Quiet luxury v. Loud luxury. Which camp are you in?

[880]

I voted both I like what I like, which is usually a classic silhouette in my own mix of loud, quiet, and bespoke. If I love an item, i tend to hold onto it, and I find that I get my cost per wear over the years. With the exception of a few pieces, I do prefer RTW that is well designed with less logo. Sometimes small bespoke ateliers are best quality, but these companies cannot invest as much in design variations as premier big brands. I do try to observe common sense and city safety precautions (long sleeves, turning my bag hardware to my body, when I feel it appropriate or necessary). Even an Hermes Nero barenia B30 can fly under the radar even at the doctors office and using public transportation. My bag didn’t get a second look from anyone. One loud item that I love is a cotton linen Dior t shirt. I have several black j’adior t shirts and wear them to death. I find the logo so loud in that case as to be amusing. Some of my friends and family who are not into clothes have no idea what j’adior is. For some of my Dior hoodie dresses and skirts, I had my third party Tailor cut into the designer name scrolled down the sides bc I prefer it that way. . .

 

[Grand Style]

I voted both I like what I like, which is usually a classic silhouette in my own mix of loud, quiet, and bespoke. If I love an item, i tend to hold onto it, and I find that I get my cost per wear over the years. With the exception of a few pieces, I do prefer RTW that is well designed with less logo. Sometimes small bespoke ateliers are best quality, but these companies cannot invest as much in design variations as premier big brands. I do try to observe common sense and city safety precautions (long sleeves, turning my bag hardware to my body, when I feel it appropriate or necessary). Even an Hermes Nero barenia B30 can fly under the radar even at the doctors office and using public transportation. My bag didn’t get a second look from anyone. One loud item that I love is a cotton linen Dior t shirt. I have several black j’adior t shirts and wear them to death. I find the logo so loud in that case as to be amusing. Some of my friends and family who are not into clothes have no idea what j’adior is. For some of my Dior hoodie dresses and skirts, I had my third party Tailor cut into the designer name scrolled down the sides bc I prefer it that way. . .
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Good point about smaller (bespoke) fashion houses not having the same budget in R&D as top fashion houses. These small ones tend to be quiet luxury as they go under the radar. The top fashion houses are recognisable to the masses.

I'm a bit confused about which of these fashion houses would be considered quiet luxury or loud luxury:
Alexander McQueen, Chloé, Lanvin, Maje, Vivienne Westwood

 

[S0nia]

Good point about smaller (bespoke) fashion houses not having the same budget in R&D as top fashion houses. These small ones tend to be quiet luxury as they go under the radar. The top fashion houses are recognisable to the masses.

I'm a bit confused about which of these fashion houses would be considered quiet luxury or loud luxury:
Alexander McQueen, Chloé, Lanvin, Maje, Vivienne Westwood

Maje is definitely NOT a luxury house. It absolutely is a fast fashion house, a high street brand. It belongs to the Premium High street category of brands who make good quality products but still on the fast fashion model (produced in low cost countries, following trends, etc.).
Maje belongs to the same class of premium fashion brands as Sézane, Ba&sh, Zadig & Voltaire etc. as well as Sandro and Claudie Pierlot with whom they together belong to the same group SMCP.

For me this positioning is where you get your money's worth in terms of clothing quality for the money, the best bang for your buck.
But none of it is luxury in the common understanding of the concept.

None of them can be classified "Loud" not "Quiet" as most of them have their own styles and niches; Bas&sh is quite boho (footwear amazing), Chloé is thee mother of boho brands, Maje is very romantico-bohoish (Maje tracks Chloé a lot actually, lots of dupes there, great footwear), Sandro is "edgy" and fashion forward (whatever that means), McQueen and Westwood have punk roots etc. As for Lanvin, man, it is a dead house that they are desperately trying to resurrect... To me it is a granny's silk kerchiefs and heady perfumes house, sorry, just like Hermès was not so long ago (grew up with that so, sorry not sorry)...

The terms "Loud" and "Quiet" should refer to a person's own personal style, not to a fashion house's style. Fashion houses will follow trend cycles, or stick to their own roots. It is the people that are "Loud" or "Quiet" in their styles.

"Old money" is not a fashion style: it is a sociological category. The Row is not a "quiet" luxury house; it is a minimalist fashion house. Ralph Lauren is preppy and (wannabe) WASPy. Brunello C, Lorro Piana, etc. a mix of both.

