History Main / SimpleYetOpulent

** In that same book, Vimes notes that really good boots cost a lot, but it's mainly so that they last far longer than low-cost boots (which Vimes prefers anyway), rather than the boots being obviously fancy. Over the ten years, a good pair of boots will last someone who buys cheap boots will not only have spent twice as much money thanks to the frequent replacements, he ''would still have wet feet'' because they wear out so fast. In the same vein, he calculates that Sybil's day-to-day expenses living in a mansion are about half what his are living in the Watch barracks (not counting servant salaries), simply because things her ancestors bought are still perfectly good.
** The Assassins' Guild all wear black silk but avoid jewelry and other overly flashy things that would make them more noticeable. (Granted, the black outfits themselves are still [[HighlyVisibleNinja not invisible]], but being able to identify Assassins is part of how they operate, so that's all right.[[note]]One of their rules is the "victim" must be given a chance. Otherwise, they would devolve to sitting in a room all day with a crossbow pointed at the door, wondering if their next visitor is "the one"....[[note]] Being able to ''hear'' Assassins before they inhume you is ''not''.)

** The Assassins' Guild all wear black silk but avoid jewelry and other overly flashy things that would make them more noticeable. (Granted, the black outfits themselves are still [[HighlyVisibleNinja not invisible]], but being able to identify Assassins is part of how they operate, so that's all right. Being able to ''hear'' Assassins before they inhume you is ''not''.)
* ''{{Literature/Drenai}}'': Chareos' sabre is the work of one of the best swordsmiths in existence, costs more than a good horse, and is perfectly balanced and insanely durable. However, the furniture is completely unremarkable, with no decoration whatsoever. The smith in question explains that he puts the fancy hilts on his apprentice's work and sells them to people who don't know swords and are just interested in the brand name, as it were, and sells his own blades in plain fittings to people who actually know and intend to use his swords, and to whom gilt and jewels would just be a hindrance.

*** Much of prestigious European fashion of the 16th and 17th century consisted of black garments and white lace collars and cuffs. It looks repetitive to us today when we look at period paintings, but the amount of wealth required to maintain and replace those was significant and obvious to a contemporary. The price tag on some of these clothes is especially visible on Dutch portraits with their intricate rendering on the embroidery (black on black, of course) and other subtle decorations: despite being humble Protestants, they were also a thriving merchant republic and enjoyed showing it off.

When something costs a lot of money, but doesn't bling itself out. It might appear plain, but upon close inspection is made with high-quality materials and expert workmanship. On the other hand, it could be something that is clearly expensive ([[ValuesDissonance or at least clear to people at the time]]), but still doesn't overload itself with bells and whistles. It's still ConspicuousConsumption, but not "in your face" conspicuous.

** Captain Shunsui Kyouraku is an AgentPeacock in a gaudy, cheap floral kimono. His plain hairpins, however, are precious heirlooms from his [[spoiler:Lieutenant's]] family, and are one subtle hint of the HiddenDepths beneath his [[BewareTheNiceOnes friendly demeanour]].

* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': In both the first opening, and an ImagineSpot, Lina is wearing a simple-looking frilly dress.

* ''Fanfic/SugarPlums'': In this ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fic it explains that the quality of a ninja's clothing is this based on the amount of kakri content, which is chakra receptive cloth. Civilian clothing will only have at most ten percent kakri mixed in with other textiles because it makes it sturdier and easier to clean. Shinobi clothing as a standard has about thirty to fifty percent making it very sturdy and resistant to damage in casual ninja combat. Any shinobi who uses full transformation techniques HAVE to wear clothing made of a hundred percent kakri cloth otherwise it won't change form with them and they'd end up naked, said clothing is priced as the same cost of clothing a countries 'daimyo' would wear.

* ''Film/{{Charade}}'': Starred two icons famous for this style, Creator/AudreyHepburn and Creator/CaryGrant. The screen was practically saturated with Simple Yet Opulent.

*** Galadriel's gown in Lothlorien is pure white and deceptively simple, but sheathed in dripping gossamer lace.
*** Eowyn's gowns are often simple in design but richly colored, and decorated metallic/jeweled touches.

