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I’m sure you’ve heard some of its many names: “soft life”, “loud”, “quiet”, “lifestyle”, even “travel”. If you still don’t know what I’m talking about; it’s luxury. This living, breathing, everchanging enigma that is somehow (but not surprisingly) tied to the health of the economy. Simply stated, there really isn’t a “face” or a particular brand that screams, “I AM THE EPITOME OF LUXURY”! There is no exotic destination nor are there box seat tickets that encompass what it means to live a “soft life”. As I researched the topic, and began to ask more people about it, I concluded that luxury is multifaceted, subjective even. It touches everything from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the products we consume. To some it’s, “a natural consequence of building strong foundations…the financial means to choose convenience”. To others it’s simply a “mindset”, a concept that “changes from country to country”.
To simplify things, we can group luxury into two categories, loud and quiet. Superficially, these categories refer to styles of dress. “Loud” meaning flashy designer outfits that are competing with the wearer’s VVS diamond chains, grill, earrings, and necklaces (sheesh, that even reads loud). This style is associated with the “nouveau rich” or new money.“Quiet” is the complete opposite (obvious, I know). This style favors “neutral outfits that are reminiscent of generational wealth” (ashley viola) or old money. Diving deeper, these fashion statements are signals indicating when and how the wearer got their wealth. If you’re trying to group the classes of society, the differentiation makes sense. Those who just came into money, “young wannabes”, or “first time luxury purchasers” are possibly more excited about showboating than those who were born into it. But, the distinction is rudimentary at best. Without knowing the person’s economic class or the circles they belong to, dressing “loudly” or “quietly” doesn’t reveal much.
So, if “loud” and “quiet” luxury are indicators of socioeconomic backgrounds of the upper class, what do these styles mean for the rest of society, the 99%? Well, it depends on who you ask. But, the definition started to show a little more variation around 2010. Remember how I mentioned that the definition was still tied to the state of the economy? Well I found some research to ‘back dat claim up’ (haha, get it?). A study published by the Boston Consulting Group talks about just this. The paper credited the Great Recession (of 2008) as the “tipping point” for several trends like the changing behavior and tastes of the consumer, the rise of new media, new markets, and the “blurred” definition of true luxury.
Some don’t care for the distinction at all, “because it’s all subjective…and the embodiment of luxury is being able to reach a point where you can buy a pair of $1000 shoes, and not have the need for people to know that you spent $1000”. However, majority of people I asked preferred quiet luxury for its effortlessness, good quality, sustainability, and the care put into the product. My roommate, for example, “[doesn’t] care a lot about brands. If you search the bottom line, all owners don’t wear what they sell. They wear simple stuff. It’s just a status symbol. I like homemade stuff, small town, small stores. I feel like they work harder and put their mind into stuff. They care more about the fabrics”.
Ironically, a friend of mine who used to work in the luxury fashion industry noticed the opposite. She felt “ [the] trend of loud luxury seemed to grow rapidly”. She said most of her clientele were “young, super young. The clients wanted to walk around just saying they had a designer item. For 90% of [my] clients, it was their first time making a luxury purchase”. When I asked her who gravitated towards loud luxury, she commented “I feel like uneducated people are more into loud. When I mean uneducated I mean wannabes. And we know they're into loud luxury because it’s all they know. People who just want to show off”.
Judging by these comments and opinions, it seems like the definition of luxury has indeed become fluid. There are many variations and styles that people consider luxurious, and there isn’t much of a common theme throughout these definitions aside from the pull to quiet luxury. It’s honestly made me feel a little better about what I consider luxurious. I hope the same for you too, dear reader. I hope this post gives you the inspiration to create a life of luxury on your own terms.
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