Stylist reveals the ‘classy’ items that actually make YOU look cheap

If you’re planning a wardrobe refresh for the new year, and want to adopt a more refined style, you might be tempted to look to celebrities for inspiration as to how to look for classy. 

But even if you dutifully study pictures of royalty, transforming yourself from high street to high end is no easy task, says celebrity stylist Miranda Holder, who vlogs on TikTok @TheMirandaHolder. 

She warns that sticking on a head band in the hope of transforming into the poised Princess of Wales will have the exact opposite effect and just make you look mumsy. 

She also cautions against Gucci belts, white coats and another royal favourite – nude shoes.  Here the British stylist breaks down what items can make you look cheap…

Stylist Miranda Holder shared her fashion know-how with Femail and revealed which trends can instantly cheapen your look

Headbands

They may be a go-to for the nation’s most cherished Royal, but the humble headband does not translate well into the accessory repertoire of us mere mortals. 

The hair adornment exposes the wannabe Windsor-Wives amongst us, who are willing to throw style points to the wind, secretly hoping that if they look a bit mumsy, they may be able to lure Prince Harry back to safer territory in our native lands.

Why does Kate look so great in them? Well, because she is Kate and quite frankly she’d look regal in a bin bag. Every inch of her immaculate outfits are micro-tailored with her statuesque silhouette (headgear included) in mind.

British stylist Miranda Holder reveals what items can make you look cheap. She said that headbands might look good on the Princess of Wales, who wears some for engagements, including Anzac Day celebrations last April, pictured, but that it can make us mere mortals look ‘mumsy’ 

For those of us who don’t boast gazelle-like proportions however, this popular sartorial halo is generally unflattering, at best, you’ll look like a prim schoolgirl and at worst, just downright ridiculous and a bit ‘try hard’, drawing attention for all the wrong reasons like the clothing equivalent of Hyacinth Bucket.

If you are landed gentry, still embracing the twinset and pearls, with all the fashion panache of a 1950s housewife, or you’re off to a fancy dress party dressed as Anne Boleyn then go for it, otherwise; steer well clear; not least because you are unwittingly announcing to the world that you are trying to conceal a bad hair day. 

Don’t try to channel Alice in Wonderland – leave the band firmly in the (back of the) wardrobe.

Long acrylic nails

Long acrylic nails are all the rage, but Miranda cautioned that they can easily make a look tacky. Pictured: Lilly Collins sporting the trend 

Ok, I know acrylic nail extensions are back in a big way and everyone from Lizzo to Lily Collins has been recently sporting gothic, Wednesday-inspired claws on the black carpet, but really, there is no faster way to take your aesthetic from tasteful to tacky, than with the addition of a set of weapons-grade long talons RuPaul would be proud of.

Numerous celebrity endorsements aside, unless your name is Destiny, you have a trending pimple-popping social media account and are planning to audition for the 2023 reunion of the Ali G Staines Massive, this look brings all the wrong connotations.. The upkeep is a nightmare, and you’d need an entourage Mariah Carey would be envious of to do everything – and I mean absolutely everything – for you, they are totally impractical.

And can we also just talk about hygiene?! Who really makes a date with their nail brush every day to keep all those germs at bay?! Just eww!!

So put the Cristal back in the fridge and hold off on the pole dancing lessons for now – leave this trend to Cardi B and her crew – they are after all only wearing costumes anyway.

Nude tones

Nude tones are beloved like style Queens like Meghan Markle (pictured in a head-to-toe nude look in London in 2019), but Miranda warned you need to make sure you pick the right tone 

Channelling your inner Meghan Markle in her early (and let’s face it – brief) Royal years and opting for head to toe neutral tones may seem like a shortcut to all things chic and stylish but readers, please be very, very cautious.

Get the colour right for your skintone, and your skin will glow with apparent radiant health, your eyes will be at their sparklest and you’ll look like you’ve had a week of uninterrupted sleep at Soneva Fushi, but get the colour wrong (sadly this happens more often than not) and we are facing all sorts of fashion horror stories. 

Your complexion can look pallid, you will appear either more ruddy or more sallow, depending on which way you go, wrinkles and imperfections will be accentuated and the result my darlings just isn’t pretty.

The other issue, is that if the shade is too close to your actual skin tone than it can look like you aren’t actually wearing anything at all – yes you might garner several intrigued glances, but looking like a beached sea lion that’s attempting a first foray into cross-species dressing (and I can assure you I’m speaking for myself here) is not a look I would advise you to pursue.

The nude ‘palette’ is one of the most treacherous set of hues available to woman (or man) so for goodness sakes, why not play it safe and make like Meghan in her final Royal working week and embrace that rainbow of colour?! 

Shake off the confines of attempted refined sophistication and start to express yourself with bold tones that lift your spirits and make others around you feel good? The transformative power of colour is very tangible, and if you’re not a convert, why not make it a new year’s resolution to introduce more of it into your wardrobe?

A final word of warning to the nude-toned shoe wearers here. Yes, our very own Royal Fashion icon Kate looks great in them, and they do go with everything, reducing your morning decision fatigue, but once again, get the exact colour wrong and those pins have plummeted from polished to pasty in one deft step. 

You’ll end up looking amateurish and uncoordinated – like a cut-price Amanda Holden, my advice is to embrace the safer territory of the deeper tones and brights – and leave the strange ‘nude legs and matching feet’ combo on Dancing on Ice!

Logo anything

Wearing a designer name emblazoned on your clothing, like Sofia Richie did in 2017, does not guarantee you wardrobe brownie points as amplifies naff designer noise into a tasteless sartorial cacophony

Repeat after me, wearing a designer name emblazoned on your clothing, even if the piece cost you a fortune, does not guarantee you wardrobe brownie points.

