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What’s This About
Quiet luxury is a way of dressing that relies on fabric, construction and cut rather than logos, using classic garments that do not date quickly.
This guide explains the look and how to wear it, such as
Where the term came from, and why Succession made it popular in 2023
How quiet luxury differs from Old Money and stealth wealth
Six principles, from craftsmanship over logos to a considered fit
Three alterations that improve ready-made clothes
Four complete outfits for the office, lunch, weekends and summer
and many more!
Price alone does not make clothes quiet luxury; fabric, construction and fit do.
Key Points
01Quiet luxury describes the clothes, Old Money a style label for classic family-associated dress, and stealth wealth a behaviour of not displaying wealth.
02The term spread in 2023 with Succession, but the plain, well-made clothes it describes are long-standing classics.
03Cost per wear only favours an expensive garment if it is well made, fits and gets worn.
04Sleeve pitch, a slimmer shirt body and the right trouser length are three affordable alterations that make ready-made clothes look considered.
In HBO’s Succession, Kendall Roy’s plain cashmere baseball caps from Loro Piana carried no visible logo, yet Fortune reported in July 2023 that they retailed for $525.
Nothing on a cap like that tells other people what it cost, and that is a quick way to understand quiet luxury.
Quiet luxury is a way of dressing that relies on fabric, construction and cut rather than visible branding, using classic garments that do not date quickly.
It overlaps with the Old Money aesthetic, and the same principles work at any age and in any line of work.
This guide explains what the look is, where the term came from, how it differs from Old Money and stealth wealth, the six principles behind it, and outfits to wear it.
What is quiet luxury?
Quiet luxury describes clothes whose value lies in materials, construction and cut, with little or no branding, so their quality shows mainly up close or to the touch.
The typical garments are classic tailored jackets, fine knitwear, plain shirts, well-cut trousers and good leather shoes, in natural fibres and muted colours.
Quiet luxury is less a separate style than a habit that runs through several classic looks, including American preppy style, the British Sloane Ranger style and the French BCBG style.
Once you understand it, you can apply it to any of the three.
Where the term comes from
The phrase spread widely in 2023, when the plain, logo-free costumes in Succession drew attention, as Fortune’s July 2023 analysis of the show’s clothes and CNBC’s June 2023 report describe.
The show popularised the term, but the clothes it describes are much older.
Mid-century American campus dress, the Ivy League style, already relied on plain, well-made casual clothes.
Its staples included Oxford button-down shirts, cable-knit sweaters and penny loafers, worn without fuss.
London has its own version in the Sloane Ranger look, which combines classic tailoring, country clothing and muted colours.
Italian makers such as Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli and Zegna are often named as examples of the look, known for fine cloth and plain designs.
Today the term covers anyone who prefers well-made, unbranded clothes, whatever they earn.
Quiet luxury vs Old Money vs stealth wealth
The three terms are often used interchangeably, but each describes something different.
Quiet luxury describes the clothes, meaning well-made garments with little or no visible branding, whoever buys them.
Old Money is a style label for classic clothes associated with long-established wealthy families, such as navy blazers, waxed jackets and club or regimental ties, and our guide to the Old Money aesthetic covers it in full; wearing it says nothing certain about anyone’s family.
Stealth wealth describes the behaviour of choosing not to display wealth in clothes, cars or conversation, with quiet luxury clothing as its most visible sign.
In practice, an Old Money wardrobe often includes recognisable heritage brands worn for years, while a quiet luxury wardrobe looks for plain, well-made clothes, such as those from the quiet luxury brands for men.
Many men mix the two.
The six principles of quiet luxury
Quiet luxury rests on six habits, and none of them is about spending the most.
Following the latest fashion trends works against the look, so buy fewer clothes and choose them for cut, construction and fit.
1. Craftsmanship over logos
Look closely at a well-made garment and you can usually see the work in it, from even stitching and clean edges to careful finishing.
Pay for construction and materials you can check, rather than for a name.
Check seams, buttonholes, linings and the feel of the cloth before you buy, whatever the label.
2. Classic design over trends
Logos and trend details date quickly, while classic shapes change slowly.
Choose the plainer cut, and a garment can stay in your wardrobe for years.
That also means leaving out heavily branded clothes, loud accessories and shoes chosen mainly to be photographed.
3. Fewer, better garments
Buy fewer garments in durable materials such as wool, cotton, linen, cashmere and good leather.
