What is “quiet outdoor?” Is it (a) a Netflix horror miniseries set on a Norwegian archipelago, (b) a mindfulness app with bespoke “forest bathing” sound effects, or (c) the first new fashion trend of 2024?
The answer is c. Quiet outdoor is the newly minted meeting point of two of last year’s major lifestyle obsessions: quiet luxury, and the vogue for fresh-air wellness, which means hiking and wild swimming are now cooler than fancy spas and exclusive yoga studios. But even if you picked the wrong answer, you still got it right, in a way: it sounds so peak 2024 that, frankly, you could stamp the name on anything – film, app, knitwear brand – and everyone would be into it.
Anyway. For now, it’s a fashion trend. Quiet outdoor is clothes that do the practical stuff that outdoor clothes need to do – warmth, waterproofing, pockets etc – but do it while looking civilised. Clothes that are designed with utility in mind to be practical outdoors, but which don’t go so overboard that you look a bit out of place anywhere except yomping up a mountain. It is, in other words, thoughtfully designed, grown-up weekend clothes, that work not just for a cross-country walk but also for a treat pub lunch afterwards.
Quiet outdoor brings the sophistication of quiet luxury to the simple life. A private-jet taste level to a public-footpath lifestyle would be an obnoxious way of framing it, but really there’s nothing snobby about it, although “Shiv Roy on a coastal path” is quite an enjoyable reference.
Actually, I think quiet outdoor feels more inclusive than its predecessor in the world of cool outdoorsy stuff, gorpcore. Gorpcore was outdoor gear with a streetwear vibe. Gorpcore was bright colours, oversized silhouettes, everything self-consciously ungendered, with practical details exaggerated for effect – think neon hiking laces, obnoxious colour combinations, a shouty amount of reflective tape. Gorpcore was mundane and ironic at the same time.
It wasn’t for me. If I’m going for a walk I really don’t feel the need to wear a satsuma-coloured vintage kagoule from Tokyo to let people know I’m enjoying the outdoors but in a cool, tongue-in-cheek way. Call me basic: I just love a nice walk, and not in an ironic hipster way.
Quiet outdoor is easier to pull off. It is all about easy-to-wear neutral colours, for a start. Obviously, if you are doing the kind of outdoors stuff where you might need to be visible to a mountain rescue helicopter, then wearing banana yellow or lime green is probably sensible – I’m guessing here, I really wouldn’t know – but if you, like me, are more likely to be going on a circular walk where you follow the arrows on the gateposts, then I reckon we can probably risk wearing oatmeal.
Imagine if Farrow and Ball made weekend clothes, and you start to get the picture. It’s not harsh, aggressive all-black (too urban), but it’s not colourful, either. The shades are the muted ones of the natural world – sand, cloud, clod-of-earth-brown. It sounds trite to cite Farrow and Ball in the context of time spent outdoors, but this trend is connected to how time spent outdoors has become folded into the lifestyle space. The pandemic, and the time spent living under lockdown rules, fundamentally changed our relationship with the outdoors. And, yes, it’s a while ago now, but the shock and heightened emotion of that time has left its imprint on our psyche. Outdoor pursuits – hiking, walking, the ubiquitous wild swimming – are more high-profile than they have ever been. Time outdoors is precious time. And the precious times have always been the ones you get dressed up for.
Instead of bright colours for hi-vis, quiet outdoor leans into soft tones for a calm, easy-going mood. Rather than shiny, ultra-technical fabrics, the look is the soft sheen of a waxed coat, or the cosy nubble of a textured knit. Futuristic chunky trainers have been replaced by classic walking boots.
The first hot trend of 2024 is as simple as that. Quiet outdoor is a breath of fresh air.
Model: Charlotte Robinson at Milk. Hair and makeup: Carol Morley at Carol Hayes Management. Fleece top: Finisterre. Navy roll neck jumper: Marks and Spencer. White cords: Albaray. Hat: Gobi Cashmere
