Here's some exciting news for anyone like me who can't handle so-called "stealth wealth" dressing: the era of the understated wardrobe with its snarling neutral palette and languid silhouettes could finally be over thanks to the rising popularity of bolder, bolder fashion styles in which Gwyneth Paltrow would not be seen dead.
That's right, loud luxury, also known as 'filthy rich' fashion, is back and taking shape through two very different trends. In one corner we have the girly, overdressed-for-everything look of a Park Avenue princess, in the other the sassy bad-girl style of a mafia woman.
The main connection between these seemingly contradictory looks is the idea of showing off your wealth (whether you have it or not), which in my opinion is much more visually appealing as a fashion craze than a load of beige.
By far the biggest trend to take over Tik Tok is the latest look, which takes inspiration from the sleek vixen-esque styles of cinema's most iconic gangster women, including Elvira Hancock played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface, Anjelica Huston in Prizzi's Honor and Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna in Casino, as well as the flashier 'rich bitch' looks favored by Carmela and Adriana from the cult TV show The sopranos.
Translated into today's scrollable universe, this means a daring mix of satin slips, long sequined dresses, vintage fur coats, feather embellishments, leather, large gold jewelry, leopard print and all things black and form-fitting with a plunging neckline, always adorned with a Supersize dark sunglasses.
But that's not all: TikTokers add a touch of weirdness to this mix of trophy-wife-meets-feisty-hellraiser glamour. Think Marisa Tomei in her Oscar-winning turn as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny, for which she wore a series of bizarre, figure-hugging ensembles, including a full-body floral catsuit, copies of which are completely sold out on Etsy with over 4,000 positives reviews posted by wannabe (mob girl) Mona Lisas.
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This trend is basically about channeling your favorite gangster diva, mine being Jennifer Tilly in the 1996 neo-noir thriller Bound, mainly because she survives a fantastically improbable shootout orchestrated by her menacing mafioso husband while looking terribly seductive looks in a little red velvet dress. In tribute to Tilly's sassy character, I'm tempted to buy the 90s-inspired Merel bodycon dress from Reformation, cut from burgundy velvet, although I'm not sure I could give it the exciting life it deserves .
Indeed, there's no shortage of flowing dresses, chunky gold costume jewellery, leather trousers and animal prints online and on the high street, everywhere from Marks and Spencer and Asos to Ganni and Whistles, not to mention Dolce & Gabbana, the godfather of the mafia. woman style in the luxury arena.
And it's no wonder, considering Domenico Dolce's Sicilian heritage and their penchant for couture with figure sculptures. Their muse of three decades is Monica Bellucci, whose signature look is a lingerie-inspired black lace mini dress from D&G. Very gangster chic.
It's the polished femme fatale style of Bellucci and Pfeiffer's Elvira Hancock that's harder to pin down. The outerwear is easy if you take inspiration from Kendall Jenner and Dua Lipa who were recently photographed wearing long fur coats (Jenner's was vintage; Dua's was faux) paired with long high-heeled boots, channeling Ginger in Casino, who had a penchant for extravagant animal skins.
Another designer gangster go-to is Polish couturier Magda Butrym whose spring SS24 collection features a dramatic floor-length dress with silver sequins and a daring thigh slit and a sharp-looking fitted black leather blazer paired with a matching pencil skirt. Butrym's looks ooze sex appeal and it's easy to imagine them on screen, carried by the kind of deceptive temptress who could make enemies of lovers, and lovers of enemies.
Understandably, glorifying the mafia and its ruthless business practices, even within the creative world of fashion, may be too much of a moral compromise for some.
But this doesn't rule out the other antidote to stealth wealth dressing that is quickly emerging on the social media scene, also driven by the eagerness to show off power and success, albeit inspired by purer influences.
Championing this second style is the daring Parisian fashion brand Jacquemus, known for its vibrant, playful designs and innovative marketing campaigns. The latest muse is Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, who fully embraces her prim Charlotte York persona in a new viral video for the label, in which she gleefully unwraps, irons and caresses a new woolen gray sweater.
It's not so much the look she wears that sets the sartorial tone (this sweater and her crisp white shirt are certainly 'quiet', sophisticated classics), but rather what Charlotte symbolizes as the new face of the label, namely the return of an ultra-polished feminine style that no longer whispers wealth, but screams top class status.
Normally this look is full of cinched waists, ruffles, embellishments and fringes. It's beautiful, romantic, neat and impeccably composed - never wrong and yet always a little overdone. In short, it's competitive, which is what you'd expect from a style associated with Manhattan's affluent Upper East Side. But how does this attitude come across to us Brits?
According to Liane Wiggins, head of women's clothing at Matches, it's about being more aware of the purposefulness of dressing up.
"This style really speaks about the art of dressing and knowing how to dress for any kind of occasion and social engagement - not just for events and dinners, but also understanding how to dress for breakfast, the office and more casual on the weekends," she says. say. Her style recommendations reflect the ineffable allure of a stylish socialite who possesses a certain confidence and hauthor:
"For a modern, feminine daytime look, combine an Emilia Wickstead jumpsuit with a ballerina. For me, the strapless dress from Carolina Herrera with a sweetheart neckline is the ultimate in super feminine evening wear, perfectly styled with a boxy satin clutch bag from Hunting Season. Bernadette is also a great option for evening wear. I love their strapless dresses because they offer so much versatility: you can wear one with a lightweight cashmere turtleneck and flats during the day, and with heels and jewelry at night."
The mob wife aesthetic may be the look going viral at the moment, but I predict the Park Avenue Princess style will soon take over thanks to the impending release of two star-studded TV dramas set in the mid-20th century and in which the focus is on the fashionable life of the wealthy elite.
There's The New Look, starring Ben Mendelsohn, Juliette Binoche and John Malkovich, based on the life of Christian Dior (expect silk hourglass dresses galore) and Ryan Murphy's Capote vs. The Swans, the second installment of the director's "Feud" anthology about historical rivalries, stars Naomi Watts, Calista Flockhart and Chloe Sévigny as the glamorous New York socialites or "swans" betrayed by Truman Capote.
The costumes, thought to include vintage pieces from Balenciaga, Valentino and Givenchy, promise to be just as spectacular as the dramatic showdowns and catfights.
Perhaps big new trends may be based on old tensions, problems and struggles. After all, it was Christian Dior's own adversary, Coco Chanel, who once wisely said, "Dress like you're going to meet your worst enemy today."
