Quiet luxury is a lifestyle characterized by understated elegance and refined consumption, emphasizing exclusivity and discerning taste without overt displays of wealth. [1]
Other terms to describe the same concept include stealth wealth, old money aesthetic, or silent luxury. [2] [3] [4]
The quiet luxury aesthetic focuses on subtle sophistication through the use of muted colours and quality materials, and an emphasis on craftsmanship and timeless design, rather than flashy logos or ostentatious branding. [5] [6]
Although the concepts of quiet luxury and stealth wealth have been equated, there may be differences in usage. While stealth wealth connotes hiding wealth, quiet luxury connotes subtly signalling wealth. [7]
Quiet luxury has also been likened to minimalism, although more elevated and riskier, and normcore, but more polished. [8] [9]
A related concept is "affordable affluence", where the average consumer purchases goods or services that are perceived as exclusive, yet are still affordable. [5] While quiet luxury underscores the widening gap between the ultra-wealthy and the general public, accessible affluence provides a way for the general public to indulge in the lifestyle of the ultra-wealthy. [5]
Quiet luxury traces its roots to the rise of the capitalist class in Europe and America during the late 18th and early 19th century. As power shifted away from monarchical and ecclesiastical institutions, wealthy elites adopted understated clothing, architecture, and interiors to differentiate themselves from ostentatious, courtly styles. During this period, a related phenomenon known as the "Great Male Renunciation" saw men's fashion pivoting to somber suits and muted colors as a move away from the lace, powdered wigs, and flamboyant dress of the aristocracy. [10] [11]
In the Anglosphere, "stealth wealth" has been historically associated to the aesthetics of the traditional Protestant privileged class, who possess inherited wealth, or "old money". [10] [11] For instance, in F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby (1925), old-money families like Tom Buchanan's consider ostentatious displays of wealth (such as Jay Gatsby's pink suit and extravagant parties) as gauche and indicative of new money, highlighting the cultural clash between inherited privilege and newly acquired fortunes. [12]
In the 1990s, designers like Donna Karan and Miuccia Prada popularized practical, streamlined clothing, which mirrored broader cultural shifts toward a more casual yet status-conscious uniform, especially among affluent professionals. [10] [11]
The concept's most recent popularity arose in 2023 when conspicuous consumption become less favorable. [8] [6] The ostentatious display of wealth increasingly became perceived as gauche and fostering futile competition. [1] During this time period, the ultrawealthy subtly exhibit their status through expensive, yet inconspicuous, domestic and personal items. [1] This discreet display of wealth is often through subtle signals recognizable only to those in the know. [1] In other words, the wealth is only apparent to those who know what to look for. [1]
The rise of social media has led to the increased spectatorship of the lives of the wealthy, with individuals creating narratives of a lavish lifestyle for public consumption. [1] However, quiet luxury emphasizes privacy, discouraging overt displays of wealth that might make one a target. [1] Contemporary status symbols for the wealthy include inconspicuous designer clothing and discreet, yet expensive, jewelry. [1]
The quiet luxury trend in 2023 likely arose for a number of reasons. [6] One is due to the economic conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic when people spent more disposable income on services and less on expensive, trendy products. [6] The fear of economic stagnation or recession influencing the trend led to it being dubbed recessioncore. [4] Also, the television series Succession portrayed some of the wealthiest New Yorkers wearing expensive, yet subtle pieces of fashion and has been attributed to fueling the trend. [1] [2] [6] This led to the term Succession core. [13] The Gwyneth Paltrow civil court case in March 2023 in Utah also contributed to the trend, as her wardrobe reflected the concept as well. [2] By January 2024, the trend was considered outdated as the 2024 Paris Fashion Week featured styles with more flair. [14]
The benefits of quiet luxury include that it tends to focus more on the customer's needs and less on image. [6] Also, because of the focus on quality, it tends to be more sustainable. [6] Although it may superficially appear bad for business since the consumer will need to make fewer purchases, it may actually be beneficial for businesses as well, as the consumer may continue to buy goods from the same brand. [6] Quiet luxury also places an emphasis on more conscientious purchasing and investment pieces. [9] Quiet luxury items in theory should have a timeless appeal. [2]
Brands that embody the quiet luxury aesthetic include manufacturers such as Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Zegna, Hermès, Brioni, and Kiton, along with designer brands like Thom Browne, Bottega Veneta, Celine (under Phoebe Philo) and The Row. [15] [16] [17] [18] The concepts of stealth wealth and old money style are typically linked to Savile Row tailoring and heritage luxury brands, including Purdey, John Lobb, Turnbull & Asser, Anderson & Sheppard, and Huntsman. [19] [20]
These brands are characterized by their focus on the quality of materials and construction, a classic style designed to be timeless and resistant to fleeting trends, the absence of prominent logos, and exclusivity through premium pricing. [15] [18] [16]
Consumerism is a social and economic order in which the aspirations of many individuals include the acquisition of goods and services beyond those necessary for survival or traditional displays of status. It emerged in Western Europe before the Industrial Revolution and became widespread around 1900. In economics, consumerism refers to policies that emphasize consumption. It is the consideration that the free choice of consumers should strongly inform the choice by manufacturers of what is produced and how, and therefore influence the economic organization of a society.
In sociology and in economics, the term conspicuous consumption describes and explains the consumer practice of buying and using goods of a higher quality, price, or in greater quantity than practical. In 1899, the sociologist Thorstein Veblen coined the term conspicuous consumption to explain the spending of money on and the acquiring of luxury commodities specifically as a public display of economic power—the income and the accumulated wealth—of the buyer. To the conspicuous consumer, the public display of discretionary income is an economic means of either attaining or maintaining a given social status.
