Camelocracy: a trend for quiet luxury
Unexpectedly, rich people have become fashionable for a long time, although they spend their entire lives making efforts not to be so. The trend for quiet luxury is taking over the world and even leaked to the Coachella festival, where it is customary to dress brightly or not - Kendall Jenner arrived there in a black suit.
We're hanging out at the playground in Malibu, where old American money comes in. Surrounded by families with children. They wear cashmere sweaters, trousers and suede loafers. Nothing flashy. Each bow costs at least 10 thousand dollars. The brands are obvious - Loro Piano, Brunello Cuccinelli, Hermes, Max Mara, but it is impossible to guess them without a certain amount of observation; the logos are hidden on the inside. I can imagine how all these people, who have been trying to dress inconspicuously for years, were surprised that they are now on the cutting edge of fashion and are adherents of camelocracy. This is now the name for a hidden luxury lifestyle, where there is no place for things with logos and where bourgeois talk about the cost of a vicuna sweater is not accepted, where everyone already knows the price of everything and does not even attach importance to it, because it is an ordinary thing for them. The term “camelocracy” was coined by Vogue magazine - this is the name of the Max Mara fall-winter 2023 collection - the quintessence of quiet luxury.
Now the fashionists will have to hide on the mezzanine the collections of Gucci from the time of Mikkelle and Balenciaga of Demna until better times. Fashion historians add an important note that the last time camelocracy was in trend was at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, when only a few people lost their fortunes. After the renewed protests in the United States with the slogan Eat the rich, no one wants to take the serious contents of their jewelry boxes out, even for lunch at Ebaldi in Beverly Hills.
I have my own theory about this. Classic clothing brands like Loro Piana were unable to compete with the rising generation of zoomers (those born after 2005). And they simply paid for a huge media campaign to promote the quiet luxury. It worked - the 15-year-old son of my wealthy friend, whom I had not seen in other brands except Gucci, is now head to toe in “grandfather’s brands.” Tik-Tok is full of jokes about what is happening, but nevertheless, camelocracy is fashionable. But I don't imagine that in Los Angeles, where every other winner of a competition for the strangest outfit and where everyone is trying to be special, everyone will wear monochromatic clothes. It’s worth considering that the shops on Rodeo Drive are not what Angelenos love. This is more for tourists and wealthy Americans over 45. Progressive youth and free artists are always looking for unknown brands that can be more expensive than the most famous luxury ones, but the chance of having double dressing at events tends to zero. So it's a creative kind of quiet luxury. I'm with these guys.
Author: Yunia Pugacheva
