Back in 2015, when I first attended a fashion week show wearing a Primark shirt, I thought I was being incredibly slick. High-low hadn’t properly gone mainstream yet, and I liked to consider myself something of an aesthetic innovator. I teamed the shirt in question (an actually not-bad-for-£12 Oxford cotton shirt) with a vintage charity shop Aquascutum blazer, some mid-market chinos, and the single item I truly loved in my wardrobe: an Italian-made, hand-finished leather belt crafted by some junior apprentices in a tiny Florentine workshop which I’d paid three payday loans for.
Nobody noticed the shirt. Thankfully. But as we stood around chatting before the show started, a dude buzzed me about the belt. “Beautiful hardware,” said the Italian editor beside me. “Burnello?” he asked.
Burnello Cucinelli, the luxury Italian knitwear king. Nope. “Oh…” I responded, leaning back with mock swagger.
Years later I’ve realised that smirk is universally worn by people who’ve been mistaken for something far more expensive than they actually are wearing.
But at the time, it occurred to me that what he said was true: That belt was the only reason anyone gave a toss about what I was wearing that day. My granddad used to say “The accoutrements make the man.” By accoutrements, he didn’t mean flashy gadgets, or showy extravagances. Just the little touches.
The ones that don’t need to cost much but speak volumes when they’re done right. Flash forward to last month when I took my nephew shopping for his first-ever “big boy” job interview suit. We were wandering around the Primark on Market Street in Manchester when it occurred to me that every single one of those dull affordable shirts and uninspiring trousers could be made to look twice as good with that belt, or any of the other handy, wardrobe-saving tips I’ve picked up over years of not having enough money to wear really nice stuff but still wanting to look vaguely interesting. “Look,” I told him as we stood in line with armfuls of potential workplace banality. “We’re going to spend £20 that’s going to make all of this look twice as expensive.” He eyed me warily – knowing full well his poor uncle’s proclivity for melodrama – but followed me over to the accessories department nonetheless.
Because I’m not lying. Spend £20 well on an accessory and you really can double the value of something that might otherwise look cheap as chips. It’s not hocus pocus – it’s where you spend your money.
Think of this as your ultimate pocket-sized guide to affordable add-ons that look like they cost a damn fortune. Let’s start with belts. Not jeggings.
You know what I mean: a proper belt. Nothing flashy, but something slim, well-constructed, and effortless. The high street is frankly teeming with fine belt options these days, but here’s a handy little hack: try vintage and charity shops.
There are plenty of belts already sat in thrift stores right now that have aged beautifully and developed a patina you can’t beat at any price. I’ve picked up legit 1970s leather with a solid brass buckle for under £15 countless times that look at least ten times the price. Keep it simple, keep it real materials, and keep it solidly constructed.
That belt I wore to fashion week? £22 from a hole-in-the-wall leather boutique in Florence. Lost (literally – this was pre-smartphones, kids) and hungry, I wandered in and didn’t leave until my bank account threatened to collapse. Seven years later it’s darkened to a beautiful honey colour and still looks better than any belts I’ve seen people spending hundreds on.
Pocket squares. Yes, I know they’ve been co-opted by every velvet wearing douchebags in Italy, and every other shirtless wag living rent-free in Chelsea. But hear me out for a second.
An inexpensive cotton or linen pocket square is still one of the easiest ways to add interest to an otherwise boring outfit. And here’s the hack that most folks miss: it doesn’t have to be expensive. Something plain white from M&S will cost you about a tenner for two.
Avoid shiny ones, avoid novelty prints, and please for the love of all that is holy don’t match it with your tie like you’re Brian Blessed at a funeral in 2003. Dab that square of cloth in your pocket like a gentleman, and you’ve instantly made your boring high street blazer look 100 times more put together. Ok, ok, I can hear you asking.
What about ties? Don’t tell me you think men are going to start wearing ties out clubbing. Of course not!
But assuming you’ve got a job where you need to wear one, they’re another area where spending a few quid more can make all the difference. Knitted silk ties (yes, the kind with the flat edge) are a thing, and will set you back about £25 from Next or Marks but will look a million times more expensive than their shiny yarn counterparts. Bonus points – nobody can tie a silk tie right.
Texture does all the work here and they’re virtually impossible to mess up. I’ve had a navy one for almost a decade that still manages to elicit comments from people who should know better. OK, hear me out on this one.
