The Quiet Luxury and Old Money trends embrace demure dressing- no flashy logos in your face. It's about emulating a timeless, classic look that symbolizes high society and the elites that spend their time holidaying at Lake Como, the French Riviera and the Hamptons! The preppy look is also bound up in all of this. Don't worry, you can still emulate the look without breaking the bank! Shop the secondhand pieces in our collection edit that are intended to last and carry you through the decades! The edit is full of high quality vintage and understated designer pieces in neutral tones. You can easily browse and find the perfect pieces to nail this style!
Aesthetic Notes:
Icons: Caroline Bessette-Kennedy, Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy are all emblematic of this style.
Colours: Neutral tone monochromatic or duo-tone outfits in shades of beige, tan, grey, navy, brown and cream.
Brands: Hermés, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Brooks Brothers, J.Crew, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Max Mara.
Grace Kelly with a Kelly Hermès bag
Pieces: Dress shirts, cashmere sweaters, silk blouses, polo shirts, linens, argyle vests, capri pants, navy blazers, cable knit sweaters, trench coats, tailored pieces.
Film & TV inspiration: The Talented Mr.Ripley, Succession, Cruel Intentions, Succession, The Kennedys.
Read on to find out more about one of this trend's major style inspirations!
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
With Bessette-Kennedy’s 25th anniversary this year, there seems to be renewed interest in the 90s icon.
Carolyn was born in New York in 1966, a direct ancestor of the French catholic missionary Jean Basset. She was voted the ‘ultimate beautiful person’ at her high school and attended university in Boston, graduating in 1988.
She started working as a salesperson at Calvin Klein and eventually became director of publicity for the company’s flagship store in Manhattan and the director of show productions. She worked with clients such as Annette Benning and Diane Sawyer.
Carolyn met John F Kennedy Jr. in 1992 and the two started dating in 1994. Their relationship was heavily documented by the press. They married in 1996. Calvin Klein designer Narcisco Rodriguez designed her pearl-white silk crepe wedding dress. The media scrutiny intensified after the wedding, which Carolyn found very difficult.
Her understated, chic and effortless fashion sense was reported on by various publications and it drew frequent comparisons to her mother-in-law, Jackie Kennedy Onassis. It was also reported that the couple were experiencing marital problems and that Carolyn was using cocaine to deal with the attention.
Carolyn, John and her sister tragically died in a plane crash in 1999, with John piloting the plane. She has since become emblematic of Old Money style and is frequently cited as a 90s style icon. Elle pronounced her “the mother of 1990s minimalism”.
Rosamund Pike was encouraged by Gone Girl director David Fincher to base her character, Amy Dunne, on Bessette-Kennedy.
She has featured on designer moodboards for the past two decades. In 2015, fashion designer Wes Gordon, known for disliking discussion about the influences of his collections, admitted Bessette-Kennedy's impact on the clothing for women in that year's collection. Gordon was long interested in Bessette-Kennedy's style prior to production.
Wes Gordon, 2015
Vogue put out an article just last week on how to emulate the socialite’s ‘pared back nineties style’ and Sotheby’s are holding a ‘Fashion Icons Auction’ in November featuring 3 of CBK’s coats.
American Love Story, an FX series based on the ill fated couples’ story is currently in production.
Shop the Old Money collection on our site today if Carolyn is your style icon ✨