** Legolas’ two bows arguably fall into this trope. The one he brings from Mirkwood is simple but elegant in design, and decorated with gold engraving fashioned to look like ivy. The one he is given by Galadriel in Lothlorien is, upon first glace, made of plain wood and completely unadorned. Looking closer, the whole stave is intricately carved with entwining leaves and vines.
** Costume designer Ngila Dickson intentionally dressed Denethor in extremely lush fabrics and furs to convey his vanity, but limited his colors to blues, greys, and silvers.

* ''Film/Parasite2019'': The Park family keep premium-quality Hanwoo[[labelnote:*]](Which can match Wagyu beef for expense)[[/labelnote]] beef sirloin in the fridge but think nothing of adding it to instant noodles. Rather than a sign of discernment, it shows them to be {{Sheltered Aristocrat}}s who thoughtlessly throw money around.

* ''Film/WhatAGirlWants'': Daphne Reynolds' dress for the debutante ball - which she modified from its original design - is a simple, almost sheath-like gown in silvery-grey which leaves the right shoulder bare. Its lack of adornment and the fabric's weighty sheen instantly makes it stand out from the more ornate and heavily embellished gowns of her fellow debutantes.
* ''Film/WorkingGirl'': Tess's friend, Cynthia, is shocked that a dress would cost $6,000, despite not being made of obviously expensive things.

* ''{{Literature/Drenai}}'': Chareos' sabre is the work of one of the best swordsmiths in existence, cost more than a good horse, and is perfectly balanced and insanely durable. However, the furniture is completely unremarkable, with no decoration whatsoever. The smith in question explains that he puts the fancy hilts on his apprentice's work and sells them to people who don't know swords and are just interested in the brand name, as it were, and sells his own blades in plain fittings to people who actually know and intend to use his swords, and to whom gilt and jewels would just be a hindrance.

* ''Literature/DrGretaHelsing'': The billionnaire art historian Leonora Van Dorne typically wears tastefully understated yet tremendously expensive designer clothes, accented with a single piece of authentic, ''priceless'' {{Ancient Egypt}}ian jewellery.

** Years later, Lady Yee and her daughter attend a major diplomatic soiree. Although the narrative recently called her the wealthiest Chinese woman in the Americas, her dress is remarkably low key compared to the other attendees:
--> "Some senior diplomats of the old imperial school sported cocked hats and egret feathers, but those of the highest rank, and therefore beyond all common comparison, were inevitably plumed in black swallowtail coats, starched white linens, satin cravats, gold and jeweled appointments, long evening capes, and tall silk hats."
--> "Lady Yee, on the other hand, being a mother and a widow, was modestly but elegantly gowned in cobalt-blue satin, very subtly embroidered with flying cranes picked out with silver thread. She wore full-length white kid gloves, and a silver shawl made of the finest Chinese silk, edged in freshwater seed pearls the color of malachite."

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': Discussed in the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. When Imperial Intelligence agent Kirtan Loor visits the director's office, it strikes him as spacious, but he finds the decorations almost ridiculously spartan, and wonders why it isn't filled with expensive, intimidating artifacts. Then it occurs to him: on a CityPlanet, being able to afford that amount of space and not use it is the height of conspicuous consumption.
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'': Solon in ''One Good Knight'' is in love with this trope. His "simple wool and linen" clothing is actually fine lambswool and silk, his plain furniture was custom-made to his exact measure, the mattress on his bed is softer than it looks.

* ''[[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dolley/ Dolley Madison: America’s First Lady]]'': At Washington DC’s first ever inaugural ball, Dolley Madison wore an off-white gown made of fine velvet, which was in line with her upbringing as a Quaker (expensive fabrics like silk and velvet were perfectly acceptable, but bright colors and ornamentation were strongly discouraged).

** When dispatching Brienne of Tarth to locate the Stark girls, Jaime Lannister gifts her a new suit of armor. While almost entirely devoid of ornamentation, the highly quality workmanship is clear, and it was actually made to her measurements (unlike her previous armor, which was largely assembled piecemeal to accommodate both her unusual height and feminine physique).

