Your dog-walking outfit? It’s the new ‘quiet outdoors’ look

Laura Craik

We’re into the last dregs of winter, and the only member of the family with any energy is the dog, which needs walking. You pull on your usual gear: nondescript cords, your old Asics trainers and a waterproof jacket that may or may not be from Millets. Congratulations: you have inadvertently become part of the “quiet outdoors” trend.

While you may think your outfit says nothing more than “I’m wearing the first available warm items I could find”, its very nonchalance and anonymity makes it a fashion statement. For “quiet outdoors” is the new “quiet luxury”, that pervasive (and divisive) 2023 trend that saw fashion lovers turn their back on ostentatious labels in favour of status symbols that were equally expensive, but so innominate as to only be recognisable by those in the know.

Beloved by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, it centred on brands such as Loro Piana, Khaite, Tove and The Row, and items that were luxurious of fabric (cashmere, silk) and neutral of hue (beige, taupe).

But what, exactly, is “quiet outdoors”? In essence, it takes the same principles of quiet luxury and applies them to outerwear, denuding items of logos and recasting them in neutral shades. It’s logo-free macs, technical trainers, waterproof trousers and gloves, scarves and thick-ribbed socks bought from Ellis Brigham or Decathlon.

Key labels may not be as expensive as Loro Piana or The Row, but they’re still at the pricier end of the outerwear scale: think Salomon, Arc’teryx, Patagonia and 66˚North.

But there are key differences between the quiet luxury and quiet outdoors trends. “The natural fabrics and colours synonymous with quiet luxury would not fare well on a squally fell walk, so the trends differ in palette and fabrication,” notes Alexandra Fullerton, stylist and editor of My3Words.co.

“‘Quiet outdoors’ has to be more inclusive of synthetic fabrics for practical reasons, but both are heavily reliant on an absence of logos and distinguishing features,” she adds. “The quiet luxury trend is the epitome of stealth wealth, and plays on insider knowledge of features like clasps, buckles and buttons, whereas ‘quiet outdoors’ relies more on actual fastenings such as zips, meaning there are inevitably more brand signifiers.”

If this all sounds like fashion’s latest spurious wheeze, hard evidence suggests the contrary. Since the pandemic, interest in nature-focused pursuits and activities has rocketed. A report conducted by McKinsey, on behalf of The Business of Fashion, found that nearly half of the survey’s UK respondents claimed to be spending more time outdoors.

That may help explain why the fashion industry is taking notice. In 2021, Gucci unveiled a collection with The North Face, a commercially successful partnership that paved the way for a slew of other luxury/ outdoors collaborations. Footwear, in particular, has proved fertile territory for teamwork, with notable unions between Balenciaga and barefoot shoemaker Vibram; Loewe and Swiss performance running shoe company On; and Moncler and trail shoe purveyor Hoka.

Other outdoors brands have also expanded their remit further into fashion. In 2022, the Icelandic outerwear label 66˚North installed a former Louis Vuitton staffer as its creative director, while legacy brands Merrell and Sorel have both moved their footwear far beyond function to embrace seasonal trends.

So who is adopting the look? “Quiet outdoors is made for couples walking up and down Broadway Market in Hackney buying oat flat whites and taking their mad lil whippet out wearing £3k to go for a walk,” notes @sockshousemeeting, the influential Instagram account run by an anonymous user who documents the minutiae of east London’s style tribes.

“It’s because a very large number of people have replaced boozing and pubs with climbing up Ben Nevis, and need certain clothes to fit the activity,” they added, when asked why so many city-dwellers are also adopting the look.

As for how to get the look, it pays to focus on understatement, and steer clear of flashier outerwear tropes such as neon piping or reflective fabrics. “Garment performance is key, but so is the minimalism of the look, so choose pared-back pieces in neutral colours, then build your outfit around a similar palette,” suggests Fullerton.

“Ask yourself if you could wear the

To make a fashion statement start by rifling through your wardrobe, suggests

‘Garment performance is key, but so is minimalism, so choose pared-back pieces’

item in the city, or only on a hike. If it can moonlight in the city, it’s a tick.”

Whatever your views on the trend, at least it’s achievable without having to break the bank. Thanks to high-street collections such as H&M’s Move, M&S’s Goodmove and Inditex’s Oysho, you don’t have to spend Salomon prices to look like an off-duty hiker. Better still, simply rifle through your own wardrobe: if it’s from Millets, Blacks or Mountain Warehouse, it’s a quiet cert.

Quietly does it: 66˚North, Arc’teryx and Salomon are three brands leading the way