is nothing more tacky than today's crop of nouveau riche idiots.

What's so hilarious is that today's rich trash actually thins they are high class and sophisticated, IE: The Kardashians, any of the trash from those Housewives shows etc, these people are all so disgusting.

None of them would hold my interest for even a minute. Do you think these fools can discuss art or literature?! Their shallow lives are all about tacky expensive clothing and other garbage they waste money on, there is nothing inside.

People from old money do not flash their wealth, especially old money Wasps.

when our mother wears her full length black-diamond mink coat she looks wealthy.

They don't carry LV

They don't tweet or blab to TMZ about their estate battles and custody disputes for all the world to watch.

r130 & r133 I present you with Blue Ivy trash.

Dressing shabby, yet neat... soft and supple Italian leather shoes and casual country-squire clothing.

I would say a good hint is that they have a second vacation home abroad and they travel upscale.

If you want to see really rich folks living impecably, its the Italians

Vist Romes wealthy areas and watch the way the wealthy men dressed in their finest stroll. Its wonderful and inspiring to watch.

i want a find me a old sugar daddy so i can become welthy and all have the fine things.

Wear can i find a supper rich daddy in LA

It has been said, but old money people are some of the cheapest people you will meet. Cheap may not be the right word - thrifty may be better.

They buy clothes, shoes, furniture that all will last decades. Same thing in vehicles - a Chevy Suburban that is ancient, maybe an old Mercedes (unless they are Jewish, then they never buy German cars). The original Jeep Grand Cherokee / Grand Wagoneer (the one with the fake wood sides) was popular among the country home set.

Manners are usually a dead give away, as well as a deliberate, slow speaking style.

bump

They can wear pink whenever they feel like it.

A trashy rentboy sitting next to you at an expensive restaurant

Being invisible. You will never meet them save fleetingly. They can afford to live like cowards, and fly from every unpleasant encounter.

You, on the other hand, have to suffer 'being with people you don't want to be with' listed as a major suffering in Buddhism. Quite intelligent for a religion, that. Christians cherish stupidity and denial so much.

I live on the Upper East Side, but I am not rich. When I take a walk and head towards Park/Mad or 5th, you can just tell the terribly wealthy old women and it's not just about what building they are exiting. A lot of these old matrons take walks with black or West Indian health aides, their hair is a frizzed out bubble with a visible scalp, usually dyed a dusty shade of blonde. It's the outfits really. They aren't flashy, but they are always separates, even on very warm days. Smart jackets (20-30 year old Chanel) with skirts or dressy trousers, a large chunky gold pin on their lapel or perhaps large expensive costume pearls. Hose is nude, shoes are sensible like Queen Elizabeth, else black lace-up orthopedic models for the ones who can barely walk. They always seem to wear Estee Lauder, usually 'Youth Dew' or some other such vintage brand, else 'Shalimar'.

#1 giveaway for a wealthy woman is the skin. If it looks pulled, she's rich. Interestingly, their decollatage skin is usually a freckly dry looking mess from too much sun in their youth. Watch what they eat too, lunch is picky salads and light fare like half-sandwiches and clear soups. Coffee is taken with skim and sweat-n-low. Soda (if drank) are always diet, but obscure flavors like chocolate or hard to reach Tab.

So true R142. That's one of the best things about having money. Not having to deal with any ~ unpleasantness. That and hiring others to do everything I hate doing: manual labor, tedious little time wasting chores. No, I don't know how to pick out the "best potatoes" at the market, and I'm not a bit sorry about it. Life is short. I only want to spend time doing things I like with people I enjoy.

r143 what about the younger crowd?

I'm not a rich guy but I play one on TV. I think you'd be impressed by my taste. Like perhaps many of you I was raised around wealth without having direct access to it. I became increasingly bitter and began to steal from those around me, articles I hoped they wouldn't miss. A pocket-sized, pre-Columbian artifact here, $500 from a Birkin bag there. I used these things to fund my lifestyle, courtesy of various "clearing houses" around the country. I am permanently banned from Sotheby's. My shoes are John Lobb. My suits are made from material I purchase and created to fit my slender body by a man who works at Saint Lauries. I drive a Rolls-Royce Ghost which I find more suitable than the Phantom. Every photo you see of me has been staged so that I am never taken off guard.

And if you believe that I look wealthy, then you are more stupid than I thought you were.

