The rift between old and new money in the 1920s is one that most everyone is familiar with — it’s omnipresent in relics of the time. The literature, the first films, paintings, poems, historical documents… It’s everywhere, a period ingrained in everyone’s knowledge, even those who don’t find history a fascinating subject and those who aren’t familiar with how it consistently repeats itself.

Expectedly, it has also made its way into the 20s of this century, with the so-called “old money aesthetic” taking over social media platforms and styling tips to pass as people with generational wealth. Sweaters draped over polo-covered shoulders, well-fitted blazers, Oxford shirts… The style that once felt reserved for those who had not only wealth but generational wealth and the comfort to spend hours on golf and tennis courts.

As the 21st century reaches its first quarter, the return of this style into mainstream fashion doesn’t feel like a coincidence. While it’s less of a class-driven phenomenon and more of a generational wealth cosplay, it is interesting to think about the style’s aptly timed internet takeover.

While today’s “old money” differs from that of a century ago, the sentiment remains intact. There seems to be some comfort in the idea of playing a character that has vast amounts of money while the economic state of the world takes effect and younger generations face the worst of it. Evoking mid-20th-century elites through a dress style almost creates a semblance of control, taking a timeless style and bringing it forth in a time of global need for encouragement and a morale boost.

Alongside the aesthetic, the old money trends seem to bring back a yearning for clothing that’s classic and long-lasting. In a world of fleeting trends and fast, low-quality fashion items that fall apart within a year, the idea of a steady style that remains fashionable no matter the era and high-quality items that don’t need to be replaced on a regular basis provides a comforting baseline. The fact that the look itself feels timeless, regardless of what disaster the world is dealing with, is an added bonus.

Why right now, though? Is it history repeating itself and emphasizing the idea of having excessive funds in everyday expression, or perhaps nostalgia for a time in which the West seemed more stable and sure of where it’s going?

From a worldwide pandemic to globally crumbling economies to atrocious attacks funded by Western tax money, normalcy seems out of reach for the currently growing generations. A craving for less change within fashion may seem insignificant, but ultimately, we all face fashion every day. It’s ingrained into society, into every purchase of clothing we make, and into our personal style. A provenly functional and stylish rebellion from ever-changing trends may just be the safety that it’s common to crave in today’s chaos.

That stability may not be the only reason to revert to this classic style, though — after several years of being shut indoors while COVID-19 tore its way through the world (although it may seem like it was a million years ago at this point in time), the concept of dressing up just to dress up, on your own volition, becomes a pleasant one. Something to look forward to.

In some cases, it also seems like satire — dressing rich in a world that seems determined to keep this one particular generation as far from it as possible. Despite the widespread love for the style, there’s a sense of irony to choosing it in the day-to-day, yet it remains superior to the “style” consisting of black t-shirts and sweatpants worn by today’s so-called elite.

The “old money,” regarded as the real money a century ago, stylistically differs from today’s 1% immensely. To cosplay today’s elite would be no different from wearing day-to-day loungewear, perhaps too reminiscent of the years spent sporting the same style while unable to leave the house. The real money of days past allows for leeway in how it presents itself, with clothing and carefully selected accessories creating an opportunity to experience part of it, while the collective feeling is that the wealth at its core will be unattainable for most of us in this lifetime.

Ultimately, today’s fascination with 20th-century “old money” isn’t one that can simply be shoved under the carpet. From a nostalgia for days most have never experienced to a yearning for some kind of stability in an increasingly unstable world and a love for the classic, it seems omnipresent, stemming from a desire for something known and dependable. The use of style to satisfy the craving for something known may seem trivial, but, again, it’s one of the few aspects we are all faced with on a daily basis. Making it into an expression of balance and security so universally craved at this point in time is arguably the best thing to be done with a style so timeless that no trend forecast can erase it.