Russian playwright Anton Chekhov is reputed to have said: “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” His quote is widely seen as the origin of the phrase “Show, don’t tell”: the storytelling technique that imparts narrative subtly, teasingly, to readers/viewers, rather than handing it to them on a silver platter.
It’s a distinction that comes to mind when one ponders the difference between “Quiet Luxury” and “Loud Luxury”: terms coined by style commentators to distinguish not merely two ways of dressing, but—crucially—the very different factors behind them, and what messaging each actually gives off.
Quiet vs. Loud Luxury
Quiet luxury is a fairly straight-forward concept. A subtle, nuanced cocktail of neutral tones, striking silhouettes, premium fabrics, and incredible craftsmanship, it militates against the idea that “assured” and “discreet” are mutually exclusive modes of dressing.
Think of Barack Obama wearing his Canali charcoal-grey two-piece suit on election night—the night he would become the 44th POTUS. Think of the stealth-wealth sartorial aesthetic of Tom Ford, Timothée Chalamet, and Jacob Elordi. Think of that charismatic individual who everyone in the room turns and listens to, even though they never raise their voice. Whether it's a suit or a casual piece like the safari jacket above, quiet luxury is generally timeless, relying on subtlety rather than spectacle to get its point across.
Loud luxury, conversely, is all about clothing which is cleverly designed, yes, and well-made too, and therefore expensive: attention-grabbing outfits from the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Versace that make a statement, often using bright colors, patterns and cuts. Being in-season and on-trend is at the concept’s core, and even more important is conspicuous branding: beholders having the wearer’s sartorial bravado literally spelt out to them.
It is what marketing professionals call “aspirational”, and with good reason: the majority of people who subscribe to it here in the US are youngsters who want to elevate their status: middle class reasonably well-heeled millennials and even younger types who enjoy a reasonable disposable income thanks to reluctance to leave the roost (about one in three adults ages 18 to 34 in the US are living with at least one of their parents for economic status).
On the whole, the truly affluent (at least, those who are also truly stylish—a Venn diagram with less overlap than one might assume) prefer quiet, understated elegance and consider prominent logos gauche, and seasonal trends banal. “Aspirational” is no draw for them: they are already what they ever aspired to be. Most visitors to this outlet will be firmly in the quiet luxury camp.
Bold Elegance: A Third Option?
But what seems like a simple binary choice isn’t quite so. Having commented on menswear for some years, I would suggest there is a separate camp to the two we have discussed. This sartorial sub-sect blenches at gratuitous branding, and would rather wear socks with sandals than let seasonal trends arbitrarily dictated by brands impact their apparel choices, but harbor a taste for well-executed flamboyance: and the same emphasis on craft, cut and fabric quality as their quiet luxury brethren.
Those who have ever made the pilgrimage to Florence for the biannual trade fair Pitti Uomo will have encountered, among all the extremists who have strayed too far into studied eccentricity (the famous “Pitti Peacocks”), plenty of highly-stylish people— resplendent in their beautifully tailored bold checks, French cuffs and polished brogues—for whom the phrase “Dandies” was coined. For our purposes here, perhaps the phrase “Bold Elegance” befits this sub-group. Google Italian entrepreneur and socialite Lapo Elkann, or English watch and style historian Nicholas Foulkes, and you’ll agree that it’s absurd to put such dressers in the “quiet luxury” camp. Retired American author and designer Alan Flusser is another fine example.
Blurring the picture slightly more, I’d assert that quiet luxury and bold elegance can—and perhaps sometimes should—be blended. Those aforementioned beautifully tailored bold checks will match stunningly with equally beautifully tailored garments of a single, muted color.
Leaning Toward Classic Style
Whilst Anatoly & Sons does cater here and there to the bold elegance camp (such as our aubergine windowpane check sport coat) as well as the middle-ground between quiet and bold (our two-piece charcoal plaid suit with a Milanese buttonhole that should impress the sartorial cognoscenti), our output mostly subscribes to the discreetly imperious (quiet) ethos—one that is timeless and classic.
A single ensemble that encapsulates this might be made up of: our Deep Black Drago Suit made from 100% super 130s virgin wool; a white cotton twill dress shirt with semi-spread collar; subtly patterned neckwear like our green silk floral print tie; and – your shoe equivalent of her “little black dress” – medallion Oxfords, seen here in brown, Italian painted calfskin.
But—as with dressing generally—the permutations for achieving the look are endless.
