Quiet style on any budget

A quiet, well-chosen wardrobe is not about labels or money. It is about owning fewer things that fit well, are made to last and are looked after. This lesson goes beyond the Wardrobe module's basics to the eye of a careful buyer.

The principle: chosen with care, then forgotten

• Debrett's Academy Director Rupert Wesson calls a line from the couturier Hardy Amies "the last word" on menswear, and it suits everyone: look as though you chose your clothes with intelligence, put them on with care "and then forgotten all about them".
• Quiet style favours muted colours, good materials and timeless shapes over logos, as Wikipedia's article on quiet luxury describes.
• A small, consistent palette (for example navy, white, grey, camel or olive) means almost everything goes with everything, so you need fewer pieces.
• Modest dress fits naturally with this style. Long lines, good fabric and careful fit look elegant in an abaya, a kandura, a long skirt or a suit alike.

How to judge quality in a shop

• Pull gently on either side of a seam. Anuschka Rees's quality guide says that if the seam opens or gapes, it was poorly made.
• Look for straight, even stitching with no loose threads or fraying seam edges, as New Mexico State University's judging guide lists. On overlocked seams, stitches should not show on the outside unless they are decorative.
• On stripes and checks, see whether the pattern lines up at the seams. Rees says a well-made patterned piece should look as though it was cut from one continuous piece of fabric.
• Check buttons are sewn on firmly with several threads, buttonholes are densely stitched with no raw edges, and a spare button is included.
• Try the zip: it should run smoothly, lie flat and not slide down when the sides are pulled.
• Read the care label before buying. A beautiful item you cannot realistically wash or clean will not get worn.

Fit first, then tailoring

• Buy for the shoulders. Gentleman's Gazette explains that shoulder width is very hard or impossible to alter well, so a jacket must fit there from the start.
• Many alterations are simple and inexpensive: shortening trouser hems, tapering trouser legs, adjusting the waist and seat by a small amount, and changing sleeve length a little.
• If you are between sizes, the same source says a garment that is slightly too big is easier to fix than one that is too small. Cheaper ready-to-wear clothes often have little spare fabric to let out.
• A good local tailor can turn an affordable piece into one that looks made for you. Ask for a price before they start.
• Second-hand and alterations are covered in the Wardrobe module (wd-07); combine the two for the best value of all.

Cost per wear: a worked example

• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension suggests dividing an item's cost by how many times you will realistically wear it, and warns against over-optimistic estimates.
• Example (illustrative prices): a pair of shoes at AED 150 that falls apart after 60 wears costs AED 2.50 per wear.
• A better-made pair at AED 600 that can be resoled and lasts 400 wears over four years costs AED 1.50 per wear, plus perhaps AED 100 for one resole, which brings it to AED 1.75.
• The expensive pair is cheaper in the long run only if you really wear it. A AED 600 pair worn 10 times costs AED 60 per wear.
• The rule is not "always buy expensive". It is: buy what you will wear often, in the best quality you can afford, and look after it.

Care is the real luxury

• Love Your Clothes (WRAP) advises washing at 30 degrees where possible, which helps clothes last longer and saves energy, and suggests line-drying to cut tumble-dryer costs.
• The same leaflet notes that extending a garment's life by nine months could cut its carbon, water and waste footprints by roughly 20 to 30 per cent each.
• Around 30 per cent of clothes in UK wardrobes had not been worn in the previous year, according to Love Your Clothes. Fewer, loved pieces avoid that waste.
• Hang jackets on shaped hangers, fold knitwear, brush wool, and polish shoes before they look tired. The Wardrobe module covers stain removal and mending.