One of the most common icebreaker questions is, “What would you buy if you won the lottery?” For many fashion lovers, like myself, the fantasy starts with a dream closet—lined with vintage Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage Ralph Lauren, and maybe the Prada Buckle leather bag with belt in Dark Brown… But it raises a deeper question for me: does money alone actually buy style, or is true style something that can’t be purchased, no matter the budget? I truly believe that fashion is something that should be experimented with but equally studied. 

Fashion should be about expressing yourself through your clothing, not showing off how much money you may have. Wearing clothes with intention makes your look much more valuable and authentic. You can tell, just based on how a person may drape on their clothes, whether they styled themselves with intention. Anybody with loads of money could walk into a luxury store, purchase the most expensive items in the store, and wear it around the city. But that does not mean they look stylish nor fashionable. The only thing these over the top repetitive pieces of clothing show, is that you know how to swipe a credit card. Am I saying these luxury brands don’t make beautiful pieces? Absolutely not. The best clothes in the world are made by these same designers. But understanding current day trends, personal style, and how to pair pieces is key to fashion styling. You can purchase Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. You cannot purchase style. I think we, as a generation, have been disillusioned by overconsumerism and economic status. 

There’s this constant pressure to show off our money by putting it on our bodies, as if the price tag is what proves our worth. But this obsession isn’t new; it’s generational. In medieval times, kings and queens flaunted their wealth through extravagant garments while the poor couldn’t even afford to keep their clothes clean. I also think of Marie Antoinette, who embodied this divide, famously living in excess while the people around her starved. Today, we’re simply living in a modern version of that same performance, just with designer and Instagram feed instead of crowns and palaces.

Mixing old with new is one thing you can do. It isn’t too flashy, but also doesn’t look or feel pedestrian. Pairing a $7 vintage button down from goodwill, with a pair of $500 jeans. Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but to me that feels authentic. It feels like you like the clothes for the clothes, not the worth of them. Since I was 10 and starting my fashion journey, I have always gone thrift shopping. It wasn’t about the price, it was about the item. It was about whether I liked the structure of the shirt or the stitching of the pants. Could I see myself styling any item I find? That is the true art of finding your fashion self. 

At the end of the day, money can give you access to beautiful clothing, but it can’t buy the instinct, creativity, or authenticity that makes someone truly stylish. Fashion has always reflected status, but real style has always come from individuality. If I won the lottery tomorrow, sure, I’d buy a few dream pieces—but they’d only matter if I could make them my own. Because style isn’t what you can afford, it’s how you choose to wear it

– Kai Love