Five indicators of an upper class wardrobe

telegraph.co.uk:

is dominating headlines this week. The misstep in question was a hole in His Majesty’s sock, revealed when he removed his shoes during a mosque visit.

Evidently the royal moths have been busy. But for a man so famously fussy about his wardrobe, it seems an unlikely oversight.The reason could well be that he just didn’t notice – but it could also be read as a subtle indicator of class.

In the King’s circles, threadbare socks are as key to the well-born uniform as a polo mallet or a signet ring. Forget immaculate Succession-style Loro Piana cashmere; if you’re truly upper class, the contents of your wardrobe must appear to be as old as your family crest.

If your clothes weren’t inherited along with several hundred acres, the stately home and its resident army of merino wool-munchers, then they’ll be made bespoke by the same Savile Row tailor that your family has used for generations. “I have found that the aristocracy buy good clothes and then wear them to death whether that is bespoke suits or shoes,” says Jeremy Hackett, co-founder of Hackett. “Whilst they may look scruffy, what they are wearing was the best when they were made.“Boris Johnson is a master of scruffiness [but] in general his clothes are cheap so he doesn’t carry it off in the same way as an aristocrat.