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Expensive equipment is generally either understated or over-the-top, since most of the value lies in rare materials and enchantments. For example, a Robe of the Archmagi is a simple white, grey, or black garment with [[CloakOfDefense defensive spells]] worth nearly a ''ton'' of gold.

* Seems to be a big theme in the ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' series: All of the live-action (and sometimes CGI) characters seen in the games wear clothing that are very detailed. For example: Atrus wears a frocked coat at times, and even his normal clothing is very high-class. Same with his wife Catherine (Katran), who is best known for wearing a red-colored, different kind of coat with embroidery, over a simple blouse-like dress. Their sons, Sirrus and Achenar, were later retconned to wear clothing that would not look out-of-place at an aristocratic ball. Atrus' father, Gehn, is probably the biggest offender, as he is best know for wearing a simplistic military coat, but is decked out with all sorts of trim and details, without being too flashy. Even in the future games, Yeesha, Atrus and Catherine's future daughter, wears an overall-vest and skirt combo with leafy embroidery, and boots. In Myst V, Esher dresses in a simple burlap-like suit, but has a decorative belt, red scarves, and a loincloth in gold and blue.

* On ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rarity manages to do such a thing ''accidentally'' when she is working on a dress for Twilight Sparkle's birthday in Canterlot, but keeps getting distracted by hanging out with the Canterlot elite. In the end she procrastinates so much she barely gets past the first step in making it, only managing to produce a simple featureless yellow dress with white trim and a pink ribbon. However what she ''did'' make is still made to the highest quality possible and of the finest materials, and Twilight absolutely adores it ''because'' it is so simple and practical.

* In Pre-modern Europe, simply wearing clothes that had colors other than those natural to a textile (e.g. brown and gray and most especially off-white) was a sign of wealth, and wearing bright colors even more so. It's why colors known by such names as "Royal Blue" and "Royal Purple" exist. This is because until the advance of chemical industry and the invention of artificial dyes, permanent dyes in certain bright colors were extremely difficult to produce from natural sources. Only the most extremely wealthy and/or powerful could afford them.

** Royal crimson was generally made with the bodies of various insects. Large amounts of laboriously-collected bugs would be needed to make even a small amount of dye, so even the cheapest forms--produced from the ''Kermes'' scale insects that can be found on many oaks--were still prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of the population. If you wanted the best stuff, you had to import it from Poland or Armenia--until a new species was discovered in Mexico, where it fortunately grew in large enough quantities to reduce the price to the point that (for instance) it could be used for the uniforms of non-commissioned officers in the British Army (usually mixed with cheaper plant dyes).

* ''FanFic/SugarPlums'': In this ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fic it explains that the quality of a ninja's clothing is this based on the amount of kakri content, which is chakra receptive cloth. Civilian clothing will only have at most ten percent kakri mixed in with other textiles because it makes it sturdier and easier to clean. Shinobi clothing as a standard has about thirty to fifty percent making it very sturdy and resistant to damage in casual ninja combat. Any shinobi who uses full transformation techniques HAVE to wear clothing made of a hundred percent kakri cloth otherwise it won't change form with them and they'd end up naked, said clothing is priced as the same cost of clothing a countries 'daimyo' would wear.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In the ''Fanfic/WilhuffTarkinHeroOfTheRebellion'' it's noted that both count Dooku and pre-Clone Wars Tarkin preferred this style: at a reception for Dooku's state visit on Eriadu, they wear respectively simple and plain clothes and a reservist military uniform (plus Tarkin's robes of office as the Seswenna sector governor), only made of rather expensive materials and lined with [[TwentyFourHourArmor armorweave]].
* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': In the fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7548181 Slithering,]]'' modern high-class wizard fashion is "polished and subtle and subdued, the expense and quality of the fabric and tailoring only visible to a [[OldMoney connoisseur]]". Fresh out of a highly classist wizarding war, Draco shoves it all to the back of the closet in favour of gleefully grandiose 18[[superscript:th]]-century garb.

