By Damien Woolnough
When someone is stabbed in the back in the television series Succession, no logos or polyester are damaged in the process. The knife always pierces Italian wool or cashmere.
The fictional Roy family have become the pin-ups for billionaire dressing because of Kendall’s cashmere baseball caps, Shiv’s brown blazers and adviser Gerri Kellman’s understated Emporio Armani suits.
Actor Brian Cox who plays Logan Roy in the television series ‘Succession’ wearing a Kingston suede jacket from Melbourne menswear designer Christian Kimber. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) in Tom Ford jeans, T-shirt and jacket with a Loro Piana baseball cap, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in a blazer and pants from Max Mara in the first episode of Season 4 of ‘Succession’, screening in Australia on Binge.Credit: Getty, Supplied
The series screening in Australia on Binge, along with Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent court wardrobe, has revived interest in stealth dressing as a subliminal advertisement for wealth, with the latest episode a sea of brandless beige, grey and navy.
“When our customers come in they’re not wearing logos,” says Melbourne menswear designer Christian Kimber. “Even their sweatpants don’t have logos. We are more about providence and quality than promotion.”
“Brands like mine, The Row and Bottega Veneta, are known for it. But we are starting to see the bigger fashion houses really embrace it. I see it as a renaissance of the core of our craft.”
Kimber is close to the burgeoning stealth set, having supplied clothes, including a $1750 suede workwear-inspired jacket, to Brian Cox, the actor playing Succession patriarch Logan Roy.
“When men get to a certain age they don’t want logos and they certainly don’t need them to feel good about their purchases,” Kimber says.
“We do get people with money buying our items, but there are also customers who are interested in the quality of their garments,” Kimber says. “We have guys in their early twenties putting money aside to save for a suit or jacket.”
Stealth dressing is not restricted to the wealthy and a closer look at many real-world media magnates is a reminder of Succession’s status as fiction, despite original drafts reportedly being based on the Murdoch family. Not every person with money and power wants to go unnoticed.
The anti-stealth set: Agnelli heir Lapo Elkann and Joana Lemos; Rupert Murdoch’s granddaughter Charlotte Freud (who makes music as Tiarlie); Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Laura Sanchez at the Versace show in Los Angeles.Credit: Getty, Instagram
Salesforce chief executive and owner of Time magazine Marc Benioff has a fondness for loud sneakers. Lapo Elkann, part of Italy’s wealthy Agnelli family, which has shares in The Economist, wears flamboyant suits and owns a fashion brand.
Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos mostly sticks to a monochromatic wardrobe worthy of Kendall Roy, but has stepped out in an eye-catching jacquard dinner jacket. Last month Bezos joined his girlfriend Laura Sanchez, in a dress detailed with belts, at the Versace runway show in Los Angeles. The dress does not come in beige.
Even members of the Murdoch family enjoy playing with fashion. Rupert Murdoch’s granddaughter Charlotte Freud is fond of wearing punk-inspired bomber jackets and goth girl dresses from Selkie to promote her music, released under the name Tiarlie.
These unexpected fashion fans with fortunes are closer to the style zeitgeist than the Roys, according to luxury retailer Eva Galambos. At her Sydney boutique Parlour X, Galambos sells creative pieces from Jacquemus, Courrèges and Mugler to wealthy clients who baulk at the idea of a plain oatmeal turtleneck jumper.
“People look at Succession as the return of stealth wealth dressing, but I don’t see that,” Galambos says. “I’ve just returned from Paris and that’s not where fashion is headed, with wide shoulders, baggy pants, colour and prints.”
“When I look at Succession I see the clothes as just another character in a show filled with unlikeable people. Most of these people aren’t confident, and they’re second-guessing themselves. The women in Succession don’t seem to have power and the clothes reflect that. They’re conservative and it’s a message that’s almost anti-feminist.”
“You can wear a suit and be powerful, and that suit can have wide padded shoulders and come in a bold green.”
The response to last week’s episode of Succession supports Galambos’ trend forecast. When a “ludicrously capacious” Burberry bag in a distinctive plaid was derided by one of the main characters for missing the stealth style mark, the take-down went viral.
Virtual fitting company 3DLook conducted an analysis of Google search interest for “Burberry Tote Bag” showing that it had increased by 310 per cent since the episode. Searches for “Burberry handbag” and “Burberry tote bag” increased by 180 per cent and 25 per cent.
Those are the type of figures that might even satisfy Logan Roy.
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