Hot Takes: Are We in the Anti-Quiet Luxury Era?
What happens when subtlety gives way to exuberance? The only way fashion can create a discourse is if it’s dynamic, unpredictable, but completely true to yourself
A pressing question emerges as we enter 2025, clad in our silver jewelry and patent leather cherry red Mary Janes: have we officially entered the Anti-Quiet Luxury Era? From TikTok feeds to the streets of Paris, the current fashion landscape challenges our notions of style, shifting away from stealth wealth towards an explosion of colors and individualistic expressions. This evolution feels like the constant updates of iOS; just as we’re nudged to upgrade to the newest iPhone, our aesthetics are also in flux as it forces us to demand unique styles, whether we want to see them or not.
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But before we crown loud luxury the new king, let’s take a moment to ask: what caused this pivot? And more importantly, what does it mean for us culturally, politically, and socially? With trends evolving at a breakneck pace, how does this shift influence our interaction with fashion?
The Rise of Quiet Luxury—and Why We’re Over It
Quiet luxury dominated the early 2020s, encompassing and surrounding not-so-subtle understated elegance. It whispered wealth instead of flaunting it: think soft neutrals, pristine tailoring, and brands so discreet they could be mistaken for no-name pieces. It was “old money energy”, a direct response to years of logo mania and social media oversharing.
Then came 2024, where the whispers began to feel like silence. For some, it was calming; for others, it was suffocating. Quiet luxury became associated with exclusivity in its purest form—not just expensive, but inaccessible to the point of alienating. What was once aspirational started to feel boring.
Yet, the aesthetic itself isn’t anything new; it simply gained attention through the ideas surrounding it. The allure of Quiet Luxury lies in its promise of an elite club where your worth is determined not by how loud you can be, but by how many shades of taupe you can wear at once. Ironically, fast-fashion labels have already cracked the code to this chic enigma—it’s practically an industry inside joke.
When you line up pieces from Zara and The Row, you might just find yourself asking, “Is it Wednesday, or am I standing in a high-end boutique and the trendy version of me just forgot the difference?” The fabric, construction, and name may vary, but the overall visual impact blends together, like trying to distinguish an abstract painting from a child’s finger painting after a bit too much wine.
Loud, Proud, and Personal Style
In 2024, fashion raised its voice with conviction. Trends like The Office Siren (work attire that’s never boring and also never demure) and bag charms (anik-anik and anik-anik-like adored adornments) defined the year. Logomania slipped away, replaced with smarter ideas of what maximalism can look like.
Style declared itself as a means of protest. It praised turbulence, disorder, and life’s imperfections—values that appeared to be ideally suited with a world dealing with climatic catastrophes, political instability, and a shifting relationship with capitalism, as consumers began to question traditional notions of over-consumption and under-consumption.
The Great Shift
Reclaiming Identity
Quiet luxury reflected restraint—a value that, post-pandemic, many were eager to leave behind. After years of isolation and nuance, 2024 focused on reclaiming joy, color, and vibrancy in every expression. When Marie Kondo asks, “Does this spark joy?” We now say yes.
Socioeconomic Realities
While quiet luxury catered to the ultra-wealthy, its minimalist ethos began to alienate middle-class consumers. With inflation, economic inequality, and the rising cost of living, many were less interested in looking discreetly rich and more focused on celebrating accessible luxury.
Political Undertones
In an era of social upheaval, wearing your values on your sleeve (literally) took on new meaning. Statement pieces—be they political slogans, style aesthetics, or eye-catching designs—became tools of expression, rejecting the muted palettes of quiet luxury as outdated or even complicit in ignoring systemic issues. Do we want to “eat the rich” or “wear the rich”?
The Hybrid Era: Quiet vs. Loud
It’s important to note the Anti-Quiet Luxury Era doesn’t signify a departure from timelessness; rather, it embodies a hybridization of styles. Fashion houses like Bottega Veneta and Loewe maintained their craftsmanship while integrating imaginative techniques or executions, demonstrating that ‘quiet’ and ‘loud’ can coexist. Notably, Prada attained an intriguing algorithmic mishmash of ideas that straddled the real and the surreal, almost as if AI had curated a fashion line. Even Hermès ventured into more adventurous silhouettes and unexpected color palettes.
Sabato de Sarno’s Gucci is arguably the only house returning to elevated basics. Following Valentino’s Alessandro Michele’s tenure, characterized by candy-colored extravagance and textural opulence, the Italian fashion house now seeks a way out of peak maximalism by cycling back to its foundational core. After all, that’s the nature of trends: they ebb and flow, reminding us that even the bold can find strength in their origins.
Interestingly, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025—Mocha Mousse—coincides with this moment of reflection, presenting a warm brown that elicits what happens when you mix several colors together, reminiscent of a laundry hamper of trends. But, this choice ironically invites a sense of groundedness, suggesting that anti-quiet luxury doesn’t have to be chaotic; it can revel in moments of contentment and simplicity.
Fashion in 2024 wasn’t just anti-quiet—it was anti-box. It refused to be categorized, instead nodding to the beauty of contradictions.
Are We in the Anti-Quiet Luxury Era?
While the pendulum has swung toward louder, more expressive fashion, the essence of quiet luxury—craftsmanship, longevity, and quality—remains. The difference? In 2024, we wanted to stand out. We aimed to be personal.
Individuality is demanded. Styles are our expressions. Trends are just guides, not the rule. They only become trends when we create something out of it. The year created a space (and then held space) where all voices—whether loud, soft, or somewhere in between—could be heard, and then worn.
Photos: HEART EVANGELISTA, THE REAL REAL, CRAIG GREEN, and LOUIS VUITTON (via Instagram); BOTTEGA VENETA, LOEWE, PRADA, HERMÈS, GUCCI, and VALENTINO
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