That's why I said earlier in the thread that "quiet luxury", minimalism, "old money" are distinct concepts that people are mixing up.

Minimalism is a philosophical movement that has been translated into fashion. Old money is a sociological category. Quiet vs. loud is personal style. According to that personal style, you will pick and choose within brands what fits your aesthetic.

 

[SPBiaes]

This is making me feeling quite sick.

 

[S0nia]

This is making me feeling quite sick.
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That's actually the business model of most big "luxury" houses.
If those people only get 280$ per 11 075$ sweater (not clear if 20$ shearing is included or not)... Can you imagine the margins?

You're better off buying the vicuna yarn and knitting your own sweater yourself! Yet, that sweater will never be considered luxury even thought it is the same fibre from the same region/communities...
That's why I always say, whenever you can, cut off all of that middlemen crap and go straight to an artist or artisan and buy directly from them.

But hey, people or rather sheeple, are all about exclusivity and "the luxury" experience.... To the point of paying 10,000$ a sweater to exploitative a$$holes without a second thought to what is going on behind the scenes.

 

[luckyadanosii]

Quiet v loud v maximalism v minimalism

Like Apple v Android, neither is better than the other you spent the same amount for a different product. $1,200 for iPhone 15 Pro. $1,200 for Samsung (whatever-it-is). iPhone is objectively louder, but no one cares if you have a Samsung lol. Pat on the back, good for you, so quiet.

I don't know really. I think it's one of those internet memes people will use to identify upper middle class v lower middle class. Either for dating purposes or financial manipulators creeping in to mooch.

Sharing my perspective from someone that grew up very poor, then abruptly got lucky with investing. I acknowledge I was lucky, but I quickly noticed people are using "identifiers" to label and gauge how much they can financially use someone. This new trend seems like that.

People who are poor, like I used to be, don't recognize most "loud" brands regardless. Most are outside their prince range therefore not really conceptualized. I would say Chanel, Gucci, Dior, and LV are regarded as loud because they are copied so much and copies of LV's Neverfull can still be purchased in gas stations. If you put a Birkin in front of someone who has never heard of Hermes, they won't know what it is. I didn't know what a Constance was when it was offered to me a while ago. At a golf club, everyone would know. Does that mean Hermes is quiet luxury? Those neon Birkins Cardi B and that makeup guy popularized?

What is the point of this argument anyway... true 'old money' will buy and wear what they want.

After traveling around and mingling with crowds far, FAAAAR .... FAAAAAAAAAR OMG above me financially, I can't stress enough this argument is silly. They're not quiet with their wealth at all. Oh he wears Loro Piana how quiet and humble... okay but his house? He has a hanger for his airplane connected to his house. That's not quiet babes he's screaming. Or another gentleman that got me into Brunello Cucinelli, he drives one of those fancy low to the ground race cars. I don't know the brand but people take pictures of it. This other guy he told me his parents bought the entire strip of retail sites and made it what it is now. I didn't believe him until I saw his parents' mansion, and it was loud. His mother wears all sorts of vibrant colors and patterns, I recognized only Suzanne Kalan, Zimmermann, and Oscar de la Renta because that's my limitation. I'm sure the rest of her colorful wardrobe wasn't quiet, but it was quiet to me because I didn't know what I was looking at lol.

Many will proudly display 100 acre homes, stepping out in fur coats, flush with diamonds and pure gold, and a servant to carry their custom albino elephant purse. Is that the quiet luxury? I didn't mention a single logo. Seems a little loud.

The quiet ones drive '08 Toyotas and complain about H&M not taking a digital coupon with $15mil in properties. Or another solid upper middle class with a house and upper 6 figure income, who faithfully shops at Goodwill. Nothing wrong with second hand, I do it myself, and it is as quiet as you can be. Then I wonder if there's a difference between "authentic quiet luxury" and being cheap.

You put a regular grey Loro Piana cashmere sweater next to a regular grey cashmere from Loft/Vince/Saks generic or I dare suggest The Row and you can't tell the difference. No, you can't. All cashmere after a certain price is moreless the same. Why is an individual looking so hard to determine the brand of a logoless sweater? Seems shallow and nosy.

I guess, my point is wealth isn't quiet because one's clothing doesn't have a logo. Their wealth is very, very loud and proudly on display elsewhere.

Happy St Patricks Day. This internet group is such fun