** The Roman toga is a pretty simple design, a single roughly semicircular piece of wool, 12 to 20 feet long and up to 8 wide. In pre-industrial times it would be expensive for the sheer amount of material. However, it was essentially the national costume of the Roman people--or at least of Roman men--and so every (male) citizen was expected to have one--if not for daily wear, then at least to wear to the electoral assemblies, to court, and for special occasions. Because of the expense, citizens would therefore usually have only one toga, generally entirely off-white and on the smaller side, for wear to political and civic functions and formal occasions, rather like a modern business suit. Roman daily wear for all but the elite usually consisted of a much simpler linen or wool tunic (which could itself be worn under the toga). Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful usually had several togas, usually much larger (which allowed fancier drapery), and were frequently entitled to add cool decorations like...erm...a purple border (for the curule magistrates) and...ah...being bleached dazzling white with chalk (for candidates for public office), and...urgh....being dyed all black (for fancy funerals).

** The Roman toga is a pretty simple design, a single roughly semicircular piece of wool, 12 to 20 feet long and up to 8 wide. In pre-industrial times it would be expensive for the sheer amount of material.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': When Tim's father remarries his bride Dana, who is normally only seen in workout clothes, she wears a strapless white floor-length a-line dress with a long-tailed silk bow in the back accessorized with short bridal gauntlets and a veiled hammered silver tiara.

-->-- '''Cynthia''', ''Film/WorkingGirl'' [[note]]Which came out in 1988, so that comes out to about $14,000 in 2021 dollars--or to provide a more consistent reference point, this is a dress that costs about the same as a very cheap new car, or a rather expensive used one.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13545968/1/Wilhuff-Tarkin-Hero-of-the-Rebellion Wilhuff Tarkin, Hero of the Rebellion,]]'' it's noted that both count Dooku and pre-Clone Wars Tarkin preferred this style: at a reception for Dooku's state visit on Eriadu, they wear respectively simple and plain clothes and a reservist military uniform (plus Tarkin's robes of office as the Seswenna sector governor), only made of rather expensive materials and lined with [[TwentyFourHourArmor armorweave]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': In both the first opening, and an ImagineSpot, Lina is wearing a simple-looking frilly dress.

* ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'': Katrina wears a blue dress "of a simple cut" when she marries Roran, but the dress is accessorized by a lace train 20 feet long.

** ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'': The society of Calormen is much more stratified than Narnia, and this is reflected in their respective clothing: The attire worn by the Narnian embassy to Tashbaan - including King Edmund - is shockingly simple when compared to the lavish silks, jewels, and armor worn by the Calormene ruling class, yet it far outshines the dusty, bland clothing worn by commoners.

* ''The Silver Lotus'': Seen when the main protagonist, Lady Yee, and her daughter attend a party hosted as a major diplomatic event. Although the narrative recently called her the wealthiest Chinese woman in the Americas, her dress is remarkably low key compared to the other attendees:

** With his gaudy floral kimono, the AgentPeacock Captain Shunsui Kyouraku doesn't look like the type to invoke this trope; however, his simple, understated hairpins are actually precious heirlooms from his [[spoiler:Lieutenant's]] family. They're one subtle hint of the HiddenDepths beneath his [[BewareTheNiceOnes friendly demeanour]].

* ''Literature/DrGretaHelsing'': Leonora Van Dorne typically wears tastefully understated yet tremendously expensive designer clothes, accented with a single piece of authentic, ''priceless'' {{Ancient Egypt}}ian jewellery.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Expensive equipment is generally either understated or over-the-top, since most of the value lies in rare materials and enchantments. For example, a Good-aligned Robe of the Archmagi is a simple white garment with [[CloakOfDefense defensive enchantments]] worth nearly a ''ton'' of gold.

-->-- '''Cynthia''', ''Film/WorkingGirl'' [[note]]Which came out in 1988, so that comes out to about $14,000 in 2021 dollars--or to provide a more consistent reference point, about the same as a very cheap new car or a rather expensive used one.[[/note]]

* ''Art/TheLadyOfShalottWaterhouse'': The Lady's white dress is laced and has golden embroideries on the sleeves. The laced details are subtle and meant to not stand out. Yet, the texture of the cloth and the golden threads speak of high-quality material.