it was suddenly so uncool to look rich
January 17, 2019 6:18 AM Subscribe
“People were dripping in gold. There was bling on clothing, jewelry, accessories,” says Christina Binkley, who covered fashion for the Wall Street Journal. “Fashion had been really loud and it was a huge party, and then that shifted literally overnight.” How the Great Recession Influenced a Decade of Design
Apparently I'm riding the cultural zeitgeist at the moment, because I recently felt really tired of seeing those same white tables and grey paint and exposed wood surfaces and naked lightbulbs everywhere. It's all started to feel very cliche. My home still has a lot of glossy weight and grey paint, but I've recently been dreaming about a velvet couch and a bedroom painted in cozy, dark colors and lots of drapery.
posted by peacheater at 7:03 AM on January 17, 2019 [14 favorites]
posted by peacheater at 7:03 AM on January 17, 2019 [14 favorites]
i totally see the argument but i've always thought it's such patronising slumming because look at those textures and finishes, and i'm supposed to believe that's not rich?
posted by cendawanita at 7:19 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 7:19 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Also the entire global luxury market post crash was being held up by the new Chinese millionaire class and uuuuuh that’s been slowly sinking into the sea for a few years now
posted by The Whelk at 7:29 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:29 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money.
posted by valkane at 7:31 AM on January 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
posted by valkane at 7:31 AM on January 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
The UGG boots pictured in the article are aptly named. I laughed out loud.
Also, as a survivor of 70s design, I must view with alarm the nostalgia for that heinous decade of ugliness.
posted by corvikate at 7:44 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, as a survivor of 70s design, I must view with alarm the nostalgia for that heinous decade of ugliness.
posted by corvikate at 7:44 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
i totally see the argument but i've always thought it's such patronising slumming because look at those textures and finishes, and i'm supposed to believe that's not rich?
Yeah, that left picture is kind of exactly my dream, but precisely because it screams "currently has money" to me, whereas the right one screams "might have had money at some point". Because the left one isn't just that you bought all this stuff, it's that you have a lifestyle that is compatible with all that white staying that white. My lovely light blue sofa is only a couple years old and already needs recovered because I can't keep things that nice, but you know, I still fantasize. In my minimalist fantasy, I have a housekeeper. There is really nothing recession about it--yeah, I'm able to get a cheap facsimile of the things I want from Ikea, but that's not really what I picture when I picture my dream house. What I picture are a lot of things that I know are hard to care for: light colored fabrics, wood, spotless white and stainless steel. And then I picture not having to actually do the work to keep them.
posted by Sequence at 7:58 AM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
Yeah, that left picture is kind of exactly my dream, but precisely because it screams "currently has money" to me, whereas the right one screams "might have had money at some point". Because the left one isn't just that you bought all this stuff, it's that you have a lifestyle that is compatible with all that white staying that white. My lovely light blue sofa is only a couple years old and already needs recovered because I can't keep things that nice, but you know, I still fantasize. In my minimalist fantasy, I have a housekeeper. There is really nothing recession about it--yeah, I'm able to get a cheap facsimile of the things I want from Ikea, but that's not really what I picture when I picture my dream house. What I picture are a lot of things that I know are hard to care for: light colored fabrics, wood, spotless white and stainless steel. And then I picture not having to actually do the work to keep them.
posted by Sequence at 7:58 AM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
I really love the everything-is-in aspect of fashion these days. Except wide belts over tunics, I think those are out. But I see women in wide leg pants, skinny pants, 70s-level bell bottoms, boot cut (this may be the one that is not cool) 90s style tapered or straight leg and leggings. If you never throw out your pants this is the perfect time to be alive.
As an amazingly timed millenial - I graduated from college in debt in December of 2008, a truly hilarious time to enter the job market, hahahaha I'm still laughing, good one universe - I have always been sort of tragically entertained by the idea that minimalism is a way to not look like you're spending money. Planned space = money spent (or you have a good eye. Most do not). Unplanned space = looks bad in any color scheme. I live in a strange apartment. The bedroom is army green. The living room is half beautiful deep brown, half sad drab tan. This was never in style. It's not out of date, it's that a person bought the cheapest paint. Shit was on sale and that's the whole story.
