It’s hard to put a positive spin on the cost of living crisis. Good luck serving a $12 carton of eggs sunny side up.

But here’s some good news for the cash-strapped and budget-minded among us: You might feel like you’re wasting your life price-matching dented cans between vampiric supermarket duopolies, but friends, your turmoil couldn’t be chicer. You see, my fellow credit-crunched critters, being broke is in.

Cosplaying working class has become the newest fashion trend.Credit: AP

I should pause to specify I don’t mean actually struggling. No one wants to hear your anxiety about the cost of filling up your car (or, more realistically, your myki card). No, being properly poor sadly remains demode. What we want this season is the illusion of struggle. The eau de toilette of fiscal stress, not the full-on perfume.

The signs that “rich” is out have been with us for a while via phrases like “stealth wealth” and “quiet luxury”, which dictate that less is more. But also, less still needs to cost as much as possible.

Clothing and accessories should be muted, subtle, tasteful to the point of invisibility. When designer Phoebe Philo presented her long-awaited return collection in 2023 it was lauded for its refined opulence.

Philo had already made a career out of her inconspicuous good taste at Celine and Chloe, so fans couldn’t wait to see just how discreet she could be. The designs didn’t disappoint. One particular favourite was a modest oversized leather tote bag that immediately sold out. You’d never guess it cost over $8000. Which was, of course, the whole point.

Last year’s global “nepo baby” reckoning also announced that it was officially uncool to come from wealth. Second (and third) generation It Girls and Boys fell over themselves to denounce their high-society blue blood. Forget mum’s Oscar, personal struggle was the hottest trend.

“If somebody’s mom or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, ‘Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor,’” downplayed actor Lily Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny. Not mentioned was the fact her dad once bought an island in the Bahamas so he and his family had somewhere to go and feel “normal”.