I’m not saying socks are more important than shoes, but if you had to choose one to spend your budget on, I’d pick socks. A decent pair of relatively plain shoes from the high street, worn with a great pair of socks will look better than say, designer shoes with the dickin’ clear-gripsy nylon ones that somehow come with all shoes and blisters. Novelty?
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Nah. We’re not doing that either. But a nice texture, a pop of colour, or bona fide luxury in a neutral colour will make your feet look miles classier than everyone else’s.
Japan’s Uniqlo does some fantastic ones that don’t autumn apart in the wash these days, and TK Maxx is forever let loose on a clearance bin near you with unsold designer goodies. Expect to spend around a tenner for a good pair, and prepare to watch them take your Stan Smiths-based ensemble to the next level. Unless, of course, you’re one of those people that doesn’t wear blazers or needs ties.
Enter stage left: watches. Now I’m not about to pretend that £20 is going to get you a watch that’s going to wow an Instagram watch-snob. But paying a little more for the right watch will still take your whole game to another level.
What’s key here is size, and simplicity. Those gargantuan watch faces that looked like giant dinner plates and were ubiquitous a few years back? Trash.
They look cheap and they scream “Look at me!” Thank Mercutio you for small watches and invest in something that won’t outshine the rest of your outfit. A basic Casio (don’t @ me, the calculator watch is huge right now but I’m talking about their minimalist lineup here) on a decent NATO strap looks intentional, not “trying too hard on a budget.” That said, vintage watches from companies you’ve never heard of are some of the best value you’ll find. I wore the same Mike Campau wrist watcher for years – that’s a brand designed by some guy who worked at Seiko and then never released another collection.
I picked mine up in a house clearance shop for £15 because it was HAND-WOUND and obviously needed servicing. Even though servicing it cost me enough to put us way past our £20 budgets, that watch still looked amazing. If watches aren’t your bag, another fantastic head-topper to consider is sunglasses.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not in California. But even if you’re not wearing them to protect your peepers from the harsh British sunlight, a solid pair of shades adds serious weight to your outfit. Sunglasses have also finally reached a point on the high street where people care enough about designs not falling apart after two wears that they’ll actually spend money on them.
H&M and Zara both do perfectly serviceable frames that’ll cost you about £15-20. Stay away from anything too “designer-y” or branded. Classic shapes (the reason why Wayfarers and aviators are STILL around) and pay attention to construction.
Trust me, sunglasses are the single-most powerful £20 style investment you can make because they literally live on your face. Literally everyone notices your freaking face. Jeans and a plain white t-shirt?
Throw on a simple leather bracelet or even a cool silver ring. Men’s jewellery is subjective, sure, but a well-chosen piece of metal or leather will add some intrigue to those staple pieces. Unsure where to start?
Every maker and his mother sells leather bracelets on Etsy these days, but you can find amazing handmade pieces for about £18. Necklaces? Too fancy for me, but hey, live your best life.
But be honest with yourself about the materials, the clasps, and how simplistic the design is. Finally, a disclaimer. The absolute best way to spend £20 on your wardrobe isn’t actually buying anything.
It’s investing in good tailoring.
Nothing screams “SUIT FROM NEXT THAT FITS ME LIKE A OVERSIZED BAGEL” quite like spending ten quid getting your trousers hemmed and five quid getting a shirt tailored at the waist. Trust me – I wear a lot of high street stuff.
It’s these small tweaks that send the signal you tried, rather than you wore something with sleeves. An’ here’s the kicker about my nephew. Between that beautifully aged leather card holder he picked out for £12, and the plain old leather strapped watch we found for £22 and pushed WAY over budget – “So that’s it?” he said, eyeing our pile of cash still sitting on the counter dubiously. “That’s it?” “That’s going to make me not look like I’m wearing Primark?” “No,” I said. “Clothes don’t make you look good.
Having confidence, knowing how to stand up straight, and wearing things that fit you will. These things? Will help you tell people who you are without having to speak.” He rolled his eyes in that way that only teenagers can when an adult tries to sound worldly, but as we walked out of the store I noticed he was cradling that leather card holder like newborn baby.
True story, he messaged me two weeks later. “Interviewer said I looked very professional. Got the job.” Don’t get too big for your britches. * *Had to. Let me know your favourite £20 ways to dress well on a budget in the comments below or tweet me @MrFlorence_X.
As always, thanks for reading.