Frankly, the logo movement highlights a lack of sartorial creativity, and if you’re partial to a bit of fashion pick ‘n’ mix, preferring to combine several offending items, it’s even worse; the maximalist ‘more is more’ approach amplifies a few decibels of naff designer noise into a tasteless sartorial cacophony. 

It’s the classic case of the clothes wearing the wearer rather than the other way around – ear phones and eye shades will be required, and you might as well wear your baseball cap backwards and flash a gold tooth to finish what you started.

Where the logo is situated makes no odds, whether it’s on your T-shirt, splashed across the back of a jacket or plastered over your behind it’s still tacky. You will have instantly cheapened your vibe, branding yourself as a modern day fashion fool in the process.

Designer kicks aren’t much better; your oversized Alexander McQueens or jewel-encrusted Jimmy Choos deliver a stench of designer desperado, whereas a simple pair of low key Converse would have been a cooler alternative.

Also be wary of which style tribe you are publicly pledging allegiance to – if you’re congratulating yourself having picked up a pair of bargain Balenciaga Triple S trainers at a fraction of the RRP, then do yourself a favour and research the brand before you get yourself cancelled – dressing in the age of wokism is a very tricky business indeed and you can easily be relegated into the fashion graveyard.

The one exception here is the designer hoody, which can be a comfy, dressed down option for those January lazy weekends, however the slouchy look can add bulk to your already festive-fattened waistline, so unless you have a body as lithe as a Whippet puppy, don’t bother.

Gucci belt

The double G Gucci belt is not adding to your look, like Kendall Jenner’s outfit in 2016, as stylist says the monogram belt has been done to death

There was a time when every burgeoning blogger on Instagram believed that ‘elevating’ their outfit with a double G Gucci belt was the ultimate final outfit flourish. The reality of course is that they were simply copying their mates.

The real truth, from someone who has dressed all shapes and sizes over the years, is that, contrary to popular belief, every outfit does not benefit from a little ‘waist cinching’ and some midriffs are definitely better left undefined.

Also, I hate to say it ladies, but the Insta-ubiquitous double G belt is not adding a certain je ne sais quoi to your look, as, since the fashion house ascended to new heights over recent years the double G monogram has been done to death – rendering it almost as offensive as the previously discussed headband. Proceed with caution.

To add insult to injury, the golden era of Gucci is devastatingly over, Harry Styles in his pussy bow blouses and feather boas may have got the middle class housewife all stirred up, but Alessandro Michelle has left the building – and until we are certain of the credentials and vision of his successor, you are better off hanging fire before you flock to blow your Christmas cash on the Net-a-Porter sale.

Louis Vuitton Monogrammed Luggage

Louis Vuitton monogrammed cases, like these ones that Molly Mae used last year, has been overused by every Tom, Dick and Harry

We’ve all seen it. The perma-tanned family in their matching velour tracksuits at the airport, loading their Louis Vuitton monogrammed cases onto the luggage belt, their whiter than white freshly bleached teeth glinting under the strip lights.

Does their expensive, but also questionably fake-looking luggage buy their entry into the high-flying style set? Most. Definitely. Not!

The quality of craftsmanship at Louis Vuitton is indisputable, but tragically the reputation of this legendary fashion house has been marred by every Tom, Dick and Shirley jumping on the brand bandwagon, splashing their cash on some undeniably exquisite accoutrements in the hope that it will buy them some class.

It’s the fashion face-off equivalent of the flashy sports car commonly known as the penis extension, synonymous with the proverbial mid-life crisis. 

Inevitably, in spite of all the fashion power-posturing, scratch the surface and it’s all football shirts and nylon hair extensions. 

As my mother would say – all ‘fur coat and no knickers’, the designer does not maketh the man!

The White Coat

Nothing screams ‘luxury’ more than an a spotlessly clean white coat, like this one Lady Gaga donned in 2021, however, the moment you get even the tiniest coffee stain on it, your aesthetic has plummeted from sophisticated to skanky

Nothing screams ‘luxury’ more than an immaculately cut – and crucially – spotlessly clean white coat. 

Lady Gaga and Katie Holmes recently showed us how to wear it, and Zara produced a Dior-inspired copy last year which was a sell-out success, so admittedly, this little number accessorised with elegant outfit-composition can garner you some serious style points.

Please be warned however, the MOMENT you get even the tiniest coffee stain on it, your aesthetic has plummeted from sophisticated to skanky; your wardrobe status quo, descends to status woe and you are left resembling a Bichon Frise that’s had far too much fun in a muddy puddle on New Year’s Day.

So unless you have an entire team dedicated to the maintenance of your wardrobe like her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth herself, steer well clear of this wardrobe ticking time bomb and opt for a more forgiving Camel version instead.

Christian Dior Book Tote bag

This Christian Dior tote bag, that Rihanna used in 2018, is one of the most ripped off designer items in fashion history the fashion accessory has become lost in a sea of knock-offs

This, not so humble Christian Dior number is one of the most ripped off designer items in fashion history – which is perhaps just desserts for being one of the biggest consumer rip offs in fashion history in the first place!

Can we all just take a minute?! – Who would pay £2500+ for a canvas bag?! Yes, they are quite pretty and of course jolly useful, but paying an extortionate amount for a tailored sack, when you could pick up an equally useful (although admittedly far less visually appealing) equivalent in your local supermarket just beggars belief.

To add insult to injury, the moment you holiday in the Costa del Sol your prized possession will become lost in a sea of knock-offs, some of which are gallingly more attractive than the original. 

Suddenly your expensive designer showpiece becomes very worthless indeed and you are left with the proverbial egg on your face, looking like a fashion victim, with more money than sense.

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