Status Symbols In The Time Of Quarantine

I can’t have had enough to do, because last month I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about a pair of £800 sandals and a bag that costs £2,500. They would transform my wardrobe! They would add a frisson of newness to the pieces I already owned! I would wear them to death – promise!

And then – boom! – lockdown. As the doors shut, I also felt an emotional and aesthetic shutting off. The pieces that I had lusted over with all the devotion of a teenage fan were no less desirable, but appeared to have lost much of their relevance in the moment. I live on my own, and you can be sure they would spark a lot of joy, but with nobody else to see them and nowhere to wear them, I knew I could prolong the gulp of the ‘add to basket’ commitment for a little while longer. Add to that the fact that shopping suddenly became something of a moral conundrum and I was lost. That moment of pause made me begin to question whether style status symbols had now lost their meaning.

Yes, I love (love!) these pieces, but – full disclosure – they also signify a certain level of status that only adds to their appeal. Pieces such as these nod and wink to those in the know; they allow the observer to make assumptions about a) my bank balance and b) my taste level. They fill in the gaps. I feel uneasy admitting to this of course, it suggests gross immaturity and insecurity, but I know I’m not the only one. We mock rappers and footballers for their outrageously opulent homes, but fashion people are just as guilty of the same behaviour.

It’s tempting to believe that style status symbols had suddenly lost all relevance in lockdown life, but a few days on Zoom/Houseparty/FaceTime/Instagram (my screen time is, frankly, obscene right now) suggested that they hadn’t disappeared, they had simply shapeshifted. Never before have we had access to each other’s private spaces in quite the same way. We see our colleagues taking meetings in their living rooms; we see our friends baking in their kitchens; we see celebrities bemoaning the boredom of isolation from their pool houses.

And so, it turns out that style status symbols have simply morphed to fill the nooks and crannies of this new reality. Luxury blankets, designer bathrobes, posh mugs, cashmere tracksuits, tasteful paintings, bells-and-whistles coffee machines and candles so expensive you might not want to burn them, have all filled the space currently left vacant by ‘It’ bags, shoes and dresses. For bragging rights alone, they might even be more powerful than their pre-cursors: 'Look how much taste I have even behind closed doors!' they seem to cry_._ I’m betting I’m not the only one who now has a carefully curated, tasteful screen time-ready corner of my flat in which to sit (art, plants, expensive candle and very exclusive, very tasteful hotel ashtray all very much in view).

So, yes, I’ve bought into this, I admit it. But recognising it makes me feel uncomfortable, particularly given the current climate when, it goes without saying, there are more important things to worry about than which designer leggings I might wear today. There have been attempts to cajole us into thinking that coronavirus is a great equaliser. I’d bet you my Bottega collection that it’s rich people making that argument. It’s frankly insulting to suggest that this pandemic has been some sort of social leveler. If anything, it has only served to heighten the vast chasms between the haves and the have-nots in our society. Perhaps the ultimate status symbol right now is having a garden. What a glorious gift that is when you’re indefinitely grounded! In this fight, not everyone began at the same starting line. In some parts of the world, access to healthcare is depressingly a status symbol in its own right.

Personally, I’ll be taking my style epiphany as a jumping off point to think bigger, and be better. Ultimately you have to think beyond your immediate domain, be that a bedsit or a compound. If ever there was a time for bigger picture thinking, it’s now. For those of us not on the front line, this time affords an opportunity to get back in touch with our taste on our own terms. That’s not mutually exclusive from loving and enjoying beautiful objects, I am a passionate advocate for the joy-giving, energy-boosting credentials of great design. As a fashion editor I am not saying that you shouldn’t allow yourself to indulge in the little luxuries that make life a little easier and more stylish, now more than ever. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get through this. But it’s important to remember that drinking your coffee out a nice mug is a privilege – and if that’s the biggest thing you’ve got to worry about, you’re one of the lucky ones.

SHOP: Luxuries To Brighten Your Lockdown Space