The allure of the Mob Wife trend

The “mob wife” trend—and trend du jour—has been kicking around for mere decades on the runway, on screen, and in real life. Now, it’s having its moment in the spotlight.

Ella O’Keeffe

less than 2 min read

January 23, 2024 - 2:35PM

Vogue Australia

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(L) Bottega Veneta autumn/winter 2023 & (R) Luar autumn/winter 2023. Image credits: GoRunway.com

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We have arrived once again on the internet to discuss the TikTok trend of the month. There are moments in this fast-paced, digitally driven paradigm that feel tedious and futile, and make one question if this is their true calling as a fashion writer—to be constantly heaving up a part of their dignity to break the news on a trend that has been coined by rabid fashion forecasters on a social media app. It is, however, just as important to remember during these moments that trends have always moved in mysterious and, at times, nonsensical ways. Just because we're swapping out words like 'colour blocking' and 'shrobing' for 'coquette' and 'clean girl', the sentiment will generally stay the same. That being: as long as brands are showing at least four collections a year, we're going to have to keep coming up with new ways to talk about it.

So here we are, winter in the Northern hemisphere and a new trend to discuss that has been taking over TikTok in past weeks. Much of the time, despite it feeling as though they are hurtling out of the ether, they are derived from subtle nods to the runway over a few seasons, cumulating enough evidence to finally make a case good enough to for a new "aesthetic" to be born. In this instance, however, the "mob wife" trend—and trend du jour—has been kicking around for decades on the runway, on screen, and in real life. Now, it's having its moment in the spotlight.

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Image credit: HBO

It is one of the more self-explanatory trends that has plagued our "For You" pages in recent history, and it doesn't stop short at style. "Mob wife" style has permeated those in the beauty department, too, signing off approval to ditch "clean girl" makeup in favour of smokey eyes, lined lips, and matte skin.

The allure of the "mob wife" is up for debate. Surely we're not glamorising the role of women whose lives are dedicated to protecting their criminal husbands? Of course not! But there is something that feels inherently glamorous about a life dedicated to looking the part. One could argue that such a role could happily be pursued by many, but more than that, it's not always vital to take trend names so literally.

The term could easily be switched out for "Italian glamour" if one felt especially aggrieved by its name. Then again, there are plenty of "mobs" that are not of Italian origin. All of this aside, the name has been dubbed. The term set, if you will. "Mob wives" are in, and thus we will break down the trend like good little fashion reporters.

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Versace spring/summer 2024. Image credits: GoRunway.com

The cinematic references are rooted in Italian-American culture. It's Carmela in The Sopranos, Sharon Stone in, well, everything, Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas, Elvira Hancock in Scarface. Their hair is done, up big and bouncy and blown out. Their face cards rarely decline and their nails are never lacking a perfect french tip. They live in oversized fur coats and off of cigarettes, dry martinis and the fear of people who get on the wrong side of their husbands.

At Versace spring/summer 2024, it was all about leather two piece skirt suits and glo-mesh gowns for the casino. Hair was clad with extensions and quaffed and pinned with emblazoned barretts. Bottega Veneta autumn/winter 2023 had sprinklings of animal print, croc leather, rhinestones and faux paper (in this case swapped out with leather) shopping bags.

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(L) Gucci autumn/winter 2023 & (R) Fendi spring/summer 2024. Image credits: GoRunway.com

At Saint Laurent autumn/winter 2023, oversized leather shawls were thrown over shoulders and secured with blingy gold fasteners, while at Gucci autumn/winter 2023 and Fendi spring/summer 2024, animal print reigned. In the past years, fur sales have dwindled significantly due to the undeniable ethical implications of fur products, forcing luxury brands to shift to the production of faux fur options. This winter, the 'mob wife' trend and the influx of celebrities in fur (faux or otherwise) has reportedly spurred a new wave of interest, especially in vintage furs, causing many people to question whether or not this will be the beginning of a new generation of young consumers interested in purchasing the material.

The "mob wife" look is, ultimately, part of a stream of trends that in the past years have been devoid of context and the subcultures in which they originated. Quiet luxury was a term that was used to describe a phenomenon known as "stealth wealth", reserved for the über rich who did not need logos or current seasonal trends to signal that they had money, before it became one of the biggest reference points of 2023. "Blokecore" had roots in Latin American and Caribbean culture, where Black and Latina women styled sports jerseys as part of their everyday wardrobes for decades before people on TikTok started doing it.

Trends have never existed in a vacuum. We will always be able to connect them back to subcultures if we try hard enough. But what happens when the audience who is consuming the content has no connection to the context? Are we all playing dress up, or is it time we lean into the fact that the way we experience the trend cycle will never go back to the way it was, and that the only way forward is to discern what makes the individual feel good?

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