If you spend as much time as I do, consuming fashion media (which I think is not even a lot), you may have seen the term “Quiet Luxury” pop up in the recent months.

With the talks of recession and the rise in brazen theft (even in formerly safe places), the trend is now to avoid loud, garish displays of wealth. Overt displays of wealth seems to be more frowned upon now in 2023, and yet there’s still superficial motivation for said wealth to still be seen, but in a subtle manner (ex. the quality of fabric/leather).

While Quiet Luxury aims to be low-key, by nature it still aims to communicate wealth -- unlike "Stealth Wealth" where the aim seems to not show wealth at all. It's similar to the Old Money vs. New Money aesthetic, which is still superficial and classist in a sense... but I digress. It has its good side and bad side.

As a topic, I just find it very fascinating… and as someone who’s NOT a 1%-er, I find it to be more attainable to adopt the Quiet Luxury aesthetic, as opposed to the Loud Luxury aesthetic. Which is why I wanted present to you my take on “How to do Quiet Luxury… BUT on a Budget.”

Important thing to note:

  • This is in no way saying that this is how you should live your life. A person who aspires for Quiet Luxury isn’t necessarily a better person than someone who wears Loud Luxury. Just reminding you to not judge a book by its cover. 
  • Also, everything I’ll be mentioning is for educational purposes only, and even I don’t necessarily follow them myself. Trends come and go! Just take the bits that work for you and continue to wear what brings you joy.


1. Avoid easily recognizable expensive pieces

Since the goal of Quiet Luxury is to be low-key, avoid wearing anything that's easily recognizable as expensive.

Because all the prices are easily searchable online, a lot of people nowadays are more aware of how much things cost. It can make you a target for unsavory people, either you become a target for mugging, or you become a target for fake friends who just want to take advantage of you. 

Waving these expensive pieces in the faces of friends and family who don't have as much as you can also cause some resentment and envy, which can be very alienating. For the ultra-wealthy, Quiet Luxury means wearing brands that are only recognized by fellow ultra-wealthy people, but us regular folks won't recognize. "If you know you know" kind of way. I can't really name any specific brands as to what's and if you know you know brand, but I'm thinking maybe it's the independent watch brands like FP Journe? But as a regular watch enthusiast with bills to pay, our version of and if you know you know brand are microbrands. There's a lot to choose from depending on your taste and your budget.

If you already own luxury pieces, you can still wear them but wear them with humility and only in the right environment.


Wear your luxury watches in appropriate events and company.

2. No clomage (clone+homage) watches 

Okay, up next, some of you might get mad at me because I know some of you love your AliExpress clomage watches... but in order to do Quiet Luxury, please no clomage watch!

To the rest of you that's not familiar with the term "clomage", it's a mashup of the words clone and homage, where the watch is an exact copy of a famous watch but just slapped on with the different brand name. (A term popularized by Gary of I Like Watches)

They typically offer great value in materials and movements because these companies save a lot of money in design work, as they're just taking the design from others. However, it goes against the idea of Quiet Luxury because it's both not-quiet and not-luxury.

On the not-quiet aspect of it, imagine going through being mugged at knife point because you've attracted unwanted attention over a Rolex homage. The trauma and the risk of stabbing is just unnecessary.

On the not-luxury aspect of it, I don't know if you feel the same way but sometimes even just having the homage of a luxury watch is a constant reminder that I still don't have the luxury version of that item. It actually reinforces the power that the original has over me.

The Rotary Savannah reminds me that I still don't have a Cartier Tank

*Of course, there are clomages that have better quality/specs than the original and I understand that there are people who'd rather buy the clomage of a non-hype watch. Some examples would be Islander watches with their better-spec'ed SKX versions or Heimdallr and Seiko Tuna (as commented by Brian Sahin on Youtube), Proxima with their Seiko Marine Master 300 (as commented by Sheshank Reddy on Youtube). As long as you maximize the cost-per-wear and you're happy with it, don't limit yourself just because Quiet Luxury is on trend right now.

