From Demure Outfits to Quiet Luxury, None Of This Is New

Living in 2024 means being exposed to a constant stream of micro-trends, internet aesthetics, and viral videos. This month’s latest is TikTok creator Jools Lebron’s satirical spiel about being “very demure” at work, from her makeup choices to her non-revealing top. In three weeks, the video has gained 40 million views and spurred social media captions, memes, and brand marketing strategies, with creators applying the buzzword to countless other areas, too. As you would expect, demure fashion quickly made its way onto our TikTok feeds.

While creators’ interpretations of demure outfits vary widely, common factors include minimal separates and feminine silhouettes with added coverage. You’ll see loads of waistcoats — a lot of suits in general — as well as full skirts, high-neck tops, wide-leg jeans, and leather handbags. The trend emphasises modest dressing and sophisticated basics, which is a far cry from this season’s former leading trend, “brat girl summer,” led by Y2K-inspired hot pants and baby tees.

As with most internet-born aesthetics, the demure fashion trend — however tongue-in-cheek — is an opportunity for brands and creators to simply polish an old penny. Before there was a hashtag for it, brands were making a case for the same aesthetic on the autumn 2024 runways. Fashion houses known for bringing crisp, timeless separates to market displayed the epitome of demure, from Balmain’s long, draped skirts and peplum tops to Loewe’s suit jackets and billowing fabrics. The très sophisticated skirt suit was a hit (perhaps inspired by this year of elections), thanks to brands like Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, and Stine Goya. Meanwhile, Givenchy and Miu Miu’s opera gloves made for the most demure accessory yet.

Lebron’s unserious TikTok has gone much further than anyone could’ve expected. The fashion rental app By Rotation often sees the impact of viral trends like this, according to its founder, Eshita Kabra-Davies. “We’re currently seeing an uptick in the number of searches for ‘demure’ on the By Rotation app, as well as use of the #verydemure and #demure hashtags,” she tells Refinery29. “I see the ‘demure’ trend as incorporating an air of elegance and modesty into everyday dressing, looking more towards soft tailoring and muted colours.” The app now has a curated “demure edit,” featuring brands like Reformation, Oddmuse, and Self-Portrait. 

Kabra-Davies acknowledges that this trend, though popular right now, is nothing new. “We have seen similar aesthetics in ‘quiet luxury’ last year, for example.” Born from the influence of the HBO show Succession and the “old money” aesthetic (see: TikTok’s obsession with looking like a rich housewife), the quiet luxury trend is all about minimalist styling, muted tones, and an aspiration to look sophisticated and wealthy, with or without the luxury labels. 

Demure fashion and quiet luxury are cut from the same cloth — quite literally, considering the same designer brands can be associated with either. Both trends’ emphasis on high necklines, long sleeves and floor-grazing bottoms falls in line with modest fashion, another space that has been around for much longer than either of these trends. Last year, quiet luxury was compared to modest fashion — and rightly criticised for society’s double standards that favour modesty as a trend over modesty as representation. However, the popularity of both trends highlights that modest-wear brands and dressers deserve credit, and respect, where it’s due.  

“The world can learn from this trend that modest fashion is not just about covering up. It’s also a reminder that fashion can and should be diverse and inclusive while still being stylish,” Deborah Latouche, founder of the modest luxury label Sabirah, tells Refinery29. Latouche says the brand’s full-coverage maxi dresses, tailored suits, and high-neck coats — all reminiscent of TikTok’s demure and quiet luxury fashion content — “are intended to inspire confidence and strength.” And perhaps that is the biggest takeaway from all of this “demure this, mindful that” chatter: what you wear is less important than how you feel in it.