Ran across a very interesting discussion on Reddit today:

"Despite all the attention the ‘old money’ aesthetic has been gaining lately, what do you think are they getting wrong? I personally think the whole ‘tweed sets’ thing isn’t as prevalent in the old money scene as TikTok has us believe."

The discussion sometimes ranges far afield, but most comments talk about what "old money" dressing is, and some what it is not. Quite a few spoke from personal experience.

I am not interested in either old or new money as an aesthetic, but surprisingly, I found quite a bit applicable to myself:

"Clothing is too pristine. Taking this question seriously but still a tad tongue in cheek, one doesn't buy new clothing darling, one slouches around in Father's tweed blazer from the 1950s and a pair of pants you borrowed from your bunkmate in 2010 and never gave back and a run down pair of Weejuns that you slipped on in Nantucket 4 summers ago at Bridie's on your way out to the rowing competition and they fit so well and were so comfortable that she agreed they're yours now."

"My family was old money that lost it. Let’s just say getting used ferragamos and resoling them is far more old money looking than new ferragamos. Old money buys quality pieces and then wears them to shreds. So a scruffy, but well fitting blazer is more in line than head to toe $$$$$ stuff."

"An old very wealthy relative has had Gucci loafers as long as I can remember. I’ve never seen him wear anything else my whole life. He’s replaced them I think just once in my 26 years of existence, but he’s had them repaired and polished repeatedly, because care of the item is important to him."

"when i picture old money i see crewneck sweaters, skirts to the knee, maybe a sweater vest, leather boots, the really muted palette that the British royal family wears when they go shooting or walking on their big estates like olive green, browns etc"

"most over 30 it’s still pretty dead on the rich country club lady thing, a lot of their basics like tees are just better fabric content of what we have as basics, but they’re often still in similar styles to what they’ve always rolled with, just with some slight swap outs in cut and style of items."

"I have a leather Longchamp bag that is so old the store can’t officially authenticate it. When I use it I can tell who knows what it is by the way they speak to me. (A particular sort of in group chumminess.) ...The very old money wealthy get the thing that does what they need it to do, and then they take care of it so that it lasts forever. And for a thing you really love, you collect more than one so that the thing is in rotation (I miiiiight have trawled eBay for six pairs of a particular Stewart Weitzman patent loafer because it is NOT resoleable. It is not a flashy shoe, but it fits me perfectly and is very versatile for my life)"

"...just having a birkin bag isn't a true sign of wealth, having a used and beaten-up one is, because it shows you have enough money to treat it like any other bag."

"When to wear - yes the tennis and horse riding aesthetic is beautiful. However, there’s a time and place to wear them. No old money is wearing their tennis skirt out to dinner."

"I agree with all of these, especially the second point. My partners family is old money in New England and they dress less for aesthetic and more for what’s practical/what suits the occasion."

I suspect it's this odd-seeming mixture of practicality, frugality to the point of shabbiness, top quality, and expense that makes the "old money" aesthetic both intriguing and hard to imitate. And surprisingly, it expresses some huge aspects of my own style, which I've tried to capture with moniker and three words in the past.

• No shame about shabby or worn items. Resole the shoes, polish the bag, reweave or mend the moth holes. The motive isn't saving money; if it works, don't change it.

• Practicality sounds boring - but it's the literal truth. Dress for the weather and for activities in appropriate and hard-wearing traditional materials.
• I don't pursue quality in and of itself, but I favor natural fibers and leather since I know how they will wear and how to take care of them. So I end up buying good brands (mostly resale) and buying good fabrics at bargain prices.

Just this week I was going through my wool pieces and realized how well some of the tweeds and plaids I've picked up (mostly at estate sales) would go with my tops and cardigans. They're not what I would call "pretty", but the combinations really gave me a vision of Queen Elizabeth II on the moors. That was before I read this topic. And I've been accumulating traditional loafers, Minnetonka moccasins, Sunjuns sandals, etc. They just work with my style in a way that tennis shoes and ballet flats don't. I suddenly feel I've been channeling old money and never knew it!

The other curious thing about this "old money" aesthetic is that it's rooted in the styles and usages of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. It's as if clothing became codified at that time: Casual trousers of all kinds are virtually unchanged, just variations in leg width and rises. The crewneck sweater, the turtleneck, and cables. The button cardigan. The button-front shirt-collar blouse. The blazer. The basic below-knee skirt, whether narrow or full. Even eventually the T-shirt. All standards, existing since then in cuts and materials of each period, but essentially unchanged.

In that respect, my style is classic and traditional. I seek out materials and variations that hark back to the 40s, but they're still just clothes, and I just wear them. I want to pay a little more attention to detail - I admit I practically never iron something that's already been ironed once, and I'm slow to mend sometimes - but this rather captures how I naturally am.

What I don't want to do is be in a box, of course. My old-money-esque looks are everyday for cool weather. I don't look like it in summer, since old money doesn't live in Texas! And I don't wear blazers, and I do love my jean shorts and t-shirts.

But it's fun to realize how natural and practical the "old money aesthetic" can be from a certain perspective. It's like discovering (much older) historical fashion, why they were made and worn particular ways, and what the logic is.