3. Look for quality and maximize cost-per-wear

What should you look for when you want Quiet Luxury?

Watch:

It doesn't automatically mean expensive or branded. There's just this inclination towards quality over quantity and maximizing cost per wear. When you're considering a brand, look at their brand reputation for quality and design as an item, not the social implication (flex) of having that brand.

On the budget side, there are so many options but at the very least go for stainless steel with a reliable and easily serviceable movement. Gold tone is also nice but only in small doses. Pick a timeless design that goes well with your lifestyle to maximize cost per wear: something that you can dress up or dress down depending on the occasion. 

Finding a good quality watch with a good design doesn't have to be expensive. In the $300 to $400 range there are so many good options from Seiko and there are plenty of microbrands to choose from. I've gotten some great watches at the $300 range on Kickstarter campaigns for microbrands. 

Martenero Bayshore Kickstarter Price 2020: $279 Now: $495

Exciton II Kickstarter Price 2021: 210 GBP
 

Furlan Marri Kickstart Price 2021: 320 CHF, Now: 555 CHF



Straps:

When it comes to leather straps, always check if it's top grain or full grain leather, as the straps take at least 70 percent of your wrist space, which is a huge part of the watch wearing experience.

There are different grades of genuine leather, with full grain being the best as it's the most durable and top grain being the next best thing. Just because it's labeled genuine leather doesn't mean it's good quality. I've had a lot of genuine leather bags and watch straps that peel and crack on me after a few months maybe a year of wear. The cheap genuine leather straps also squeeze the sides of my wrist and take a lot of time to break in, which is an unpleasant experience.

As for the price, top grain straps are somewhere around $20 to $40 (maybe even lower if you take advantage of discounts), while full grain straps are at least $45. If you have limited funds, I'd recommend splurging on full grain straps in either black or brown depending on what color of shoes and belt you most often wear and then buy top grain for the straps in fun colors.

Examples of top grain straps: The Dassari Line of leather straps from StrapsCo: Make sure to read the description to verify if it's top grain leather and take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 free promo.

Examples of full grain straps in $45+ range: Vario, Has No Bounds (if they still have the 30% off promo newcomer promo).

4. Wear vintage watches

Another way to go about Quiet Luxury on a limited budget is wearing vintage. From afar, it just looks like an old watch so it's quiet in that sense. However, up close, you know that this was able to stand the test of time. And it's a testament to the quality of the watch regardless of the brand name. Having something on your wrist that was made before you were born and it's still working feels magical to me and it feels like an absolute honor to be wearing it. 


This is 90+ years old!

Buying vintage is a bit risky though so I'd recommend buying from a trusted dealer. If shopping on eBay, I go for a bargain sub-$200 pieces that still look good or something that I can work with. If you end up with a dud you might end up having to spend more fixing it so make sure the bargain price outweighs the risk.

5. Build a solid foundation within yourself

In order to pull off Quiet Luxury on a Budget, the most important step is to have a solid foundation within yourself. Having your self-worth rooted from within brings out a very different kind of energy versus those who have external factors as the basis of their self-worth. Having that humble confidence rooted from within signals that you don't have anything to prove to anyone in a way that communicates to others "I'm secure in my own self that I don't need other people to validate my worth for me".

Easier said than done, so let's practice! Think about your good qualities as a person. Are you kind? Are you generous? Are you hardworking? Are you loving? And so on! Use that as the foundation for your confidence. Think about your responsibilities and life goals. Are you actively working on them? Are you on track to achieve them?

Resist the temptation to use luxury items as bandage to elevate your self-worth. There's nothing wrong with the luxury items themselves unless you use it as a crutch for your self-worth or if they serve as distractions from you achieving your goals. 

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I hope I was able to tell you something of value. Anyway, let me know your thoughts.