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What’s This About
You can tell Old Money style from New Money style by clothing details such as logos, colours, shoes and accessories, but never the wearer’s wealth or background.
This guide compares the two looks detail by detail, such as:
Logos, colours and patterns
Jackets, shoes and outerwear
Watches, rings and leather goods
New versus worn-in clothes
Three complete outfits, including a blended one
and many more!
Use the details to recognise each style and to dress the way you prefer.
Key Points
01Old Money and New Money are labels for ways of dressing, not facts about people.
02The Old Money look relies on small logos, muted colours, classic shoes and a plain watch.
03The New Money look relies on visible branding, bold colours and statement accessories.
04Many men mix the two, keeping a classic base and adding one fashion-led garment.
“Old money” and “new money” began as phrases about families and fortunes, but today they are mostly used as labels for two ways of dressing.
The Old Money look is quiet, classic and lightly branded, while the New Money look is bold, logo-led and close to current fashion.
This guide gives 15 clothing details that show which look an outfit leans towards, so you can recognise each style and choose what you want to wear.
These are clues to a style, not to a person: an outfit cannot tell you where someone’s money came from, how much they have or how they were raised.
For the background to the two labels, see our guides to the stylistic differences between Old Money and New Money and to Old Money vs New Money fashion.
1. Logos and branding
The Old Money look keeps logos small or leaves them off, in the spirit of quiet luxury brands.
The New Money look puts the logo in view, for example a designer bomber jacket with a large logo across the chest or a monogram print.
2. Jackets and tailoring
A navy wool blazer, such as the ones in our Old Money blazer guide, is the typical Old Money jacket, often with natural shoulders and a moderate cut.
New Money tailoring follows the season, from very slim, cropped suits to oversized jackets, and often swaps the blazer for a bomber or a leather jacket.
3. Shoes
Old Money outfits favour leather or suede shoes such as penny loafers, brogues and Oxfords, kept clean and polished.
New Money outfits often feature chunky designer trainers or limited-edition trainers, chosen to be noticed.
4. Colours
Old Money colours are muted: navy, grey, camel, cream, brown and forest green.
New Money colours can be bright, metallic or all black, and they change with each season’s trends.
5. Patterns and prints
Old Money patterns are traditional, such as herringbone, Prince of Wales check, fine stripes and repp-striped ties.
New Money patterns are bolder, such as logo prints, large graphics and statement prints.
6. Fit and silhouette
Fit is how well a garment sits on you, and silhouette is the overall shape you choose.
The Old Money look keeps moderate shapes that change slowly, while the New Money look moves between very slim and very loose shapes as fashion changes.
Either look needs clothes that fit at the shoulders, collar and waist.
7. Knitwear and casual tops
Old Money casual wear relies on crew-neck and cable-knit jumpers, Oxford shirts and polo shirts.
New Money casual wear leans towards branded hoodies, graphic T-shirts and track tops.
8. Outerwear
Typical Old Money coats are a trench coat, a camel overcoat or a waxed cotton jacket.
Typical New Money coats are a designer puffer, a statement leather jacket or a heavily branded parka.
9. Watches
An Old Money outfit usually pairs with a simple watch with a plain dial on a leather strap or steel bracelet.
A New Money outfit often pairs with a large watch, sometimes set with stones, that draws attention to the wrist.
10. Rings, chains and bracelets
The Old Money look keeps jewellery minimal, often a plain signet ring.
The New Money look is more open to chains, stacked or oversized bracelets and several rings.
11. Bags and leather goods
Old Money leather goods are plain: a leather briefcase, a slim wallet and a belt with a simple buckle.
New Money leather goods often carry a monogram, a large logo buckle or a recognisable designer pattern.
12. Eyewear
Classic tortoiseshell or thin metal frames are typical of the Old Money look.
Oversized designer sunglasses with visible branding are typical of the New Money look.
13. New and worn-in clothes
Old Money outfits often include clothes that look lived in: a softened Oxford shirt, a resoled pair of shoes or a vintage jacket.
New Money outfits are more likely to feature this season’s releases, worn while they are new.
Buying second-hand or retro-inspired clothes is an easy way to get the worn-in look on any budget.
14. Summer and holiday clothes
Old Money summer clothes take their cue from places such as the French Riviera: linen shirts, light trousers, knitted polo shirts and espadrilles or loafers.
New Money holiday clothes are more likely to include designer swim shorts, printed silk shirts and branded slides.
You do not need to go to any of these places to wear either set of clothes.
15. Country and sporting clothes
Old Money weekend clothes borrow from country and riding dress, such as tweed jackets, corduroy trousers and boots, as our guides to British countryside chic and equestrian chic show.
The American Ivy League version adds tennis, cricket and sailing clothes such as cable-knit jumpers and boat shoes.
New Money weekend clothes lean towards designer athleisure, such as matching tracksuits and branded trainers.
The clichés behind the labels
Lists of old money and new money traits often go beyond clothes, to homes, cars, schools, accents, holidays, art and charity.
Those lists rely on stereotypes about class and background, and none of them can be read from someone’s clothes, so this guide leaves them out.
Many people dress in both ways at different times, and plenty of men mix a classic base with one fashion-led garment.
How to use these details
If you want an outfit to lean towards the Old Money look, choose details from the first half of each pair above: small logos, muted colours, classic shoes and a plain watch.
If you prefer the New Money look, choose one or two bold details and keep the rest of the outfit simple, so the statement garment stands out.
Wear (Old Money): a navy blazer, a light blue Oxford shirt, grey flannel trousers, brown penny loafers and a plain leather-strap watch.
Wear (New Money): a black logo bomber jacket, a plain white T-shirt, slim black trousers and chunky designer trainers, with one chain or a large watch.
Wear (blended): a navy double-breasted blazer, a white T-shirt, grey wool trousers and white leather trainers, with a plain watch.
Quizzes and personal help from The VOU
None of these tools is needed to wear either look, but some readers like extra help when choosing clothes.
You can read about choosing an image consultant and what an image consultant does, and our guides to dressing for your body shape and seasonal colour palettes explain two optional frameworks for thinking about proportion and colour.
For more on dressing for the setting, see styling by occasion, location, season and time of day.
For the vocabulary behind this guide, see our explainers on clothing, garments, fashion accessories, menswear silhouettes and outfits.
We also cover heritage fashion brands and how logo-heavy luxury designs come across, and our fashion style guide explains personal and historic styles.
1. Check your body shape
Check your body shape with the body shape quiz for men.
2. Find your seasonal colours
Find your seasonal colours with the seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Take the fashion style quiz
Take the fashion style quiz for men to see which personal styles and outfit ideas match what you like wearing.
Book a consultation for personal help
If you would like personal help after the three quizzes, you can book one of our paid consultations with The VOU’s image consultants and stylists through our styling services for men, or contact us with questions.