BADA-BING, BADA-BOOM: 2024 has only just begun but what would a new year be without a new fashion aesthetic to define it?
Only a few weeks since the calendar flipped, TikTok’s style set has proclaimed that the minimalist codes that defined 2023 are out. Yes, we’re saying goodbye to the ‘clean girl’ and ‘quiet luxury‘ looks in favour of a trend that is cooler, glitzier and much more maximalist. It’s time to enter our ‘mob wife’ era.
Like many modern fashion, beauty and lifestyle trends, the mob wife fashion aesthetic began on TikTok, with user Kayla Trivieri predicting in a video posted on January 7, “Clean girl is out, mob wife era is in.”
Taking notes from fictional characters like The Sopranos‘ Carmela Soprano and Scarface‘s Elvira Hanco*ck, the aesthetic adopts a ‘bigger is better’ and ‘more is more’ approach. Think faux fur coats, loud jewellery, statement sunglasses, logo-heavy handbags, big hair, long nails, garish colours and, of course, lots of animal print.
While mob wife glamour appeared to come out of nowhere, some of the look’s defining pieces have been trending on their own in recent months (not to mention, there are swathes of women who have been authentically dressing this way long before it became “trendy,” but we digress). Specifically, oversized faux fur coats were a resident feature on runways last season, and have proved omnipresent on the backs of celebrities and style influencers in the months since. Leopard print has also been on the rise, featuring on the ‘in’ lists of many fashion TikTokers at the year’s turn. 2023 also saw a gradual incline in the popularity of statement jewellery and sunglasses, as well as rich colours like oxblood and turquoise. In short, this trend has been bubbling away for some time; a tinderbox waiting for a match (ie. a catchy, made-for-TikTok name) to send it spreading like wildfire.
The rapid emergence of this trend into the mainstream has not come without a need for broader conversations, too. As Polyester Zine notes: “In the context of mob films, these women, who are mostly working class, are considered tacky, and quite often conforming to the over-the-top stereotype of Italian Americans. However, pop these looks onto the fabulously rich and watch the tacky connotations disappear.” The publication points to the use of leopard print as a prime example: On the likes of Jackie Kennedy, it’s considered chic, on Bet Lynch and Fran Drescher it’s dubbed gaudy.
However, it is perhaps this almost antithetical take on what’s traditionally been considered “chic” that makes mob wife glamour so appealing for the TikTok generation. Throughout history, major fashion trends have had a habit of rebutting the ones that came before them. As we tire of our wardrobes being ruled by monochromatic, capsule pieces, and our hair and skin being slick and minimal, it makes sense the pendulum would swing the other way entirely. Plus, each generation gets to redefine what chic means to them, and while this conversation regarding fashion’s notorious double standards is an important one to have, for now, it seems as though Gen Z are finding fashion icons in the women of Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
Arguably, the best part about this trend is that it is about attitude as much as it is anchored by specific pieces. Yes, pop on your leopard print, jewels and faux fur coat, but ensure you’ve got the power boss nature to back it up.