Hip-hop fashion refers to the various styles of dress that originated from Urban Black America and inner city youth in cities like New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Being a major part of hip hop culture, it further developed in other cities across the United States, with each contributing different elements to the overall style that is now recognized worldwide.
Affluenza describes the psychological and social effects of affluence. It is a portmanteau of affluence and influenza, and is used most commonly by critics of consumerism. Some psychologists consider it to be a pseudo-scientific term, however the word continues to be used in scientific literature.
In economics, a luxury good is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a more significant proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in contrast to necessity goods, where demand increases proportionally less than income. Luxury goods is often used synonymously with superior goods.
Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding, 1980s nostalgia, and Japanese street fashion. Later, haute couture became an influence, and was in turn influenced by streetwear. Streetwear centers on comfortable clothing and accessories such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Brands may create exclusivity through artificial scarcity; enthusiasts follow particular brands and try to obtain limited edition releases, including via proxy purchases.
Arc'teryx is a Canadian apparel company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas.
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. He or she can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas."
Fuerdai is a Chinese term for the children of the nouveau riche in China. This term, generally considered pejorative, is often invoked in the Chinese media and everyday discussions in mainland China as it incorporates some of the social and moral problems associated with modern Chinese society.
Izikhothane (Ukukhothana), or rather Skhothane, refers to South African showmanship or dance battles in which individuals or groups compete in front of large crowds to determine by conspicuous consumption which party is wealthier. These 'battles' are performed using material items such as money, mobile phones, clothes, alcohol or foods. In most instances a battle is won by the intentional destruction or wastage of one's own expensive items to demonstrate the lack of concern for such material possessions due to the ability to afford more of the same. A competitor's chances of victory are improved by having items that are more expensive than those of their opponent it can be money or clothes. Some of the Izikhothanes are from Botswana.
Normcore is a unisex fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing. Normcore fashion includes jeans, T-shirts, sweats, button-downs, and sneakers.
Athleisure is a hybrid style of athletic clothing typically worn as everyday wear. The word is a portmanteau combining the words 'athletic' and 'leisure'. Athleisure outfits can include tracksuits, sports jackets, hoodies, yoga pants, tights, sneakers, flats, Birkenstocks, uggs, leggings and shorts that look like athletic wear or pair well with it. Characterized as "fashionable, dressed-up sweats and exercise clothing," athleisure grew during the mid-2010s, from the popularity of yoga pants that emerged throughout the mid to late 2000s. The athleisure trend entails casual clothing options that give North American women the option to incorporate athletic clothing as part of their everyday attire, irrespective of their actual engagement in physical activities.
Highsnobiety is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. The youth-focused company is difficult to pigeonhole, as it straddles the line between a media company that reviews fashion and lifestyle products, a clothing company that sells its own clothing lines, and a creative agency that advises other companies how to market their own fashion and lifestyle products.
A Sciura is an elderly lady from the city center of Milan, who is essentially rich, elegantly dressed and often easily recognizable by her careless attitude.
Language-wise, ‘Sciura’ is the feminine form of ‘Sciur’, which is the Lombard word for ‘Mister’. Although the word in itself can be literally translated as ‘lady’ or ‘Mrs.’, the actual semantic of the term has evolved to a much broader meaning within the context of the city and its hinterland, especially when used as a common noun and not as an honorific.
The Khalili Collection of Kimono is a private collection of more than 450 Japanese kimono assembled by the British scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili. It is one of eight collections assembled, published and exhibited by Khalili, each of which is considered to be among the most important collections within their respective fields.
"Bobo Brand" is an informal name used to refer to a product that is sold inexpensively under an unpopular brand name. These products are perceived as inferior to better-known brands. Though they are less expensive, they are often not lower quality.
The fashions of the 2020s represent a departure from 2010s fashion and feature a nostalgia for older aesthetics. They have been largely inspired by styles of the late 1990s to mid-2000s, and 1980s. Early in the decade, several publications noted the shortened trend and nostalgia cycle in 2020s fashion. Fashion was also shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a major impact on the fashion industry, and led to shifting retail and consumer trends.
Gorpcore is a fashion trend in which outerwear typically designed for outdoor recreation is worn as streetwear. It has been described as "wearing functional outdoor wear in an urban, trendy style". This includes technical garments such as puffer jackets, hiking boots and fleeces, and brands such as The North Face, Patagonia and Arc'teryx. While the trend has a practical basis, it has also been embraced for its stylish appeal, with celebrities incorporating outdoor gear into everyday outfits. Coined in 2017, gorpcore emerged as a popular trend in the 2020s; some analysts suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic in part influenced this.
Bertrand Mak is a Hong Kong–based British artist, designer and entrepreneur of Chinese descent. He is the founder and chief creator of art and luxury brand Sauvereign as well as the proprietor of CrystallineTM, a gold leafing technique he had reinvented in 2012. His designs have been worn by notable people including Lady Violet Manners, Lady Amelia and Eliza Spencer, Zara Tindall, Olivia Colman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maria Sharapova and Cillian Murphy.
Affordable affluence refers to a cultural phenomenon where consumers use accessible luxury goods and lifestyles to project status and align themselves with a higher social class, without requiring substantial wealth. This concept is embodied by brands such as Aritzia and Erewhon Market, which position themselves as offering high-end, trendy, or health-conscious products that are relatively accessible to the average consumer.