Only a wealthy person would see a minimalist space and think it reflected NOT spending money. Which is not anything against this article, I don't think they are claiming that.
As an unreformed sequin lover I welcome our return to bling. I wonder what ever happened to those plaid boot cut jeans I wore from 7th-12th grades...
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:02 AM on January 17, 2019 [15 favorites]
As an amazingly timed millenial - I graduated from college in debt in December of 2008, a truly hilarious time to enter the job market, hahahaha I'm still laughing, good one universe - I have always been sort of tragically entertained by the idea that minimalism is a way to not look like you're spending money. Planned space = money spent (or you have a good eye. Most do not). Unplanned space = looks bad in any color scheme. I live in a strange apartment. The bedroom is army green. The living room is half beautiful deep brown, half sad drab tan. This was never in style. It's not out of date, it's that a person bought the cheapest paint. Shit was on sale and that's the whole story.
Only a wealthy person would see a minimalist space and think it reflected NOT spending money. Which is not anything against this article, I don't think they are claiming that.
As an unreformed sequin lover I welcome our return to bling. I wonder what ever happened to those plaid boot cut jeans I wore from 7th-12th grades...
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:02 AM on January 17, 2019 [15 favorites]
I loved this article! Thanks for posting. I'm an interior design nut, and it's been so interesting to watch lux, plush materials creep back into home design. I'm seriously ready for some texture and color to replace stark white everything. Lux materials look expensive because of what they are; stark white looks expensive because it's on trend. To be hip is to be flush with cash to keep up. 90s opulent gold looks "cheaper" than a cool, minimal environment to my eyes.
I'm also totally a follower, because I have a new (very cheap) blush pink velvet couch and I looooooove it. It will look dated in a few years, but it's so cheaply made I've no idea how long it'll last. Now THAT'S of the moment.
posted by missmary6 at 8:23 AM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I'm also totally a follower, because I have a new (very cheap) blush pink velvet couch and I looooooove it. It will look dated in a few years, but it's so cheaply made I've no idea how long it'll last. Now THAT'S of the moment.
posted by missmary6 at 8:23 AM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
Some of this stuff seems like desperation on the part of the fashion industry, trying to jump-start a move away from minimalism and practicality because that just doesn't drive sales. They want to bring back the bling, because it went hand-in-hand with mindless, fast-fashion consumerism and astronomical, logo-driven profit margins.
That's not to say people can't and don't play economic exhibitionist with minimalist clothing as well (see: men's suits), but when the expense is conveyed through quality of construction or materials, the margins are much thinner.
I'm not sure they're going to get what they want, which is presumably a return to the days when you could take any old sweatshop T-shirt, slap a logo on it, and sell it for an eye-watering price—allowing the high price itself to be the cachet. Anything that pushes too hard in that direction becomes a (legitimate) target for ridicule—both from the truly wealthy, who are going to find ways of pointing out that anything you can buy with a credit card isn't an actual indicator of real money, and from people without that sort of money, who don't appreciate having their noses rubbed in it.
Supreme tried to circumvent this trap by making availability, rather than price, the limiting factor; there's a sort of faux-democratic aspect to their "drops", based on the idea that anybody could get it if they were willing to obsessively follow Twitter and wait in line at the right place and time. But it's a difficult business model to replicate and involves ceding a lot of growth opportunities to the seconary market, in a way that I don't think traditional fashion retailers are prepared to do. I also think they're buoyed by low interest rates making people willing to "invest" in their clothing (actually "speculate on", but I couldn't resist the pun), and hot money from China, both of which are subject to change.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:34 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
That's not to say people can't and don't play economic exhibitionist with minimalist clothing as well (see: men's suits), but when the expense is conveyed through quality of construction or materials, the margins are much thinner.
