Capable of giving a sophisticated, elegant and decisive allure, as well as being particularly exclusive, beige is the color that encompasses a luxurious and undeniably mysterious charm.
From ivory to greige, from turtledove to camel, from sand to vanilla and so on, the beige color palette contains a conspicuous variety of shades, which echo a richness that is representative of a lucky few. But can a nuance really designate someone’s heritage? It would seem so, especially if supporting this stylistic choice are those maisons which, detaching themselves from extravagant ideas and noisy logos, choose a totally traditional tailoring to be recognizable only by a small niche.
Il quiet luxury
Luxury houses resort to beige, because in their lexicon it means only one thing, money. And so does those who buy their creations. Beige is the color of the interiors of elegant cars, of refined living rooms, of the exteriors of historic buildings. It’s for those few who don’t care about changing fashion trends, who aren’t interested in the latest it of the moment, but prefer the essentiality of high quality. The predilection for this nuance is linked to one of the trends of recent times, quiet luxury, an expression that has spread to describe the outfits of the privileged and which is often also inspired by films of the big and small screen, such as Anatomy of a Scandal and The Watcher, or among the latest the HBO TV series, Succession, which tells the story of television magnate Rupert Murdoch. The cast is carefully dressed by costume designer Michelle Matlan, who prefers monochromatic outfits, often in variations of beige, very precise cuts and impeccable fits. The garments worn by the characters are all united by an apparent and desired simplicity, which hides an invisible luxury from the eyes of a few observers, without recognizable logos or details. It is precisely the colours, such as beige, the highly prized tailoring and the high quality of the fabrics that define an economic well-being that goes beyond the common imagination and sums up a modesty that is only apparent, which hides the very high prices of the looks in your pocket.
The aesthetics of refinement through chromatic minimalism
Numerous Italian brands are the spokesperson for this phenomenon, which have embraced this philosophy since before it became a trend: Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Brioni, Max Mara, which has made the beige palette the epitome of its wonderful outerwear. What they have in common is a perceptible richness through the sense of touch, the choice of highly sought-after fabrics and an enviable savoir faire built on a mix of skilful craftsmanship and innovative methodologies, as well as a clean, elegant and refined aesthetic. Monochromatic minimalism and clean and impeccable tailoring are also the main prerogatives of brands such as Hermès, The Row, among the most appreciated outside the European scene, Peter Do.
Beige Baby, Vanilla Girl e Coastal Grandmother
The beige aesthetic is redefining the idea of luxury, conquering social feeds, home furnishings and the style of many. It is extremely linked to another trend, which is dominating Tik Tok with over 155 million views: it is the hashtag Vanilla Girl, which is inspired by a minimalist aesthetic, a color palette ranging from cream to caramel, from ivory with vanilla, to tailored and refined clothes and a sophisticated and vanilla-scented interior decoration. The Vanilla Girl is an evolved version of the Clean Girl, all minimalism, beige and delicacy: like any Tik Tok aesthetic, this one too goes beyond the exclusive interest in clothes and incorporates beauty inspo, skin care and design. In fact, she wakes up in her candid and relaxing room, wears ivory sweaters while preparing a frothy latte (to stay on the palette) and creates her social content, sharing beauty or make-up tips. The Vanilla Girl was once a beige baby, a little girl wrapped in off-white muslin blankets dressed in bamboo or sustainable cotton onesies. Growing up she uses social media, always showing herself perfect with naturally voluminous and fluttering hair and her chromatically neutral looks. As an adult, she becomes a chic grandmother or rather a Coastal Grandmother, wears ecru or camel oversized cashmere pullovers and organizes family dinners in her refined home with large windows. However, the popularity of the Vanilla Girl aesthetic hides a pitfall: it is aimed at an ideal of a blonde, thin, white, rich and apparently perfect woman. The most attentive users were quick to point out the disparity that this aesthetic promotes, encouraging users to implement this trend in a more inclusive way.
Beyond the trends to which it is connected, the aesthetics of beige covertly masks a sad awareness: it highlights the inadequacy of those who are unable to reflect themselves in a candid and immaculate life, made up of apparent perfection, which however does not assume that it is automatically happy too. It is the life of ordinary people, made up of happy moments but also of mistakes, stress and imperfections. Although elegantly predisposed to a healthy and well-groomed, elegant and refined lifestyle, the latte in our super aesthetic cup could fall on our ivory Baby cashmere sweater while, late, we decide what to wear before going to work; the skin could have some imperfections, despite a correct avant-garde skincare, and our hair could need a hairstyle even after using one of the most innovative styling tools. The aesthetics of beige often leads us to question our value and to think that we are not up to it, but in reality it suggests that a wealthy economic well-being can offer a status, not (only) social, but one of relaxed light-heartedness.
