I am noticing that on social media, as well as among some of my coworkers, the “old money look”, and “quiet luxury” are super popular. I understand that logos may not be trendy right now, but I am really curious where the trend initially comes from.
For reference, I don’t personally come from old money, but my dad got remarried after my parents divorced and married a woman from a Swedish old money family. None of them dress like you see on social media; they don’t follow the “old money aesthetic”. They dress like normal people. Some like streetwear, some like business casual, some like logos and luxury handbags, some don’t, some like to dress in bright colours, some don’t, some enjoy a gothic style, some don’t. There’s not some set style that all of them follow.
A lot of the people I know who are into the trendy old money stuff also think that none of the old money people work. It feels like it’s their dream to be born into a family that is rich enough so that they can sit on their butt all day every day or go shopping without a budget. It’s quite the opposite in my experience (can’t speak for all here, though). In my dad’s wife’s family, no one gets an inheritance unless they get a job to contribute something to society. Most of them have a graduate degree as well. A lot of them (not all) are encouraged to get a customer service job as a teenager at least for one summer to experience it, which I think is great.
So I am curious – where does this trend come from? Is it from Pinterest? Is it some sort of a cope for people who want but cannot afford luxury products? Is it a wet daydream? Is it similar to flashy luxury products in the sense that you want to show off without showing off to have people think that you’re hiding wealth that actually doesn’t exist? What is it, and why is it so popular now?
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They want something nice in terms of comfort and aesthetics but don’t want to be loud about it? In the same way that you might want to be physically fit but not a roided up bodybuilder.
It’s a timeless classic style that tends to focus on quality and subtle details. Some people really gravitate towards it.
It’s trendy due to shows, movies and media in general.
This media is usually liked by young women, who are into fashion, which follow other influencers that like the shows and the aesthetic. The old money relates to the preppy trend, which again, is something that is mainly pushed by media.
Yes. The “old money” aesthetic is something only valid for those shows, real “old money” people don’t dress like that.
It’s just a new name on the same trend that cycles through every 20 years, I honestly don’t think it’s that deep in the sense that it’s not new or novel and only tangentially related to the actual habits of old money.
Because the lack of showy-ness speaks of confidence. Flashing your money is like becoming a member of MENSA.