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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Chloe Mac Donnell

Billionaire chic: the meaning of Gwyneth Paltrow’s court wardrobe

Gwyneth PaltrowActor Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Doctors and family members are beginning to testify on the second day of trial in Utah, where Gwyneth Paltrow is accused of crashing into a skier at Deer Valley Resort, leaving him concussed and with four broken ribs. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Paltrow dons a belted Bennett cardigan from her G label by Goop in the courtroom in Park City, Utah, on 22 March. Photograph: Rick Bowmer/AP

On Tuesday, Gwyneth Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actor turned wellness advocate, appeared in a Utah court over a collision at a ski resort in 2016. Photographs of Paltrow sitting next to her defence lawyers, wearing a simple cream knitted jumper, her honey-coloured hair loose, makeup pared back, quickly went viral.

Paltrow’s high-necked jumper appears to be from the Italian luxury brand Loro Piana. Nicknamed “Uniqlo for billionaires” by fashion insiders, it specialises in cashmere, with Paltrow’s Parksville turtleneck priced at £1,220 online.

Paltrow leaves the courtroom on 21 March wearing a moss-green wool coat from US brand The Row.
Paltrow leaves the courtroom on 21 March wearing a moss-green wool coat from US brand The Row. Photograph: Mega/GC Images

For the second day of her trial, Paltrow was pictured in another cream knit, this time from her own brand, G Label by Goop, which sells for a tad under £500. Then she appeared in a moss green wool coat from the US brand The Row (£3,900), black lug-soled boots from Prada (£1,150) and G Label by Goop gold chain jewellery.

Paltrow’s court wardrobe reflects a wider trend for stealth wealth – clothes that murmur rather than loudly declare their value. Free from garish logos, colourways and patterns, these pieces are redolent of a new low-key luxury.

“These brands are easily recognised by members of their tribe,” says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a research group in New York. “The wearer makes a statement without having to try to make a statement. Everyone who should know, knows.’

Paltrow enters the courtroom wearing a dark navy skirt paired with a cashmere-collared button-down.
Paltrow enters the courtroom wearing a dark navy skirt paired with a cashmere-collared button-down. Photograph: Rick Bowmer/EPA

Loro Piana has become somewhat of a market leader for this quiet luxury aesthetic. It’s worn by real life billionaires (Rishi Sunak, a near billionaire, is said to be a fan) and scions of on-screen billionaires. In this week’s opening episode of season four of the HBO drama Succession, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) wore a custom-made suede jacket from the Italian heritage brand. Kendall’s ascetic boardroom style is the antithesis of his social-climbing brother-in-law Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), known for his chinos and puffy Moncler vest. Michelle Matland, the show’s costume designer, previously described Tom’s style as “being like a peacock. He goes to the obvious stores and his motto is: ‘If it’s expensive, it’s good’,” says Matland. “And if you can see that price tag, even better … Kendall was bred to know the difference and Tom is just walking into it.”

By contrast, Paltrow’s court wardrobe has an old money feel. Its soft power dressing is more reminiscent of Succession’s Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook). In choosing to not wear something more formal – remember Rebekah Vardy’s rotation of power suits and designer handbags for her libel case last year? – Paltrow implies she is so wealthy she doesn’t need to overstress about the lawsuit, and she doesn’t care who knows it.

Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom after a lunch break during her ski crash trial, in Park City, Utah.
‘Her grey blazer and matching trousers were oversized and slouchy.’ Photograph: Reuters

The non-threatening aesthetic also jars with the allegation – which Paltrow denies – that she injured another skier and then blithely skied away. Even the more tailored pieces she has chosen have a benign appeal. Her grey blazer and matching trousers were oversized and slouchy, softened further by pairing with a thin ribbed knitted top instead of a standard shirt, while a longer-length black skirt was paired with a cashmere-collared button-down.

Gwyneth Paltrow wears a £1,220 Loro Piano cream turtleneck during a hearing on 21 March.
Gwyneth Paltrow wears a £1,220 Loro Piano cream turtleneck during a hearing on 21 March. Photograph: AP

And we’ve seen the informal look before. It’s Paltrow’s go-to when she takes to Instagram to promote her favourite depuffing eye mask or sex-boosting supplement. It’s the type of thing you can imagine she would wear to the farmer’s market to pick up ingredients for a midweek (macrobiotic) family supper. Familiar, gentle and approachable, it says: “Yes, I’m a multimillionaire A-lister who skis at an expensive resort”, but also: “I’m a mom who enjoys bashing the slopes with my kids at the weekend.” Knitwear and lug-soled footwear are relatable, especially to a Colorado-based jury.

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