I'm not sure they're going to get what they want, which is presumably a return to the days when you could take any old sweatshop T-shirt, slap a logo on it, and sell it for an eye-watering price—allowing the high price itself to be the cachet. Anything that pushes too hard in that direction becomes a (legitimate) target for ridicule—both from the truly wealthy, who are going to find ways of pointing out that anything you can buy with a credit card isn't an actual indicator of real money, and from people without that sort of money, who don't appreciate having their noses rubbed in it.
Supreme tried to circumvent this trap by making availability, rather than price, the limiting factor; there's a sort of faux-democratic aspect to their "drops", based on the idea that anybody could get it if they were willing to obsessively follow Twitter and wait in line at the right place and time. But it's a difficult business model to replicate and involves ceding a lot of growth opportunities to the seconary market, in a way that I don't think traditional fashion retailers are prepared to do. I also think they're buoyed by low interest rates making people willing to "invest" in their clothing (actually "speculate on", but I couldn't resist the pun), and hot money from China, both of which are subject to change.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:34 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I watched this whole shift unfold in my 20s and hoped sincerely it wasn't a trend and that people really were really about going back to basics after the veil was lifted but nah. I'm sure many were, but it seemed people stopped caring about appearing authentic when it stopped getting them noticed. Seeing the remnants of this phenomenon in terms of design and fashion and architecture is really surreal...it seemed like an actual societal shift at one point that said design, fashion and architecture simply represented.
posted by Young Kullervo at 8:54 AM on January 17, 2019
posted by Young Kullervo at 8:54 AM on January 17, 2019
Lux materials look expensive because of what they are; stark white looks expensive because it's on trend.
I mean, have you ever tried to keep pure white furniture pure white? You'll never realize how much crud is just, like, coming off of your hands and arms onto your desk surface until it's white and you find yourself adding "wash desk" to your to-do list on a regular basis. So the "stark" part is a necessary element and a difficult thing to maintain. Much as I like it, there's a very Puritan work ethic kind of element to modern minimalist design. Every tiny lapse in your housekeeping shows immediately, just because there's so many light colors and smooth surfaces.
posted by Sequence at 9:16 AM on January 17, 2019 [14 favorites]
I mean, have you ever tried to keep pure white furniture pure white? You'll never realize how much crud is just, like, coming off of your hands and arms onto your desk surface until it's white and you find yourself adding "wash desk" to your to-do list on a regular basis. So the "stark" part is a necessary element and a difficult thing to maintain. Much as I like it, there's a very Puritan work ethic kind of element to modern minimalist design. Every tiny lapse in your housekeeping shows immediately, just because there's so many light colors and smooth surfaces.
posted by Sequence at 9:16 AM on January 17, 2019 [14 favorites]
Meanwhile, WaPo reports that understated, elegant suits are in—for women.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:21 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Hearst assumed that her clothes were not likely to appeal to the typical starlet or influencer looking to cause a social media stir. Her designs aren’t flashy. Hearst was more attuned to a boardroom badass, a contemporary Georgia O’Keefe, a loudmouthed activist — and her mother. [...] Hearst’s work is beautiful — not in an ostentatious, look-at-that-embroidery way, but quietly. The drape of a coat is luxurious. The lines of a blazer are well-defined. A sweater is as light as a cloud.Of course, NYC is all about money; Washington is all about power. Fashion changes accordingly.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:21 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
still hoping the next fashion trend is luxurious robes for everyday wear. these could be minimalist or totally Byzantine.
posted by vogon_poet at 9:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by vogon_poet at 9:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
I really hope rhinestones aren't coming back. For most of the 2010s, rhinestones have been an inescapable plague. Sorry, anything covered in rhinestones and/or "bling" instantly looks cheap as hell to me, probably because that's an easy way to slap a higher price tag on a gross, shapeless polyester nightmare. I despise bedazzled clothing and I will hurl this trend into the sun.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 9:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Kitty Stardust at 9:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Everyone needs to start dressing like characters on shitty video game covers.
posted by Young Kullervo at 9:46 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Young Kullervo at 9:46 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oh those ugg boots O.o They look like poop tubes.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:54 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by sexyrobot at 9:54 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Neither of the interior designs shown in the header of that article work for me. The one on the left is too minimalist. And, sheee-it, who wants to have to clean all those white surfaces? That kitchen is for someone who doesn't cook! The other is too much. All those Victorian whorls and swirls, and plush, heavy fabrics are exhausting to look at.
