Dissecting Stealth Wealth December 1, 2023 Stealth Wealth or Quiet Quality is one of those sayings that sounds like you know what it is till you start to sew it or put it together. And then it can get very
nebulous: classic? What's that exactly? Timeless? What's that? What are the parts that make up Timeless and Classic? Are there other parts? How can you tell?
Most of the time you can tell it when you see it, but it's hard to define it. So here are some ideas and help to get you looking and thinking in the right direction.
So what is really meant by that?...line and cut. Have you ever cut out a pattern and without realizing it, the pattern had the best hang or the best just right shape and it seemed it was all straight lines, but when you went back and looked, the
lines were actually curved slightly here and slightly there. Here's a perfect example of this.
They kinda look all the same, but when you look very closely, they actually are different. Here's an overlay.
So here are the front pieces of all three of these different pants patterns. You can see that the green line has a huge inseam while it's not all that large on the side seam, and the red one is flat out skinny.
So the line and cut of all three
of these pants is entirely different. And therein lies the style of these three pants. These three are some of my favorite patterns to
recommend to folks: The Barb Pant (for the Pears and Hourglasses), the Flat Bottom (for the Rectangles and Apples), and the Sailor Sue, which has the newer, more "stealth wealth" look of a pant that Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich. Click on the links to see more of these fabulous Style Arc Patterns.
Putting them side by side shows a lot more information.
Starting on the left is the Sailor Sue which is the stealth wealth look, the middle is the Barb, and the right is the Flat Bottom.
This is the same line and cut as these famous pants. This wide leg cut is also the same cut you see in all those "stealth wealth" instagram photos.
And they look downright luxuriously comfy and luxurious to wear. This is the type of line and cut that is essential to the stealth wealth look. It's not sloppy, but it's full; it's not baggy but it has ease; it's not skin tight, but it hangs immaculately. This is another reason I love to follow those tailors of Instagram - to see their trousers hang is to die
for.
This is a really dreamy drape on the jacket and pants. This particular company prides itself on a "Duke of Windsor" cut, which in the tailoring world was one of the best drape cuts you could buy. One last thing you can do with line and cut that is magical and will set your garment apart very quickly and obviously, if there are astute tailors and dressmakers around. It's like matching a
plaid, it sets you apart immediately.
This is a jacket for a gentleman who has an arm injury, so they were able to custom fit the arm that is not quite straight any more. On the left is the arm that is permanently bent, and the jacket arm drapes beautifully. On the right is what would
happen if the sleeve were cut traditionally and the owner of the jacket would constantly have wrinkles in the elbow making the jacket look ill-fitting. Looking quickly at the photo, the left arm looks like it fits better while the arm on the right doesn't. This makes the point that if you fit and have a good drape on even gimpy or otherwise evidently misshapen parts of your body, it will look fitted and be far less noticeable because the misshapen area is fitted well. To me this is the ultimate in sewing and design, when you can drape and fit a garment on a misshapen figure.
You might think that Proportion is the same as line and cut and drape, but it's not. Along with the proper line and cut, is proportion. Here's a perfect example.
The garment on the far right is not bad; even though it has no line or cut, and therefore no shape, it's still got possibilities, but that lace or see-through layer on the bottom doesn't add anything and makes the proportion all wrong. The other two dresses
have way too many wrinkles (disguised as ruching or draping). They look over-sized and, therefore, are out of proportion to the model.
Proportion can be devilish sometimes because you know when it's right and when it's not, but the problem is that in between are 360,000,000 other choices, and how do you go about at least thinning down the choices? I have a cute little tool I use to use two devices that can help: The Golden Ratio and the Rule of Thirds. Along with a cool little device is a video. Proportion not only applies to length, but also to shape.
In this example, you can see that this is an apple figure that carries most of her weight above her waist. That means that any more bulk of fabric around this upper body, the worse the proportion is. On the left is how the pattern is supposed to be
cut out, and on the right, it is pared down so that it's in proportion to the body wearing it. The version on the right is more balanced and conveys what the jacket is supposed to be.
Finally the traditional way to tell if something is stealth wealth is if it's timeless. There is nothing the wealthy likes more than something that's made extremely well and lasts for ages. This is why they treasure the furniture, homes, china, and
well-made clothing that is passed down from generation to generation.
While perusing through to find a classic white blouse, this is what's available. Which one would last forever? One has some bric-a-brac around the cuff and collar. This is also a tell-tale sign of cheap garments - they always have some tricky
thing going on when the real bargain here is the garment on the left. BTW the garment on the left is $325 and the one on the right is $29.95.
Would that change your mind about which one to purchase? Even if you knew the one on the right would last for only 3 or 4 wearings? This
sort of thinking is antithetical to stealth wealth or quiet quality. The wealthy hate these cheap sorts of things cause they only for a short time. Part of the reason is that most of the wealthy are on trust funds, and that means a budget. Granted, it's a nice budget, but how many times have you heard of some heir going off half crazy and spending all Dad's dough only to find himself on skid row without a dime? The truly wealthy - the ones who can keep it - buy
high-quality and buy very few of them. This can give you huge insight into what looks great and what doesn't.
With the fullness and ease of wear, this sort of look is perfect for that stealth wealth look cause it represents something timeless, easy to wear, lasts a long time, and looks good no matter if it's the 1930s or the 1980s or the 2020s! Classic is timeless,
and timeless is economical for those trust-fund babies! A final note. The wealthy don't like to be pegged or categorized. As a matter of
fact some of them are downright eccentric about their clothing and sometimes they are just as likely to be out in something that way too old and frayed - and not the Grunge sort of fraying. It's real fraying because it belonged to good ole Dad and his dad before that and if it was good enough for them, it's good enough for now! That's sort of the thinking.
Back in the 80's when Ralph Lauren tapped that "preppy" look, the "preppies" got really upset cause they had this look, and they didn't want anyone else to know about it but them. They certainly didn't want anyone else wearing it in a faddish
short-lived look. Oh well, Ralph made some great street creds on the look, and it spilled over into another look.....
...which had another path that created a whole look combining Art Deco Miami with Armani big shoulder pads. The heady days of Crockett and Tubbs and all that moody Phil Collins music!
A few notes on the plaid jacket. This is a great classic pattern from Lynn
Mizono, Vogue 1145. You can google the pattern and it's available a lot of places.
It's available in most sizes, but the small size should fit just about everyone, unless you are very tall and very broad in the shoulders. This is a very accommodating pattern.
This gives a much better idea of how the jacket is designed to fall. I've used a lighter-weight wool, and if you get one that's double-faced, it will make a nice show on that collar/lapel piece.
The fabric we used is a gorgeous piece from Joann's of all places. I loved the plaid and the black fur on the other side is yummy to touch. So yummy, that it doesn't need a slick lining on the sleeve. A sweater or jacket will slide right through
it. It's normally $40/yard, but on sale now for 40% off. You can order it online here. The red is a clear cherry or bright wine red. It is not for warm-toned people and it will show. Joann's has some other colors, but honestly, they aren't as classic as this red/black/white plaid and black fur. I
also used 3" grosgrain ribbon to bind the edges, which I highly recommend. The buttons, unfortunately, came from Tender Buttons in New York City. They are heavy large metal and work beautifully with this coat. Checky on Etsy for some heavy large buttons and you can come up with something original and special in you make this coat/jacket.
The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style. Check it out.
Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different
garments),
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
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