Every time I scroll through TikTok or Instagram short videos, I notice a change in how luxury is communicated. Obvious designer brand logos, flashy prints, and loud brand names have been noticeably replaced by aesthetic neutral interiors and clean silhouettes, and what it's called "old money" aesthetic.
When this trend started, it sounded like that it's against materialism. However, after seeing more of what it is about you notice that quiet luxury or what it's called "Old Money" is also signaling wealth, but more subtle form of it.
Old Money works as a form of symbolic communication. Rather than showing wealth through recognizable logos and obvious designer brand names, it relies on signals that only specific audiences can notice. Knowing which "simple" coat costs thousands of dollars or which neutral handbags signals requires insider knowledge. In this way, old money communicates status at the same time maintains the appearance of effortlessness.
Social media made this process clear. Influencers usually show quiet luxury through "Outfit of the day" videos and "day in my life" short reels, or regular home tour posts. These posts present wealth as natural, tasteful and simple rather than excessive. From a communication perspective, this is an example of media framing: luxury is reframed from something loud into something refined and morally superior. The idea implies that real wealth does not need to prove itself, yet it still relies on a specific audience to recognize it.
Quiet luxury treats boundaries. because the logos and the signs are less obvious, they can exclude those who lack the cultural knowledge to interpret them. This makes this "Old Money" trend both aspirational and alienating. We as viewers may feel forced to adopt the aesthetic, even if it's too expensive for us, reinforcing class distinctions while disguising them as "good taste" or "minimalism".
Overall, quiet luxury proves that consumption is not only about objects, it is about communication. Even when wealth looks silent, it is still speaking through carefully curated images and platforms designed for visibility.
If luxury is meant to be "quiet", why does it still rely so heavily on social media and public audiences to be meaningful?
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