As for clothes, I wear minimalist looks and prefer comfort over fashion. I'm short, and clothing with a lot of designs and patterns makes me look even shorter and younger. I passed over a lot of those pre-2008 styles, save the low-rise jeans, because they weren't for me. I would say I had a full-on prep aesthetic from the 80s to about 2011. That Everlane outfit is pretty close how I dress today.
Anyway, things are going to swing back from this new opulence in a minute. I mean, don't we have another recession on the way?
posted by droplet at 10:41 AM on January 17, 2019
As for clothes, I wear minimalist looks and prefer comfort over fashion. I'm short, and clothing with a lot of designs and patterns makes me look even shorter and younger. I passed over a lot of those pre-2008 styles, save the low-rise jeans, because they weren't for me. I would say I had a full-on prep aesthetic from the 80s to about 2011. That Everlane outfit is pretty close how I dress today.
Anyway, things are going to swing back from this new opulence in a minute. I mean, don't we have another recession on the way?
posted by droplet at 10:41 AM on January 17, 2019
still hoping the next fashion trend is luxurious robes for everyday wear.
houppelande/chlamys 2020
posted by poffin boffin at 11:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
houppelande/chlamys 2020
posted by poffin boffin at 11:41 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I've recently been dreaming about a velvet couch and a bedroom painted in cozy, dark colors and lots of drapery.
i would describe my personal design style as early 20th century french colonial moroccan brothel: dark woods, dark leathers, brass finials, low lighting, gauzy curtains, fuschia and red as the accent colors, jean genet is there.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:43 AM on January 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
i would describe my personal design style as early 20th century french colonial moroccan brothel: dark woods, dark leathers, brass finials, low lighting, gauzy curtains, fuschia and red as the accent colors, jean genet is there.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:43 AM on January 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
We could live in a world where everyone dresses like this, and it is unremarkable.
posted by vogon_poet at 12:05 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by vogon_poet at 12:05 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
shawty had them parti coloured hose
robes wit the fur
posted by poffin boffin at 12:07 PM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
robes wit the fur
posted by poffin boffin at 12:07 PM on January 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
It seems wrong to think that it was uncool to look rich -- uncool to look dumb rich or ex rich or tortious rich, sure.
posted by clew at 12:15 PM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 12:15 PM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've recently been dreaming about a velvet couch and a bedroom painted in cozy, dark colors and lots of drapery.
i would describe my personal design style as early 20th century french colonial moroccan brothel: dark woods, dark leathers, brass finials, low lighting, gauzy curtains, fuschia and red as the accent colors, jean genet is there.
I think of my design aesthetic as "victorian gothic collector." I'm all about the dark colours and velvets and textures and my fossil collection and paintings on every empty bit of wall. I don't go full gothic on the furniture though, with the exception of one huge, heavily carved oak wardrobe which is ridiculous and I love it. If I am ever lucky enough to have a guest bedroom I want to do it up in full 1920s Jeeves and Wooster style.
The minimilist, white everything trend is the exact opposite of my tastes. They look so boring and cold to me, I don't think it works as an aesthetic when its freezing and dark at 4pm! Easier to dust though, I will give them that.
posted by stillnocturnal at 1:15 PM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
We could live in a world where everyone dresses like this, and it is unremarkable.