I think what makes a man look wealthy is his wife's boob job. My wife has big ones. I picked them out myself. She costs me a lot of money but I am from the mideast, a member of the Royal Family, and so my wife is not allowed to show her boobs anywhere, at all. Funny, no? Especially for you Americans. My lifestyle is the function of my wife, as it should be. I do not get involved. But I insist on the finest in everything. We have a jet with a solid gold toilet. I think when you ride on a jet like this you can assume I am wealthy. Our yacht, the "La Dolce Velveeta," comes equipped with it's own operating room, in case my wife needs an emergency facelift. Oxygen and Botox is always on hand. I am told that my great wealth makes me a very desirable man. At 5'2" and 300 pounds, this makes me very happy to hear. And I think I look good in a caftan. Earrings.

Trying way too hard, R147

An "A" for effort R147.

Perfect, capped teeth. Even if their hair is a mess and they're in a mugshot, the perfect, brilliantly unnatural white teeth are the giveaway. Expensive eyeglasses or sunglasses. An expensive purse goes without saying.

Telltale muscled calves and biceps on older people, past the age where most middle aged people sag, especially the patented "stairmaster calves" that some people have that look like rectangles under the skin. On women, not men. Sixpacks on older women. Signs of a personal trainer, if you're 60 years old and have a body like Charles Atlas (male or female).

I'm assumming OP wasn't talking about pulling up in a Rolls Royce with a mink coat. That's too easy. Today, "wealth" is displayed by an ostentatious display of health, unavailable to the poor and middle class.

I know I'm trying a bit hard, just having some fun on a rainy afternoon. I like this topic, since we're all in love with the idea of money. I for one have always lusted after the finer things in life, but not enough to actually work for them. "Marrying for money" seemed out of the question romantically, but my first impressions of good taste were formed by the gay men I met in New York.

The question of what rich people look like is, of course, unanswerable. The question of what rich people live like can be answered. Just read anything by Truman Capote, ha!

Like others here, I do have this one friend who has a lot of money and I can give an eyewitness report of how he lives, but it's not really that interesting.

His family story kind of is -- they're real old money but sort of not well-known -- but my friend Buzz is a loner who lived on a houseboat for many years by himself until he met his husband, Nick. They've been together for 10 years. A couple of years ago Buzz inherited. His grandmother left him a share of two great fortunes. It's so much money that it will be years before he actually knows how much he has. Only 3 of his relatives inherited alongside him so there's a lot of internecine anguish. He claims family members have made death threats against him, hate him because he's gay, and he's protected himself by taking extreme measures. You will not find anything about him on the internet, nor can you trace his address. Nick laughs at him and keeps him in line.

Buzz and Nick moved into a new house but haven't decorated it. There's a king size bed in a gigantic master suite and that's about it. They sit together on the bed with the dogs and watch tv and movies on their iPads together. They're kind of adorable.

Nick got a new Prius, but Buzz took his old Rav-4 in and had them make it look brand new.

There is no way you would walk past him on the street and think that he has money. No way at all.

I'm just saying it's impossible to tell who is rich and who isn't by just looking at them. I'd love to hear other people tell stories about their rich friends. What is rich these days? At least $100 million.

Male aged 60 something. Over 100m. Asshole according to most. Two facelifts but naturally grey hair and always very tan. Horrible conversationalist - I suspect that many of today's moneyed are deficient in this way because it is not needed to gain other's approval or interest.

R45, to tell you the truth I don't pay as much attention to the younger wealthy women because they seem less of an archetype than their older counterparts. Thin, of course. Always. Long hair, all the same length, very little layering, usually worn to the side. Cardigans and modest pearls, else 'active wear' depending on where they are going. Their engagement ring might be their one giveaway, the stone won't be very large, it will be very clean to the eye and not tacky looking but the setting will be extraordinarily simplistic. Sunglasses are expensive, but not plastered with logos. Worn on the head often. Really, the younger ones aren't all the different from the average suburban hausfrau except they usually aren't fat pigs.

R150 really nailed it. They tend to be healthier and fitter looking because they can afford the gyms and healthy meals.

My boyfriend is from very old money, one of the richest families in Italy.

What I notice about him is that everything is quality, from his clothes, his jewelry and even when we go out to dine.

The clothes he wears are not flashy, but old school quality brands, which you know are expensive.

He doesn’t have and popular brand names like LV or Rolex, instead it’s a quite Patek Philippe watch, Cartier bracelet, John Lobb shoes and his entire luggage and leather items are hand made from a small Florence shop.

He explains it by the fact that there never was a question in his family but to expect the best. Of course he’s lucky to be able to afford it.

