The Forecast Calls For:The Return of “Quiet Luxury”

I’ve been predicting for at least the last eight months the return of “quiet luxury” in fashion. So, imagine my excitement when designers (finally!) showed real clothes again on the Fall 2023 runways. But over the last few weeks, the “quiet luxury” trend has exploded all over fashion media outlets, with journalists and editors asking if it’s here to stay or if understated luxury is just a recession-proof move. After several seasons of gimmicky and sometimes outright ugly clothing and an obsession with logo-heavy product, I think quiet luxury has more to do with a much-needed industry re-set and luxury consumers wanting to look less like TikTok influencers.

First, what exactly is “quiet luxury”? I would define it as clothing and/or accessories (or even furniture or interior accents) that exude understated elegance through a focus on classic silhouettes cut in luxe materials and fine - sometimes couture-level - craftsmanship. Quiet luxury color palettes tend to be grounded in foundational neutrals, allowing these pieces to exist in your closet for years as wardrobe building blocks. Brands that exemplify the quiet luxury idea include The Row, Jil Sander, Max Mara, and Hermes, because they tend to focus on timeless, beautifully crafted clothing and accessories minus any distracting logos.

Since there are brands that already practice quiet luxury, why has it suddenly emerged as a trend?

As we all know, fashion is cyclical and in an economic downturn – whether we’re in a recession, going into a recession or just hearing a lot of talk about a recession – fashion tends to return to this idea of understated luxury. The explanation being that it allows the wealthy to avoid looking like fashion targets, as they’re not dressed in head-to-toe logos.

I find this explanation overly simplistic.

While some people wear designer brands as a mark of having “made it,” there are plenty of well-heeled individuals who would never be seen in anything logo - ever. So, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the woman who carries a Saint Laurent Calypso or a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag is suddenly going to trade it in for a Lemaire Croissant crossbody; it seems like a bit of a style stretch. After all, personal style expresses who you are and how you want to show up in the world.

That said, I think many regular luxury clients have become tired of designer hype product and its ubiquitous presence on social media, especially during and post-pandemic lockdown. As a result, I think a major reason for propelling quiet luxury to the trend forefront is an industry reset. As fashion continues to be seen as entertainment, many designers are using their runways for performance marketing rather than showcasing real clothes. The Balenciaga advertising campaign blow-up of last November and the end of Alessandro Michele’s reign at Gucci were the natural end result of an industry focused on social media clicks and selling hype product. With both brands publicly announcing that going forward they would focus on the craftsmanship of their products, it acted as a signal to the rest of the industry.

Which is interesting, because in addition to whatever marketing strategy a brand employs, the entire point of spending a month’s salary on a luxury handbag or blazer is because a luxury product is supposed to be both well-designed and well-made. It’s the reason why editors get so excited when a talent like Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta is given the opportunity to lead a design team and put forth his vision of a modern wardrobe by offering beautiful and innovative pieces that also showcase the skills of the BV workshops.

So, while quiet luxury is here for the next one or two seasons – and there will always be a segment of the fashion industry that plays to quiet luxury - it will be “on trend” whenever the fashion cycle comes back around to embrace understated design. And even though there are fashion insiders complaining about the “sameness” of the minimalist fashion being shown for Fall 2023, there are plenty of brands who are either addressing quiet luxury through their own DNA or kicking the trend completely and embracing the season’s other themes, like goth, punk, or the power shoulder jacket. That still leaves plenty of options for anyone to showcase their own personal style.