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Fashion Lingo: what’s the deal with quiet luxury?

1.6.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

The fashion world is brimming with terms – the meaning of which are sometimes far from obvious. A prime example of this is quiet luxury, a phrase we’re hearing and reading everywhere right now. The culprit? A TV series.

All of a sudden, everyone’s talking about quiet luxury. Anyone who’s invested their money in bold logos and swanky status symbols in recent years has now been left staring dumbly on from the confines of their garishly branded underwear. HBO series Succession is said to be partly responsible for this new aesthetic modesty. But more on that later.

Luxury that doesn’t show off

The more easily recognisable the brand of your clothing at first glance, the greater the wave of prestige that would wash over you. This rule of thumb held true until the beginning of this year. Then, something happened. A vibe shift. Suddenly, we were faced with a trend characterised by the total opposite, making its way towards us in big, determined steps. Instead of continuing to wallow in logo mania, cool people cottoned on to the fact that quiet luxury was now setting the fashion tone. Quiet, unobtrusive luxury that doesn’t feel the need to shout its price tag in your face.

At least, that’s how the Roy family handles it on HBO series Succession, which entered its fourth and final season in late March. The fictitious, super-rich media clan has so much money that private jets are as much a part of their everyday lives as tram tickets are for you and me. What you won’t see them do is wear logos or trend-specific clothing. It’s all got to be timeless, as high quality as possible and simply not garish or in-your-face. If you have money to burn, you don’t need to show off. We know this from the non-fictional lives of personalities like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. Understatement is the magic word.

Facebook/Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Source: Twitter

Quiet luxury means quality over quantity, minimalism over eccentricity, and quiet enjoyment over embarrassing bragging. It’s a philosophy you’ll find at labels like Bottega Veneta, The Row, Totême and Khaite – a philosophy they’ve shared since long before Succession came along, by the way.

Khaite Spring/Summer 23
Source: Spotlight

Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 23 — Khaite Spring/Summer 23
Source: Spotlight

In the «Fashion Lingo» series, I try to shed light on the dark that is language in the fashion industry. If you occasionally end up lost in translation, I’m sure I can help – drop me a line in the comments.

Header image: Cottonbro Studio via Pexels

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Laura Scholz

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Fashion Lingo: what’s the deal with quiet luxury?

Luxury that doesn’t show off

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