Magazine · 9 October 2026
Old money style: the complete guide
How to dress like you summered in Gstaad – no trust fund required.
Old money style is the opposite of a logo. It is clothes that look like they have been in the family for years: navy and cream, good wool, a well-cut jacket, loafers. Hollywood has been doing it for seventy years, so the easiest way to learn it is to copy the people who did it first.
The originals
Cary Grant’s grey suit in North by Northwest is still the reference point: soft, light and somehow fine after a chase through a cornfield. Steve McQueen’s glen check three-piece in The Thomas Crown Affair and Grace Kelly in Rear Window show the same idea. Tailored, quiet and expensive-looking without trying.
The grey suit
Glen check three-piece suit
Black bodice and tulle skirt
The rules
Colours: navy, cream, grey, camel and white. Bright colours only in small doses, like a pocket square or a tie.
Fabrics: wool, cashmere, linen and cotton. Natural fabrics wrinkle and soften in a way synthetics never do, and that is part of the look.
Fit over label: a tailored jacket from a high-street brand beats a loose designer one. Get trousers hemmed so they just touch the shoe.
No visible logos. If someone can read the brand from across the room, it is not old money.
Shoes: loafers, oxfords or plain leather trainers. Keep them clean.
Accessories: one good watch or one piece of jewellery. Never all of it at once.
Old money for men today
On the red carpet the formula is everywhere. Javier Bardem’s beige jacket and striped shirt, Walton Goggins in cream linen and Idris Elba in a white crewneck: nothing shouts, everything fits.
Beige jacket and striped shirt
Cream linen jacket and white shirt
White crewneck sweater
Old money for women
For women it is camel coats, tweed, crisp shirts and pearls. Kelly Rutherford, Lily van der Woodsen herself, lives in it off duty, and Uma Thurman’s grey tweed coat at the Berlinale is a masterclass in doing very little, very well.
Grey cashmere wrap and wide trousers
Grey tweed coat
Camel coat dress
Get the look for less
Old money is easier to copy than most trends because it is about cut and colour, not labels. Every look above lists the original pieces next to affordable alternatives. If you are starting from scratch, buy three things first: a navy blazer, a white oxford shirt and a pair of loafers.