- Fashion
ByAmanda Chatel
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
It's official: we're in our mob wife era. Even if you choose not to participate in this trend, you're still bearing witness to it and that's all it takes. Whereas 2023 was all about stealth wealth, a trend that was subtle, sleek, refined, and born from the wardrobes of Logan Roy's kids on "Succession," the mob wife aesthetic is the complete opposite. It's glorious, gaudy, over-the-top, and loud.
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Like many trends lately, the mob wife aesthetic came out of TikTok. "Clean girl is out, mob wife era is in," declared TikToker Kayla Trivieri in a recent video. "This is just a vibe; Carmela Soprano walked so you b*tches could run... She's got the big hair, the stacks... Bold glamour is making a comeback." It's everything that stealth wealth fears, which is also why it's so fun.
Whether we like it ornot, there will always be a divide between the nouveau riche and old money. While their bank accounts may be similar, how their money is spent is a vastly different story. On one hand, we have Tony Soprano buying wife Carmela a "Hermies" bag; on the other hand, there's old money being, well, old money. "The idea is that if you're used to having money, you needn't show it off," fashion business consultant Dr. Carolyn Mair toldBBC. The mob wife is all about showing it off and then some. In other words, trend lovers,"ludicrously capacious" bag season is here.
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What is the mob wife trend?
To get a good understanding of the mob wife vibe, look no further than iconic television characters Carmela Soprano and Adriana La Cerva. While Carmela is the epitome of a 40-something mob wife, Adriana, the girlfriend of Tony Soprano's nephew Christopher Moltisanti, perfectly channels the look and attitude of a 20-something mob wife. It's about snug clothes, loud prints, bold colors, long nails, and big everything. "We're doing messy hair, we're doing big furs," TikToker Mikayla Toninato said in a video. "[Mob wife] always has a fur just thrown over; she has red lips, she has red fingernails, she always has like smokey makeup."
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But it's not just about what you wear. It also has to do with attitude and the energy you convey every time you walk into or out of a room. "It's an attitude; it's an aura,"Mikayla adds."We all want to be the mob boss's wife because she is a boss in and of herself. Mob wife is unbothered ... she doesn't deal with your bullsh*t." No one messes with a mob wife — unless they want to sleep with the fishes, of course.Or something else perhaps a little less, um, final.
Why it's suddenly everywhere
Also known as "filthy wealth," the mob wife trend has been getting traction because it's so extremely opposite to the stealth wealth look of 2023. It's a moment to not just shake up the immaculate and pristine lines of last year, but completely break free from them. "We have been witnessing a backlash of 'clean' aesthetics, which paved the way for the comeback of 'indie sleaze' and maximalist, messy visual narratives in which the mob wife fits in," senior foresight analyst Marta Indeka toldVogue Business.
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It's also very much on par with consumer interests and behavior, and our continued love affair with Y2K fashion, as director of fashion intelligence at WGSN Lorna Hall toldWWD. "Polarization is so knitted into the cultural psyche that we should expect a strong opposite aesthetic response to monolithic trends," said Hall, adding, "Although mob wives present as contrary to low-key luxury and '90s minimalism, both have their roots in an ongoing obsession with 1990s fashion and its icons as well as the continuing shift from casual to more dressed up looks." It might be worth noting, too, that on the pop culture front, January 11, 2024, was the 25th anniversary of the premiere of "The Sopranos," something that fans and the surviving cast members didn't ignore, with the latter celebrating in NYC's Little Italy that night.
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How to pull it off
First, choose your inspiration. Because some mob wives, like Kay Adams-Corleone of "The Godfather," keep things more aligned with stealth wealth, pick a mob wife known for serving the right attire as well as the perfect energy. In addition to the ladies in "The Sopranos," Elvira Hanco*ck in "Scarface," Ginger McKenna in "Casino," Gwen in "The Departed," or pretty much any of the ladies in "Goodfellas" are good places to source outfits.
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When putting together your ensemble, go for animal prints or all-black. "If you can add leather in there, even better," TikToker Trovlov said in a video. Of course, pleather, nylon, Lycra, and fur are also a mob wife's best friend. "If you look like you're going to a funeral, you know you're doing it right," said Trovlov. When it comes to accessories, too much is not enough. You want big and gold. You also want to don the biggest, darkest sunglasses you can find. Ideally, they'll be designer, or at least knock-off.
Once you've got your mob wife appearance, it's time for the "give no f*cks" attitude. To the outside world, you may be second in command to your mobster husband, but we all know who pulls the strings. Use this thinking to tap into your inner fearlessness: don't just walk the walk, but strut the strut. Now sharpen your claws and get out there. It's time to make the world an offer it can't refuse.
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