Trad-Wives, Quiet Luxury, and Sexy Secretaries: Fashion’s Conservative Reawakening.

Dressed to Conserve.

By Samantha Faye Hirschhorn

I am indulging in a dissociated doom scroll the afternoon following the 2024 presidential primaries when a video from fashion content creator Elysia Berman lands on my page. Her striking hook acts as a sucker punch to the gut, “Fashion is political. I actually think the signs of a Trump win have been written on the walls for months”. Releasing me from the meta-world spell, Berman draws me in as I stay and listen to her dissect current media and fashion trends. She uses terms such as “trad-wife”, “Americana”, and “quiet luxury” to show a point toward a shift in favoritism for conservatism. I’m grateful my trend forecasting and analysis professor isn’t dead because she would be rolling in her grave right now. The inclination towards a more conservative collective has been blatantly in front of my eyes and I completely overlooked it.

Weeks pass, and Berman’s words are still swirling in my head. It feels only right to contact fashion historian Dr. Mario Roman. In an arranged sit-down in their office, I pick their brain about the rise of conservatism through a fashion lens. “Fashion is a part of culture,” Dr. Roman reiterates. Reminding me of the phrase “fashion is evolutionary, not revolutionary”, one that my professor drilled into my mind in multitudes. Dr. Roman explains that in U.S. history, when fashion and the country lean conservative, they usually look back to the nostalgia of the 1950s. “The perception was that no one was left behind,” they say. But is it possible America’s 'Golden Age' is seen through rose-colored glasses?

Olyvia Young, Student General Manager of Measure, sits face to face with me to discuss today’s trends, tackling the nostalgia and conservatism surrounding them. Young believes the appeal for the trad-wife (traditional wife) stems from the nostalgia surrounding the escape to a simpler life. Social media star Nara Smith could be considered one of the “faces” of the trad-wife trend. She gained her internet popularity by posting the meals she cooked from scratch for her husband Lucky Blue Smith and her three kids. She’s always dressed hyper-feminine, and quietly luxurious. Young explains, “I think part of the allure of Nara Smith is a part of us really does just want to be cooking, and looking hot, and having a husband. You know, life is simple. But that’s not attainable anymore, so it becomes a trend to fetishize it, fantasize about it online.” Young continues, “Trad-wife reminds me of the Baby Boom era”

During the 1940s, as men left to fight in WWII, women stepped in to support the war effort by taking on jobs traditionally held by men, giving women the opportunity to experience independence and a version of financial freedom. After the war, the 1950s, or the Baby Boom era, heavily promoted the ideal of the traditional family in the media. This meant embodying traditional gender role relationships — ie the working husband as the family breadwinner and the child-bearing and home-kept wife. Dr. Roman explains that the cultural shifts experienced from WWII to the baby boom era could be viewed as a wave of feminism and then a conservative backlash.

I find it fascinating how this pattern of progressiveness and conservatism repeats in history. Dr. Roman uses Nazi Germany as another example of this, explaining that “before WWII, Germany was experiencing their own version of the Roaring ‘20s”. The Roaring ‘20s have a notorious reputation for its association with frivolity and transformation. Traditional gender roles were challenged, indulgence was celebrated, and sexuality became more fluid. Following this period of intense change was an era of extreme conservatism.

Student fashion archive worker Haley Hartman explains this pattern to me, comparing it to a pendulum. “In history, you swing towards progressive ideals and then there’s a very conservative reaction to that. Conservatism is trying to conserve the past. And there’s always going to be that reaction when we step forward in history. It’s like one step forward, ten steps back essentially.” Hartman theorizes that the legalization of gay marriage and the advancements made following the passing of Roe v Wade in the 1970s could have been the forward movement that triggered the conservatism we’re experiencing now.

Hartman also brings up Nara Smith, regarding the brand Ralph Lauren, who strategically chose Lucky Blue Smith to walk in their most recent Spring/Summer 2025 runway show. “Ralph Lauren has always been known for being a brand that’s heavily leaned into the Americana aesthetic” as it was founded in the 1960s by an all-American designer. “People are really nostalgic for a time where it kind of seemed like the American Dream existed,” Hartman explains. This desire could point towards the resurgence of Ralph Lauren’s popularity. Nara and Lucky Blue Smith represent the traditional family structure that existed in the 1950s — the era people are nostalgic for — hence why Ralph Lauren chose to have him as a model for this season's collection.

“A lot of conservatives in the country want that Americana feel, they want that union kind of feeling,” Hartman says. The quiet luxury trend plays into conservatism, as it’s the act of not showing off too much wealth. “It’s about being subtle and subdued to not attract attention to growing issues, such as the wealth gap increasing between the upper and lower class and the middle class slowly disappearing” explains Hartman. Quiet luxury creates a facade of class unity.

As I talk with Dr. Roman, they tell me that quiet luxury is not a new concept and has been around for 100s of years “potentially a millennia”. They use an example from the 1500s to explain, focusing on Philip II of Spain, who was known to dress like the middle class to prevent receiving the evil eye. “He dressed like the middle class impeccably, so his fabric was the best fabric, and his garments were well-tailored to his body. So, he always looked immaculate even if he dressed like the merchant class of Spain.” Dr. Roman explains, “What’s appealing about something like quiet luxury, is you have to be in the know to recognize it.”

Young points to a modern version of this, noting how some celebrities publicly support more liberal politicians but privately avoid aligning with their ideals. “When you think about quiet luxury it’s almost the same thing. This idea of picking at the lower class.” The wealthy blend in with the middle and lower classes by dressing similarly and publicly supporting causes, maintaining their relatability and reputation. However, those in their inner circles know they’re wearing $1,000 jeans while prioritizing the protection of their wealth.

This tension between public image and private reality also appears in the trend highlighting working women, such as the “office siren,” which subtly nods toward conservatism. On the surface, the office siren presents an image of power and independence. However, even the “sexcretary”—as Young prefers to call it—reflects the sexualization of women in power, a dynamic rooted in conservative ideals. “You're not even seen as an intellectual, you are seen as like a piece in the office,” Young explains. The sexy secretary trend allows women to escape the 1950s home life but, of course, never the male gaze.

Regardless of whether the focus is on the nostalgia surrounding America’s “trad-wife,” the elitism of “quiet luxury,” or the fantasy surrounding the “office siren” and her erotic escapades, fashion reflects culture, and it’s clear the pendulum has swung toward conservatism. As this shift unfolds, the real question is: how far will it go?