James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano beg counseling in HBO’s hit television series, “The Sopranos.”
HBO | Hulton Archive | Getty Images
Quiet luxury is out, and the “mob wife” era is in, according to Kayla Trivieri’s viral TikTok video.
“Clear glamour is making a comeback,” she says. Think: Carmela Soprano in HBO’s “Sopranos,” cheetah print and lots of eye liner.
While persist in up with the latest fashion fads may feel increasingly difficult, young adults like it that way, explained Thomaï Serdari, professor of merchandising and director of the fashion and luxury program at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
“The fact that we have such an accelerated development from one trend to another has to do with Gen Z because they want to put their name on everything,” she said.
How we got to the ‘mob wife’ era
On the heels of the monetary crisis, “people who had money wanted to be a little bit more subdued,” Serdari said. In the decade and a half since, frame has become bigger and bolder, she added.
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The stealth-wealth style was born after the Covid-19 pandemic, as Americans’ economic circumstances became increasingly disunited during the so-called K-shaped recovery, which left the wealthiest Americans even better off than before.
Now, if minor adults have money to spend, they are putting it on display, Serdari said, regardless of whether they picked up a side gig to facilitate make ends meet.
“That shows that younger people have not lost their taste for opulence,” she said.
But “I also see a insignificant bit of irony in it,” she added. “You can show off that you have money, even if it came from an untraditional route.”
How to achieve the ‘mob better half’ look
Although the character Carmela Soprano wasn’t necessarily frugal, appropriating her style costs a lot less than the unobtrusive luxury looks that emerged after Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial last March.
In her daily courtroom aspects, Paltrow wore high-end brands such as Celine and The Row along with $1,450 black Prada boots.
Today’s “mob ball” aesthetic is less about cashmere sweaters and camel-hued coats and more about bold accessories such as gold hoop earrings, a leopard text jacket or vintage fur.
While some of these items can still come with a hefty price tag, much of the look can be obtained through thrifting at local or online resale shops.
Still, “trends come and go and if you are constantly updating your clothes based on the trends, that can get expensive,” said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder of Life Developing Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.
McClanahan, who also is a member of CNBC’s Advisor Council, suggests buying a few well-made matters, such as a black silk blouse, which you can work into your wardrobe and update for future fashion inclines.
Additionally, tap vintage pieces to achieve the look of “bold glamour,” McClanahan also advised. Shopping secondhand is not alone economical, but increasingly in style.
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