“Old money,” “steal wealth,” and “quiet luxury” are all buzzwords floating around right now. People are looking for a way to tap into these aesthetics, but many of them are looking right past the women who have already been doing it for decades: Upper East Side grandmothers. On a few recent scrolls through TikTok, I’ve noticed that this aesthetic is getting a lot of love, with fashion people piling on intentionally gaudy jewelry, oversize faux-fur coats, tweed jackets, and anything J.Crew.
In order to learn more about what an Upper East Side grandmother truly is, I tapped a local. Christina Grasso, creative director, told me, “I lived on the Upper East Side for years, and even still when I find myself Uptown, I love the way many older women dress and present themselves.” She also gave me a bit of a capsule wardrobe to get the look, mentioning “a long faux-fur coat, a good pair of black cigarette pants, a crisp white button-down shirt or black turtleneck, pearls, and ballet flats.” This honestly sounds like my kind of uniform, so I did some more digging and discovered a few pieces below that you must see if you’re interested in embracing this aesthetic.
The simplest way to describe an Upper East Side grandmother is a woman who pairs a tweed jacket and Birkin bag with classic denim.
She lives for neutrals but isn’t afraid of a pop of color, especially if that color is red. This outfit would definitely get her stamp of approval.
In her years of collecting fashion pieces and creating amazing outfits, she’s learned how to play with proportions. When it comes to her sense of style, expect the unexpected.
This is the twist on classic grandmother jewelry that she would buy into.
This first item on a UES grandmother shopping list has got to be a tweed jacket.
Comfort is key, so these sneakers are a must if you’re trying to get in on this aesthetic.
And how can I continue without mentioning her bag of choice?
The longer the skirt, the better.
Mary Janes and ballet flats might be the It buy for us right now, but she never stopped wearing them. A grandmother certainly does not have time for heels.
Saint Laurent designed the coat of her dreams, and I want in too.
Grandmothers love their pearls.
She’d look this chic going to bed, but she’d also make the most of her wardrobe by styling this shirt with every jacket in her closet.
This group chooses faux-fur coats in all shapes and styles. This one would be perfect for the holidays.
The New Yorker in her is never afraid to pull on a pair of jeans.
A good button-down shirt wins.
A dash of tweed is the vibe.
I need these pants in my life.
One of my English teachers was a grandmother, and she would wear a belt like this every single day.
These buttons are the perfect update on a classic tweed jacket.
This color is perfect.
Bring on all the fur.
Never be afraid of suede.
Or some pleats in your denim.
The blazer is a UES grandmother staple.
I’m in love with this colorway.
There are few new designers that are worth mentioning to her, but she’d be all ears about Toteme.
The trench coat she’s had since the ’80s still hasn’t gone out of style.
This is the kind of leather she could get behind.
This post was published at an earlier date and has been updated.
