Issey Miyake Fall 2024 (Photo by Filippo Flor / Gorunway.com), Sacai Fall 2024 (Photo by Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com), Issey Miyake Spring 2024 (Photo by Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com)

What really is ‘Quiet Luxury’? 

Both words in the term play an important part in creating a refined style that plays on soft colors and textures to ultimately achieve elegance. When we think about quiet luxury, we may think of the colors and shades that typically serve as a blank canvas for patterns and textured pieces. Cream, white and black are the colors that typically collaborate with the idea of ‘quiet luxury’, but some Japanese designers show us that radiating a luxurious aura through clothing can be done differently.

Ever wonder how a single color can seem four-dimensional in Issey Miyake’s and Sacai’s works? These Japanese designers showcase aspects other than color as the key to ‘quiet luxury’, curating layers and textures within monochromatic pieces. Sacai’s Fall 2024 runway oversaw thigh-high, pearl-white boots with snow-gray coats and cream-white knits. Meanwhile, Issey Miyake’s play on fabrics and layers made the outfit exude elegance with just a single color. And if we’re talking about a breathtaking kind of quiet luxury, the Spring 2024 runway streamed with draped and twisted fabrics in accentuating the silhouette.

Slightly Louder Luxury?

We’re talking larger-than-life, an extravagant take on the quiet luxury trend. Did the ‘quiet’ in quiet luxury ever matter when the wearer looked brilliant every time they donned on a rich black pantsuit? The emphasis on power and confidence loosely defines the quiet luxury trend, and there’s no denying that one doesn’t look incredibly sophisticated in monochromatic silhouettes. If you’re thinking of light layering for the summer, take a look at AURALEE’s SS24 runway. It’s a quiet luxury dream: where a single color palette is brought together by an off-color, creating a rather surprising harmony. 

Create Your Own Looks

Although the point of quiet luxury can seem to mean purposing monochromatic schemes to embody an effortless attitude of grace, and looking and feeling expensive, the pieces you choose and compile do not have to empty your wallet. If you’re looking for items on the inexpensive side, check out Zara, H&M, and Uniqlo for staples. If you’re into high-end designers, don’t forget to sweep by COS, Sacai, and AURALEE. Here are six different brands in Japan ranging in price you can shop for in Tokyo.