Taking retro to its logical conclusion.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 1:27 PM on January 17, 2019
Taking retro to its logical conclusion.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 1:27 PM on January 17, 2019
I also don't understand rich people who wear ordinary clothes all the time. If I was crazy rich I would dress like an eccentric. Full steampunk costume one day, victorian repro dress the next, then maybe a star trek jumpsuit, then maybe something glam rock, then jeans and a jacket but the jacket entirely lights up with LEDs.... My favourite outfit is one that makes me feel a little bit like a wasteland scavenger.
I'm really not a minimilist, I guess is what I'm saying.
posted by stillnocturnal at 1:28 PM on January 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
I'm really not a minimilist, I guess is what I'm saying.
posted by stillnocturnal at 1:28 PM on January 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
I guess I'm the only person here who is into Space Vampire? Like, sure, dark colors, velvets, an air of foreboding, but with, like shiny black minimalist lines. Keep all the carvings and clutter out of it. Make my sarcophagus look like a pill.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 1:30 PM on January 17, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by Kitty Stardust at 1:30 PM on January 17, 2019 [10 favorites]
My wild fantasy dream style is Karnaca from dishonored 2 (mediterranean/spanish colonial/ midcentury modernish) but it's incredibly expensive to reproduce irl; unfortunately the closest thing I can find is Adrian Pearsall's stuff, which is only affordable if I do crimes.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:33 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 3:33 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
We could live in a world where everyone dresses like this, and it is unremarkable.
The sleeves would get in my soup when I reach for more breadsticks!!!!!
posted by Emmy Rae at 7:12 PM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
The sleeves would get in my soup when I reach for more breadsticks!!!!!
posted by Emmy Rae at 7:12 PM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
there are loops to attach them higher or otherwise tie them back when folded over; they either fold back on themselves halfway or attach to the shoulders to bare the full forearm (well, to bare the undersleeved forearm, we're not nude-armed harlots).
posted by poffin boffin at 8:05 PM on January 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:05 PM on January 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
My wild fantasy dream style is Karnaca from dishonored 2 (mediterranean/spanish colonial/ midcentury modernish) but it's incredibly expensive to reproduce irl; unfortunately the closest thing I can find is Adrian Pearsall's stuff, which is only affordable if I do crimes.
Can I interest you in something with bloodflies or rats?
I'm still over here enjoying mission style stuff but I guess there's not a lot of market growth for simple furniture that's solidly built and lasts forever.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:20 AM on January 18, 2019
Can I interest you in something with bloodflies or rats?
I'm still over here enjoying mission style stuff but I guess there's not a lot of market growth for simple furniture that's solidly built and lasts forever.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:20 AM on January 18, 2019
Taking retro to its logical conclusion
Dead Can Dance are already a band
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:46 AM on January 18, 2019 [4 favorites]
Dead Can Dance are already a band
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:46 AM on January 18, 2019 [4 favorites]
I have never been able to decorate any way but thriftily, but I would welcome turning away from grey as the main color sheets, towels etc. come in, cause that shit is boring. I am not a fan of dark stuff but do prefer warm wood colors to white because yeah, it don't stay white.
But nothing in my house matches, furniture-wise, so this might as well be about life on another planet. I buy things to replace old things that wore out, so I have a hodgepodge of whatever I could afford when that happened.
posted by emjaybee at 11:34 AM on January 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
But nothing in my house matches, furniture-wise, so this might as well be about life on another planet. I buy things to replace old things that wore out, so I have a hodgepodge of whatever I could afford when that happened.
posted by emjaybee at 11:34 AM on January 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I just counted the things in the three livingroom pictures and the "minimalist" one has the most. Or they're really closely tied. Almost certainly the white flat walls are cheaper than the boiserie, but what else is it minimizing?
And while the wood room is certainly both Fancy and Formal, it's not maximalist like a Bradbury and Bauer suite (previously).
posted by clew at 3:43 PM on January 22, 2019
And while the wood room is certainly both Fancy and Formal, it's not maximalist like a Bradbury and Bauer suite (previously).
posted by clew at 3:43 PM on January 22, 2019
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posted by everybody had matching towels at 6:19 AM on January 17, 2019