Sometimes, the things we love most about fashion aren’t the clothes themselves, but the fantasy they afford us. Let’s admit it: the pieces we wear are most fun when they tell a story. The best clothes are those that illicit emotions like passion, security or wonder.
The Clothes that Make the ‘Man’
Clothes can say a lot about a person — who they are or what they want to convey. In American fashion, none is more iconic than Ralph Lauren. Established in the late 1960s, the brand embodies a long familiar ideal: the American Dream. Lauren’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Belarus, so his personal journey somewhat embodied what he wanted to convey with his clothes. It’s a style that as we’ve seen recently, people keep coming back to — whether it channels classic American staples or simply hearkens the aspirational “old money” aesthetic.
It’s not about fabric, it’s about dreams.
— Ralph Lauren
The dream takes life and becomes tangible in the threads. Think about when you purchase a item of clothing. Maybe it’s a dress you intend to wear to holiday in Greece, or a leather jacket to sport on a night out. The anticipation of who you may become once you don the clothes is half the adventure.
Selling Dreams
In recent years, “quiet luxury” has come back into the limelight of fashion. Trending all over social media, the concept transcends clothes. It sells a lifestyle — a fantasy. Its predecessor, “preppy” fashion in the 1980s, heralded a nostalgic, if fantastical, interpretation of the American dream. It recalled classic styles from the ‘Old Country’ (Great Britain). Still, that’s only a small sampling of the vast luxury market.
Chanel sells refined elegance and is, in its manner, uniquely French. The label on its own is prestige. Yves Saint Laurent sells unrestrained elegance, a tad rebellious in its androgyny. Dolce & Gabbana spins a tell of opulent Sicilian cathedrals and luxurious Mediterranean getaways.
Better a White Lie
All of these fashion houses, while unique in their branding, all have one thing in common: they’re selling you a lifestyle of luxury. Sporting Loro Piana loafers or a Birkin on the arm might get you a pass into the club. The truth is these brands — especially the ones that label themselves “quiet luxury” — are simply functioning on the principal of scarcity, keeping you hoping that you’ll get a taste of that exclusivity they promise.
Luxury is hardly ever quiet — and that doesn’t mean logomania. Luxury always communicates (and so does the high street, for that matter). Maybe, just maybe, the right people at the right time will see you. Brands like The Row, Bottega Veneta or Brunello Cucinelli function on the ‘if you know, you know’ strategy.
Clothing for the sake of clothes is no more than that. True fashion tells a story and clothes that sell a dream are art. Lie or no lie, everyone likes indulging in a little fantasy once in a while.
Tag us @valleymag on Instagram with how you live out your wildest luxury fashion dreams.
Related
Winter’s Look: Rich Messy Girl
The ‘Old Hollywood Glamour’ Aesthetic
Why Perfume Commercials are so Weird?
Ah, the paradox of ‘quiet luxury’—a concept where the absence of ostentation becomes its own form of exclusivity. The article astutely critiques this trend, highlighting how the allure of understated elegance often masks a deeper, more insidious narrative. By eschewing overt symbols of wealth, the elite craft a veneer of humility, all while perpetuating existing social hierarchies. It’s a subtle dance between appearance and reality, where luxury whispers rather than shouts, yet its impact resonates profoundly.