How ‘stealth luxe’ took over fashion

It might be grabbing the headlines now, but the concept of stealth wealth is far from new. “The term ‘conspicuous consumption’ was noted by Thorsten Weblen in his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, in 1899,” Dr Carolyn Mair, Fashion Business Consultant and author of the Psychology of Fashion, tells BBC Culture. Weblen described it as the “the act of displaying ostentatious wealth to gain status and reputation in society”, and determined that those new to wealth were more likely to indulge in this behaviour. “The idea is that if you’re used to having money, you needn’t show it off,” says Mair.

Fashion is a powerful communication tool, and one that even the super-rich aren’t above using. “We demonstrate our allegiance to our social groups and distinguish ourselves from others through our clothing,” says Mair. “Like any language, unless you are fluent in that language, you are likely to miss, misunderstand or at least misinterpret, the nuances. This is the concept behind stealth wealth: buying understated products for their quality, beauty and rarity, but not leaving the price tag on (metaphorically speaking) so only those in equally wealthy positions would recognize the monetary value of the item.” There is an inner-circle, semi-secret code about stealth-luxe dressing – a sense of “if you know, you know”.

But stealth wealth has become more than just a way of life for the extremely privileged few. It’s filtered down the food chain to become this season’s dominant aesthetic. As New York Times’ chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman recently noted, the Milan catwalks saw a shift towards clothes that “don’t shout, but whisper”. Friedman describes the look as “the kind of clothes that don’t advertise their value in obvious ways” but instead “rely on plushness of fabric and rigour of line – on insider information rather than influencer information – to suggest value.” Think streamlined silhouettes, luxurious materials and a colour palette featuring every shade of sombre. Max Mara dubbed their collection “the Camelocracy”.

British Vogue describes the trend as “more of a mood than anything else” and “essentially a synonym for elevated basics”. Meanwhile on Tik Tok, hashtags like #stealthluxe are amassing millions of views, with fashion stylists breaking down how to get the “stealth wealth” look for less.

Conscious consuming

So what’s driving it? Some say it’s a response to current economic turmoil, echoing similar shifts in fashion after the financial crisis of 2008. Lorna Hall, Director of Fashion Intelligence at trend forecasting agency WGSN thinks there’s some truth in that. “As insensitive as fashion can sometimes be, it is still acutely attuned to social dynamics,” she tells BBC Culture. “Now as in the last financial crisis, brands look to strike the right tone. When huge bits of the population are struggling to heat their homes, flaunting extreme expressions of wealth looks tone deaf.”