His parents were strict that anytime he left the house he looked his best as he represented the family.

Also you will never see his family name in the papers or their homes in magazines, they abhor publicity. When his grandmother see rich folks that she knows on TV she yells "puttana' LOL

Moneyed cocaine bump.

R93, I grew up middle class, and my father forced the same rules on me. poor grammar was never to be used. slang was not permitted.

now, i swear like a sailor, but only within the confines of my own home. because Dad taught me how to speak properly ;)

he has class in the genetic sense, and he's built wealth. but he wasn't rich when he trained me.

The haircut

White skin

R158, think again.

This thread is quite accurate in many ways.

Old money - its good teeth, good hair, good skin, good shoes, minimal good jewelry, no public demonstrations of temper, sexuality or - really - much of anything. Displays of emotion and attracting publicity are for the poor and the middle classes.

Yes, most things that are bought are the best quality and they are used until they almost fall apart. Then it's off to a beach/lake/country house where it will complete its disintegration. I do mean real quality. Louis Vuitton is shit made in China for the middle class.

Language, as others have mentioned, is a huge tell. You can buy all the old money brands and engage in all the old money rituals (if you can get in) but if you're faking it then the minute you open your mouth we know who you are.

Occasionally an impostor slips through but he/she doesn't last for long. Even if they don't make an overt mistake, sooner or later we'll know. I think we smell the fear on them.

Good skin is usually a giveaway. Also nice, natural teeth.

I have a very wealthy client, Elizabeth k**h, wife of Charles. ...anywho, I think r150 is right. ...Liz has the resourxes to have trainers and plastic surgions, chefs at beck and call. ...her ass is high and tight, the most subtle work done to her face. I know she's well into her 60's, but looks 15-20 years younger. ...god forbid an ounce of fat. on the flip side, she curses like a sailor.

if you guys know so much about looking classy and rich, why do drag queens always look so cheap?

R60, you are hands down, the funniest poster on this thread!

I meant R160.

r163, gay men who do drag and usually poor.

Watch how they talk to waiters. It lacks the deference and exaggerated affect of the rest of us trying to be nice. There is no effort. Not to say they're rude at all, just utterly comfortable with telling someone what is wanted.

Language, as mentioned above: They speak in complete sentences can make small talk.

Manners: They've had their parents' friends over to the house enough to know how to behave.

Nice wallets, shoes, coats.

Confidence, lack of skittishness, poise. They lean back. Not to say all rich people are sedate, but I haven't met a nervous Nellie who wasn't fretful about money.

[quote]The giveaway is language, and manners. I grew up wealthy, and my parents, especially my mother, would not permit my sister, or I , to speak the wrong grammar.

Oh, poor, poor pitiful top-of-the-heapster R93. It's "My mother would not permit my sister or ME." I guess that puts you in the 47 percent, linguistically.

What's the occasion, the anniversary of this thread?

It being summer, GTH trousers:

Is the guy in the middle related to Chandler Massey?

[quote]Coffee is taken with skim and sweat-n-low.

I thought the rich said "perspiration."

The truth is,you cannot tell. I've seen wealthy people who were fat, I've seen poor people with very good teeth and skin. You can't go by looks. You can't go by confidence, you don't know how much money anyone has unless you are their accountant.

I'd have to say, if I was very rich, my teeth would be very white and straight; my skin clear and glowing and slightly tan; no jewelry except for an expensive-though-understated watch; a good haircut; and for me, expensive eyeglasses (for whatever impairment was left ater Lasik surgery).

And I'd pick up the check.

Wealthy:

Wealthy:

Wealthy:

Frugal, very frugal. They wouldn't pay $$ to join a gossip site ;). They take money very seriously, and never fritter it away. They watch every dollar.

They don't let themselves go. They may dress casual and wear T-shirts and jeans, or shop at flea markets or second hand places, but they are NEVER dumpy.

Usually in good shape. Maybe not beautiful, but healthy and in good shape. They are in the know about what is healthy to eat and healthy lifestyles.

They way they carry themselves: quietly confident, with a "yeah, I don't NEED you or this" type of air. They act like they are to be served and YOU are to serve them. It is always all about them, always. Always. The entire world is for them.

Usually well educated, and it doesn't need to be from an Ivy League school. They take education seriously. Those that didn't get an education work very hard. In fact, they all work hard. Which brings us to the next characteristic, they delay gratification.

