We all know the flashy shows of wealth and status. Things like driving a luxury sports car, wearing big shiny diamonds and gold jewelry, and carrying designer purses with huge logos.
Nevertheless, those with refined taste know that understated elegance conveys success more effectively than ostentatious displays of wealth.
The confidence to keep it simple yet exquisitely elegant requires knowledge and taste that only comes from actually having “arrived.”
Quality Materials
The super rich tend to avoid wearing clothes with logos plastered all over them.
Upon closer inspection, the superior quality and cost of the materials become apparent. Smooth, thick cashmere and hand woven silks are common materials used for women’s dresses and scarves among the elite.
Brands like Taft use the softest leathers in their luxury loafers for men. This obsession with quality materials over logos is one quiet indicator of old money and success.
Understated Elegance
Genuine confidence and success allows for simple, graceful designs that don’t shout.
An elegant string of real pearls, a simple platinum band with small but flawless diamonds, a perfectly tailored men’s suit made of premium wool; those who belong don’t need to try too hard to impress with loud branded accessories or uncomfortable clothing that restricts movement.
If you notice someone wearing understated colors like black, navy, gray, beige, and white, but notice the quality is exceptional, you are likely observing someone quite powerful and prosperous.
Bespoke Everything
Customization is another signal. The super wealthy can afford to have their cars, homes, yachts, clothes, shoes and more made just for them.
Bespoke suits are tailored to perfectly fit precise measurements. Customization extends beyond fashion as well.
Kitchen counters can be carved to custom sizes, homes laid out exactly to the homeowner’s specifications, with extra rooms and features tailored specifically to how that individual lives and entertains.
Achieving this level of personalization is expensive, a luxury that places it firmly out of reach for all but the wealthiest individuals.
Glamor and Opulence Behind Closed Doors
Although the wealthy may dress subtly in public, they readily embrace luxury when with close friends, family, and on special occasions.
Furnishings and bed linens in luxurious fabrics such as silk, velvet, and cashmere offer a delightful tactile experience.
Lavish, exotic vacations are funded with no expense spared, using private jets and yachts.
Private chefs cook 5-star Michelin rated meals paired with rare wines from the cellar collection.
Extravagant, yes, but all behind doors and away from prying eyes and judgement. Only those they want to pamper and indulge see this level of opulence.
Confidence in Simplicity
Some billionaires are notorious for wearing basic jeans, t-shirts and sweaters – because they can.
When your self-worth is firmly rooted in accomplishment and achievement, not appearances, it lends a relaxed confidence that allows the truly successful to forego dressing to impress.
For those for whom luxury is normal, there is no need to flaunt designer labels or flashy bling.
There is a quiet satisfaction that comes from knowing one’s net worth, and that speaks louder than any symbol could communicate to the public.
That confidence is yet another subtle signal that one has truly made it.
Conclusion
Genuine success and status have their subtle signals if you pay attention – quality over logos, graceful simplicity over trendiness, customization over ready-to-wear, and indulgent luxury behind closed doors.
True accomplishment at the highest levels grants the confidence to avoid loudly advertising one’s arrival, unlike those still striving to get there or faking it.
Train your eye to notice the quiet indications of having made it big. Subtlety is the mark of those who have truly arrived.
