THE JOURNAL
There comes a time in a man’s life, assuming things have gone well enough for him, when he no longer feels he has anything to prove. One of the questions he might reasonably ask himself at this point is how he would like to dress. Personal style, after all, is how we choose to present ourselves to the outside world, and a desire to impress other people is often at the heart of why we dress the way we do.
Look at the rise of #drip culture, as seen in the hyper-inflated market for streetwear on reseller sites like StockX, or the “How much does your fit cost?” trend on TikTok. To the world-weary cynic, it can appear as if the whole point of getting dressed is to telegraph, in a none-too-subtle fashion, the contents of our bank accounts.
But style doesn’t have to be all about what other people think. It can be self indulgent, too. In fact, when a man has grown out of the need to show the world what he’s worth, that’s all it really is – and perhaps all it ought to be.
And that, in a nutshell, is the argument behind a movement currently gaining traction in the style world – something known variously as understated luxury, quiet luxury or, more crudely, “stealth wealth”. If you’re glued to the latest season of Succession, you’ve drooled over the outfits worn by Ms Gwyneth Paltrow at her recent court appearance, or found yourself on MR PORTER idly browsing the latest releases from The Row, Brunello Cucinelli or Loro Piana, then you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
It’s all of the comfort and quality we’ve come to expect of luxury with none of the big, look-at-me logos. It’s the #oldmoney aesthetic minus the Wasp-ish Ivy League overtones. It’s a little less Lamborghini and a lot more Lexus. And, if the new-season collections are anything to go by, it’s set to take over the menswear scene. Interested? Here are just a few ways to try it out.
01.
The cashmere Loro Piana baseball cap
Is there anything more anonymous than a baseball cap, the unofficial hat of celebrities in incognito mode? Detailed only with a barely visible tone-on-tone embroidered logo, Loro Piana’s version is about as unassuming as they come, but get your hands on it and the quality immediately becomes evident. Made from soft-to-the-touch baby cashmere and treated with the brand’s patented Storm System®, it’s a great choice for showery spring days. The camel-brown shade – Loro Piana calls it Pecan – feels subtly luxurious, too.
02.
The Brunello Cucinelli quilted gilet
This gilet from Brunello Cucinelli, the Italian master of laid-back luxury, doesn’t look all that special to the untrained eye. While that might sound like faint praise, or no praise at all, it captures what understated luxury is all about. You could wear this to the pub or to the Davos summit and nobody would bat an eyelid in either case, but the finer details that only the wearer is aware of, such as the goose-down lining and the sharply tailored fit, ensure that it is always a pleasure to put on.
03.
The Dunhill half-zip wool sweater
We’ve waxed lyrical about the quarter-zip sweater recently, even going so far as to claim that “no item of clothing radiates power quite like [it]”. And if we said that about the quarter-zip, imagine how we feel about the half-zip. That’s literally twice as much zip! Or not quite, as in the case of this baby-blue version from British heritage brand Dunhill, which we’d be tempted to call one-third-zip if we were being pedantic (which we’re not). At any rate, that’s still plenty of zip, and the overall effect is still very power-behind-the-throne, especially when worn over a white shirt and with a sliver of Swiss watch emerging from the cuff.
04.
The TOM FORD suede biker jacket
There are few designers who more innately understand the concept of quiet luxury than Mr Tom Ford, and few better examples of his skill in expressing it than this leather-trimmed suede jacket. Restraint is the name of the game: the silhouette is clean and unfussy, the tonal brown leather offers a subtle contrast to the suede, and branding is kept to a minimum. In fact, the only thing revealing that this is a TOM FORD jacket is the oversized metallic hardware, a recurring brand motif that’s recognisable to those in the know.
05.
The John Lobb premium leather sneakers
John Lobb didn’t earn its reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious shoemakers by hopping onto every passing trend. Timeless design is its speciality. With its City II, it can arguably lay claim to having created the Platonic ideal of an Oxford shoe. It’s quite a big deal, then, that the brand dabbled in sneaker design at all. Less surprising is that, having decided to give it a go, it knocked it out of the park. The Foundry II is a highlight, taking the silhouette of a vintage running sneaker and applying the uncompromising construction standards that have made its formal shoes so enduringly popular. Note the double stitching on the uppers, a brand signature that you’ll find throughout the range.