They stay informed of the news that matters, esp. if it concerns money and/or the stability of the economy as it benefits THEM and only THEM. The Kardashians or the latest music fad are of no importance to them. Idiotic trends in clothes ,music, home decor or values-of-the-month are something for the proles, the blue collars, the peasants in the hinterlands to waste time and money on.

They care primarily about themselves and their economic situation. They care little or not at all about the food stamp recipient or the elderly who can't get by or the homeless.Exotic children adopted from overseas are a sometime exception.

Don't dare have them suffer a financial loss of some kind, however. Then they howl like demons and do not stop until placated. And it WON'T be their children who will die in the military protecting the status quo.

I live in a wealthy part of the East in the USA and worked for some of them. I could go on and on and on. They acted as if they were the aristocracy of the USA.

I forgot this about their children. The children may look like hippies or Rastafarians, but don't be fooled. It is a phase, a stage some of them go through. When it is time, when young adulthood arrives, BHAM, they clean up their act and work away exactly like mon and dad.

R17, try that several times a week. Anna Wintour has expers who come in to fix her hair and do her makeup daily.

R81, the Kennedys are rich. And it's considered old money because the 4th generation is now grown up.

A thick Russian accent.

R182, LOL!

LOL. The Kennedys are not old money.

If perfect, straight white teeth and smooth skin are indicators of wealth then those poor Africans must be "Puttin' on the Ritz"

R185 wins the Internet.

According to r3 link which contains photos of the NYC wealthy at a social event it means what r18 states. Not having any visible indication that you have current taste or style. A real bland looking bunch.

An accent of some kind.

Carriage. Posture.

Expensive minimalism. Gold, leather, eyewear, shoes.

Good hair(cut).

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So many on that NY Social Diary page have elongated faces, as opposed to round ones.

For women> it's the hair. And the face-lift, depending on the age.

[quote]The Kennedys are not old money.

They weren't in 1960, when JFK won the presidency; but by 2013 they sure as hell are. Their Fitzgerald money goes back more than a hundred years, and their Kennedy money goes back four score.

[quote]So many on that NY Social Diary page have elongated faces, as opposed to round ones.

That must mean I look like a billionaire!

The long faces are due to Cro-Magnon/Basque stock, and are predisposed to hard work and ship-building.

Their business acumen is directly related to understanding the Atlantean mysteries.

R193, the previous poster was right, that is not old money.

Agree with R196 that is not old, but anyone thinking that it is shows they don't understand the concept.

With real wealth comes confidence. Those that are born into a family where the parents, grandparents, great grandparents going back several generations have all come from a background where one is connected to the influential and effortlessly in the know about any social situation have confidence in abundance. I knew a very wealthy old man when I was growing up. He had the most impeccable good manners I have ever come across, charming and always at ease. By good manners I mean he made other people feel comfortable, not some prissy artificial construct about which is the correct fork to use.

He wore ancient tweed jackets with disreputable old trousers, his shoes were repaired over and over again but still wearable, he swore like a trooper and drank whisky every night. He owned a castle in Scotland. He had style and made friends at every social level, was more interested in someone's life experience than how much money they had. That is old money.

Those pics at the link on R3 are telling. Why is it that all wealthy end up looking so...bland? So typical? People of various races, ethnicities all end up so...bland, so corporate looking, and yes, so Waspy looking. They appear to have no original ideas or interests.

Yuck.

BFD, R197, we've all known people who were old money. It doesn't give you some special insight. In fact, this whole thread is like a Rorschach test.

R197 hit a raw nerve on R199. Breathe, R199. It'll be ok, I promise.

R199 I'm not claiming any special insight, just that to me, that sort of confidence, aplomb and impeccable manners says old money. It may be different for you, and that would be what you associate with old money.

It's not about what you wear but rather the confidence of knowing that whatever you've chosen is right.

Definitely Belgian Loafers

I would love to see the broke-ass lives the wealth experts on this thread are living. And all of it bullshit propaganda about how the wealthy are better: their wonderful manners, their beautiful teeth, their confidence. Not a single whisper of their avarice or narcissism, or sociopathic tendencies . No mention that wealthy men are more likely to abuse their families and get away with it. Can't have a scandal and the police exist to do their bidding. But somehow the children and wives are all serene and self-possessed because of their bank accounts. No trauma whatsoever. No entitled brats either. It's all just one Barbara Cartland fantasy after another.

Queens who suck up to the rich make me sick. You'd rather lick the shit off some rich asshole's shoes than have any self-respect.