Think in cost per wear rather than ticket price, since a coat that costs four times as much but lasts four times as long costs the same per wear.
That sum only works if the coat is well made, fits you and gets worn, and a higher price on its own guarantees none of those.
4. Details only the wearer notices
The details of quiet luxury are small, such as mother-of-pearl buttons on a shirt, a hand-rolled edge on a silk pocket square, or the patina that good leather shoes develop with polishing.
Most people will never notice them, which is the point.
5. A muted colour palette
The look sits on a muted palette of earth tones, navy, burgundy, grey, black and white.
Nothing rules out brighter colours, but these shades let the cloth and cut stand out.
If you would like help choosing shades, the Seasonal Colour Quiz is one optional tool.
6. A considered fit
None of the above works if the clothes do not fit.
Ready-made garments are a starting point, and a good alterations tailor is one of the most useful people a man can know.
Three adjustments make a large difference to the quiet luxury look, and each costs a fraction of the garment.
For sleeve pitch, a tailor can rotate a jacket sleeve so it hangs with your natural arm position rather than twisting.
On the shirt body, taking in the sides removes excess cloth that bunches under knitwear.
When it comes to trouser length, a slight break or no break at the shoe gives a clean line from trouser to shoe.
Get these habits right and the brand on the label matters much less.
Start with whichever one your current wardrobe needs most.
Quiet luxury outfits for men
Here is how the six principles come together in complete outfits.
For the office, wear a white poplin shirt, a navy wool suit with no tie, and dark brown cap-toe Oxford shoes, with a navy overcoat in winter.
A client lunch calls for a fine merino roll neck in charcoal, a grey flannel unstructured jacket, cream wool trousers and brown suede loafers.
At the weekend, try a navy cashmere crew-neck jumper over a white T-shirt, stone chinos and white leather trainers without logos, with a beige trench coat.
For a summer dinner, choose a pale blue linen shirt, a beige linen jacket, white trousers and tan suede loafers.
The houses often linked with the look
Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli and The Row are often named as quiet luxury houses, known for fine fibres, plain tailoring and minimal design.
For more names at several price levels, see our guide to quiet luxury brands for men.
For lower-priced options, see our list of affordable quiet luxury brands.
Loro Piana lists its cashmere caps and other hats on its US hats page, and current prices are shown there.
The quiet luxury approach
Quiet luxury is closer to a settled way of buying clothes than to a trend. Buy rarely, choose well, and keep garments for years.
That makes it the opposite of fast fashion.
The rewards are mostly private and include the feel of good knitwear, the weight of a well-made coat, and a jacket altered to fit you.
For a study in this kind of dressing, look at our guide to Stavros Niarchos’s style, where no single garment stands out and the whole outfit fits together.
Try a simple test. If people remember your clothes more than the impression you made, something was probably too loud.
Quiet luxury FAQ
Q. Is quiet luxury still in style?
As a headline trend, quiet luxury peaked around 2023, when Succession was on air.
The clothes it describes are long-standing classics, so they do not date in the way a trend does.
Q. What is the difference between quiet luxury and stealth wealth?
Stealth wealth is a behaviour of not displaying wealth across your whole life, while quiet luxury describes the clothes.
A man can wear quiet luxury clothes simply because he prefers plain, well-made garments, without any interest in hiding or showing wealth.
Q. Which brands are quiet luxury?
Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Zegna and Kiton are among the names most often mentioned, with specialists such as Berluti for shoes and Anderson & Sheppard for tailoring.
Our guide to quiet luxury brands for men lists more, and our affordable quiet luxury brands list covers lower-priced options.
Q. How do I start dressing in quiet luxury?
Start with the clothes you wear most, and replace them one at a time with plainer, better-made versions that fit.
Optional tools such as the Seasonal Colour Quiz and Body Shape Quiz can help you choose colours and cuts, and the outfits above show how to combine the clothes.
Take our four quizzes
Check your face shape with the Face Shape Quiz.
Find your seasonal colours with the Seasonal Colour Analysis Quiz.
Check your body shape with the Body Shape Quiz.
Take the Fashion Style Quiz to see which styles match what you like wearing.
Book a consultation for personal help
If you would like personal help after the quizzes, The VOU offers paid consultations.
They include the Professional Face Shape Analysis package, which the shop describes as covering hairstyles, beard styles, glasses frames and facial accessories for your face shape.
A combined premium package covering face shape, seasonal colour, body shape and fashion style analysis is also offered.