What is Quiet Luxury?
You may have heard the term Quiet luxury thrown about everywhere on YouTube and in fashion magazines recently. Quiet Luxury is one of 2023’s biggest trends! It’s also one of the most difficult ones to describe as it’s a combination of neutrals, understated pieces, soft garments, and elegance, while remaining minimal and put together. Think of black, beige and grey, think of minimalism, but a bit softer and everyday appropriate. To put it simply, there’s no heavy logos and branding, there’s no loud prints and colours… it’s muted, gentle, and sleek.
Quiet Luxury really shows off your personal style. There’s that age old saying ‘money doesn’t buy you style’ and that’s absolutely true. So much of designer fashion over the last few years has been ‘bigger and more is better’ and this meant that wearing as many logos and designer pieces as you could, in one outfit, showcased style and luxury. For me personally, this was always a turn off and usually showcased a mismatch of designer pieces and an ugly outfit.
Logomania was trending for a while, and people wanted the monogram and logos of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Balenciaga etc. all over there clothes. Even to the point of mixing a Dior monogram coat with a Louis Vuitton monogram bag, a Gucci GG belt, with huge Balenciaga Triple S sneakers and more, at once. It was too much. I am not surprised that Quiet Luxury is now at the forefront of fashion. People got sick and tired of so much branding and showing off. It came from a place of people just trying to display how much wealth they had, and to look rich, when in actual fact? It was tacky.
I have personally always been a fan of Quiet Luxury and I never even considered it a trend. I have just always enjoyed understated, muted pieces, without heavy logos. I did try to dip into the GG logo trend from Gucci, but I ended up selling everything as it just wasn’t me. The farthest I go with logos is the elegant and simple YSL design on some of my bags, and the small CC on my Chanel Boy. I do have one Louis Vuitton Mini Palm Springs bag with the monogram, but it’s so tiny, it’s very simple. That’s it. I’ve never worn clothing pieces with logos and monograms – it’s just too much.
How To Wear Quiet Luxury
I’m really happy that Quiet Luxury is trending for 2023, but for those of you that are new to this elegant and tasteful trend, how do you wear Quiet Luxury?
Neutral colour palette – A neutral colour palette is key when it comes to Quiet Luxury. You want a combination of earthy tones, beiges, blacks, browns… everything that you would consider muted and totally neutral. My favourite shades are always beige, stone, taupe, black, and even a dusty light rose.
Luxurious fabrics – Quiet Luxury is about showcasing elegance in a very understated way. It’s the type of thing that is ‘when you know, you know’ and that’s one thing you must look out for in fabric. Cheap, synthetic fabric is easy to spot, so you want to wear luxurious fabrics. Cashmere, silk, wool… the more expensive and high quality materials.
Quality leather accessories – This is super important as you don’t want to go for a cheap bag, or a heavily branded bag and ruin the muted simplicity of your outfit. Choose a high quality leather bag that is simple and extremely well made, showing your eye for quality pieces. The same goes for belts.
Minimal, simple designs – This is key! You want to stay away from anything that’s bold and making a statement in terms of design. Minimal, normal designs that are plain are your friend here. Think plain knitwear and simple, plain bags.
Tailored and soft pieces – Tailoring is a huge part of the Quiet Luxury trend. A structured, long coat is your best friend when it comes to outerwear, as is a blazer that fits to perfection. At the same time though, you need softer, floaty, looser pieces to juxtapose the tailoring and make it look effortless.
Quiet Luxury Pieces To Invest In
Button up shirt – This is super important as a crisp button up shirt is a base for so many looks. I would personally choose a silk or cotton fabric, and keep the colour entirely neutral. The lighter the better.
Tailored coat – You don’t have to go super expensive with a tailored coat, as long as it fits you perfectly, you’re in business! REISS make some amazing tailored coats, but you can also opt for something a little more expensive. I would recommend a neutral shade like beige, grey or black.
Tailored trousers – A pair of trousers are perfect for making an outfit look classy. Make sure they fit you well, aren’t too long (slightly shorter is better) and that they have a higher waist for tucking in tops. A slim fit is ideal here as you don’t want anything too baggy or too tight.
Logo-less leather bag – A quality leather bag without a logo is perfect for Quiet Luxury. This is entirely your decision what you choose, but some great brands would be Radley, Mulberry, Hermes, Celine etc.
Elegant belt – Gone are the days when you should be wearing a Gucci GG belt, but if you still love that, Quiet Luxury probably isn’t for you, and that’s ok. For your belts, you want to pick something that’s much more toned down. No huge, flashy logo buckle and thick leather band. You want to pick a smaller leather band, and a smaller logo. You can still wear logos like the Celine or Louis Vuitton ones, just make sure they’re a little more muted and quiet. Celine is perfect for this.
Cashmere knitwear – Cashmere is one of the nicest fabrics around when it comes to knitwear. You can really tell that it’s high quality and it looks luxurious. I would recommend investing in some amazing cashmere pieces, or you can choose merino wool.
Simple shoes – Simplicity in footwear is key! You want to keep the shoes simple, so we’re looking at plain mules (Gucci loafers) or elegant heels (Jimmy choo or Manolo pumps) or an entirely plain white sneaker. Anything without branding and logos, but with high quality materials and designs.
Plain jeans – Jeans are actually something you can still wear with the Quiet Luxury trend, just keep them plain. I’m talking about a well fitting pair of vintage looking, light wash mom jeans, or a pair of black or indigo skinny jeans. Something that creates a muted base for your look. No distressing, rips etc.
The 10 best Quiet Luxury brands:
Celine – I have been a fan of Celine for over 15 years. I’ve always loved how elegant and simple the fashion house is, without heavy logos and branding. They just focus on quality.
The Row – The Row was founded by the Olsen twins and it became incredibly popular. You’re looking at tailored, neutral pieces in looser fits. Very minimal and quiet.
Saint Laurent – Saint Laurent has always been a brand that never jumped on logo-mania or put monograms on their pieces. The most you will find is a YSL logo on some of their bags and belts. The brand is very tailored, sleek and androgynous.
MaxMara – When I think of MaxMara, I immediately think of neutral, luxurious outerwear. It’s a fashion house that always nailed Quiet Luxury, way before it was even a trend.
Hermes – Hermes obviously is at the top of the game when it comes to luxury in general, but they’ve always kept things understated and simple. Even the famous Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags are chic and quiet. They have high quality leather items.
Loewe – This bag brand has been gaining in popularity for a while. They have some really minimal and simple leather designs that are perfect for Quiet Luxury.
Bottega Veneta – Another brand that definitely stayed away from logos and monograms was Bottega Veneta. They are famous for their Intrecciato design of the woven fabric, but it’s so elegant and simple that you don’t even picture it as flashy.
Jil Sander – Jil Sander is another brand that loves neutrals and tailoring. Creating the perfect pieces for this 2023 trend that we’re all loving.
Mulberry – I was a fan of Mulberry before I even got into designer bags as Mulberry is a bit more affordable. They have such simple designs like the Bayswater and Lily that you cannot go wrong. They also use high quality leather.
Victoria Beckham – Now Victoria Beckham isn’t one that I hear mentioned when people talk about Quiet Luxury, but her clothing is perfect for that. She’s always made tailored pieces in neutral tones. Her pieces are elegant and very simple.
I hope this blog post on what is Quiet Luxury and how to wear it has been really helpful. Like I said, it’s a trend that I have loved forever and I would call it more of a lifestyle, as some people just don’t like to show off with logos and branding like others do. I think Quiet Luxury showcases wealth and personal style in the best way possible! What are your thoughts?