Per the NYSD link, Whit Stillman now looks like Niles Crane. Clothes the campier end of Brooks Brothers; Dominick Dunne, plus Gucci loafers, was a slave to that look, and we all know what Gore Vidal said to him at dinner.

R190's Bond clip is overwritten and dated, and maybe Bond's shirt-collar is deliberately department store. Maybe not though, given that his well-cut suit is cited. Bond is unlikely to have gone to Savile Row for suits and avoided Jermyn Street for shirts.

R203 is right that the rich aren't specially worth moral worship, but their money-no-object aesthetic choices are of interest. The former Duke of Devonshire was an alcoholic who often made his family's life a misery, but he dressed with understated flair and revived Chatsworth.

Seeing what the wealthy do with their means is fun both when they get it right and wrong. To answer OP, it's usually skin tone, reserved manner, muted expensive clothes and total confidence.

Deeda Blair has the look of a rich woman

His or her bank statement.

"Puttana' Seriously?

"Puttana' is a slang Italian word for prostitute, why would an old Italian woman, from old money, use such a 'low class' Italian expression?

I gather your boyfriend's so-called "old money' Italian family described in your post must actually be nouveau riche and from humble beginnings.

There is no possible way to tell a rich man by his clothes.

Maybe so, r208. But while a rich man can dress down, a poor man cannot dress up.

The way they demand their crème brulee.

I want my crème brulee, and I want it NOW!!!!!

Walking around NYC, you can most definitely tell who has money. Even the hipster rich kids trying to look cool give it away. Expensive clothes just look better.

I agree with R207, "puttana" is not a word any of the ancien regime Italian ladies would use. However, the 60s and the 70s were booming in Italy, and lots of working class people raked in the cash. It might be that your boyfriend's family is only one or two generations away from eating onions and bread for dinner.

Understated luxury clothes (especially the French ones) like Hermes etc

Always simple, well made clothing and shoes. The clothes never draw attention, because they don't have to.

[quote] No mention that wealthy men are more likely to abuse their families and get away with it

That is absolute bullshit

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Nheru collars, classy.

Shoes and wrist watches are a good indication. A wealthy man in England can look deshivelled but his shoes will normally be bespoke and his time piece expensive.

Old Money WASPs don't look particularly wealthy at all in many cases.

Exactly. The more garish, the newer the money.

sterling silver anus

Gold balls. Diamond clit.

bump

A platinum grill. Clothes, shoes and bags festooned with LV.

rich Russian lady bump

-

OLD MONEY RULES:

They do not - ever - follow trends. They know what looks good on them and stick with it, hence calling something "classic" in the way you would refer to something as being so good, it will never seem out of place.

They are well read & have been trained since childhood how to converse with ANYONE about anything. Not know it alls.

I could go on & on, but the easiest way to identify someone from old money is how they treat "the staff" or someone others might think as "below their rank." Lovely. They are the first to introduce themselves, to say thank you and make an inquiry about the other person. They also tip (or give expensive but low key gifts) after a weekend party.

I'm a Major Domo for very old (proper) money & I hate it when Hollywood people visit. They are show offs, rude & ill mannered. We had one guest last year, a very well known Hollywood person, who was so egregious that the staff asked me to speak to our employers; for the first time since I've been there (over twenty years), he was officially banned (household only knows this).

Both the lady & the gentleman of the house were so horrified, they collected the staff, apologized and handed out envelopes with cash for each person as they apologized. Additionally, they were quite open in sharing their disgust.

As I said, I could go on forever, and many of you have brought up excellent points - especially the nail polish. I've never seen a well bred, woman of true wealth wear talons. Short nails, pale polish. And yes, they are quite normal and very kind.

Unfortunately, even those to the manor born have been so intoxicated by Hollywood, they have picked up very bad habits in trying to "fit in," so even a last name that denotes great wealth doesn't always have the behavior one expects to see alongside of it. And there is so much giant new money running rampant with classless actors, producers, etc., who watch Downton Abbey for clues, aren't picking up that it is unseemly to SHOW your money or treat people as anything other than people.

Additionally, this input can apply to Royals, but there is red headed stepchild (or two) in every family.

American EG’s, please advise: was James Spader’s awful yuphead character Steff in the John Hughes’ film PRETTY IN PINK an accurate portrait of ‘80s UC youth, or was it a lurid & poorly-drawn caricature? And does the image still hold true today?

IIRC Spader once said he based his portrayal on the Bostonian ‘Captain Jack’ type kids he observed growing up (he himself is not from money).