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# Is the "Old Money" Aesthetic just Classism Repackaged for Social Media?
- URL: https://www.castleandcloister.co.uk/old-money-aesthetic-is-classism/
- Published: 2026-07-30T09:27:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-30T09:31:11.000Z
- Description: Learn about the origins of the "old money" aesthetic and the controversy the term.
- Author: Tara Phull
- Tags: Perspectives, Fashion, Culture, Luxury Markets, Design

Although I like and emulate the modern-day preppy style, it has now become synonymous with what is deemed as 'old money' mainly by TikTok - a trend that has outlived others and survived over the past 3 years. What drew me into this trend was how familiar it seemed with this style of clothes being worn in ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Clueless’ and ‘The OC’ where outfits are symbols of their wealth.

The old money trend, though seemingly harmless, highlights society’s obsession with the rich, and Gen Z’s version of living this lifestyle. Constantly viewing recommendations of outfits and bags costing thousands of pounds and products that aren’t economically accessible to the majority, but somehow pushed for them to see. It ultimately bolsters outdated racial and socioeconomic biases by glamourising this real life group of people that comes from societies richest.

> "Money speaks but wealth whispers."

The terms ‘old money’ and ‘quiet luxury’ are often used interchangeably online despite not meaning the same thing. ‘Old money’ includes clothes and items that are associated with generational wealth, mimicking a classic and ‘wealthy’ fashion: Nate Archiblad in Gossip Girl whose family is rooted in American aristocracy. ‘Quiet luxury’ refers to how people don’t flaunt their wealth and wear ‘understated’’ clothing: Mark Zuckerberg wearing a $400 t-shirt from Brunello Cucinelli that has no logos on.

As to the roots of this aesthetic, the origin comes from the relationship between the upper echelons of society and private preparatory schools. During the 19th century, British preparatory schools were education-based and status-symbols for British, uniforms consisting of all the staples of the old money aesthetic today. We now see this translated into the Oxbridge-Durham ‘uniform:’ how students dress, people wanting to embody the refined private school and trust fund life accompanied with a nothing-to-prove mentality.

Creating a stereotypical image of a classy wealthy person can lead to elitism which idolises the upper class and frowns upon those with less privileged backgrounds. Whilst the ‘old money’ look isn’t as unattainable as it was in the 1900s, the internet floods with posts "uncovering the differences" between someone who is from ‘new’ and ‘old’ money; with ‘new money imposters’ being exposed online in a classist way alongside the disdain that we can help but notice the key differences between the old and modern age.

> "The history of old money versus new money."

The ability to build and maintain generational wealth is impossible to separate from the reality of how that wealth is obtained in the first place. ‘Old money’ doesn’t mean the money is "old," it accounts for the money that had generations of uninterrupted time, institutional support and legal protection to grow, a combination not universally available.

Ultimately this comes from the fact that there is a disparity in people of colour (POC) not having generational wealth; rooted in the history of legal, systematic and economical exclusions that prevented families from acquiring and growing real estate and business capital assets over generations. The racial wealth gap in the UK and US is a direct impact of the restrictive covenants, discriminatory lending, and unequal access to education POC had.

So when first, second or even third-generation families are told to cultivate an ‘old money’ look, the framing assumes something false, that anyone could get there. Three generations isn’t enough to build what took other families hundreds of years thanks to a system actively working in their favour. The style and aesthetic sells the appearance of time, whilst ignoring that the time was never distributed equally.

In today's society, individuals may dress this way without assuming the background or nature of the style. Dressing understated and having a capsule wardrobe do not have to be synonymous with the term ‘old money.’

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