Carolyn J. Braden • 4 Minute Read
How To Create a Mob Wife Aesthetic
The “mob wife” concept was first introduced to me in a college film class. We had to watch the movie Goodfellas to prep for a class discussion. Most of the concepts in the film weren’t foreign to me as my Italian side of the family has told me some crazy stories about their lives. The movie was pretty violent, but the fashion and attitudes definitely stood out.
My version of “mob wife” fashion
A member of my social media community sent me a “mob wife” trend video at the beginning of 2024 and I got right on creating my own version of it. I didn’t want to just recreate what I saw in the movies, but somehow bring the look, or the aesthetic, into modern times. Bringing this trend to life was fun and here’s how you can create your own “mob wife” aesthetic in your fashion routine and life this year and beyond.
See this look come together in my 7 second YouTube video below:
My dogs definitely wanted to a be a part of my look
If you’ve never seen the movie Goodfellas, it’s a 1990 biographical film created by Martin Scorsese based on the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. It’s considered a true crime best seller based on the crazy life of Henry Hill. There are drugs, violent murders, payoffs, FBI investigations and more. If you like true crime like my husband and I, either read the book or see the movie.
Mob wife portrait look
I once got into an argument with a really good friend of mine when I said some of my family’s stories were exactly like ones you are subjected to in Goodfellas. My friend did not believe me. Though I didn’t see the stories come to life in front of my eyes, there is no way they made them up.
John Travolta with a member of my distant family in the 1980’s
I saw photos of my family with celebrities (see the photo in this article of some of family hanging out with actor John Travolta at a football game…he towers over our very short Italian family). Fame and fortune is definitely a part of “mob” life.
John Travolta towering over my short Italian family
Jon Bon Jovi (his real last name is Bongiovi) is a very distant cousin of mine and there are photos of him with my extended family. I’ve never had the chance to meet him, but I wish I could because I think it would explain my creative side a bit more. He’s a singer/songwriter that has had a pretty impressive career. I dream to have success from my creative talents. I am on the right path, I believe, and some creative things I do are appreciated by my community, so that’s a good start.
A distant cousin of mine, John Bon Jovi
There was a definite divide at a family reunion I went to in the year 2000 where some of the family stayed way far away from our FBI related member of the family. I have no idea exactly why because no one talked about anything that went on, but you could feel the energy for sure.
My great grandfather looking very “mobster”
A photo of my great grandfather (see above) shows his extreme Italian side and looks like someone you’d see in “mobster” movie for sure. My friend just didn’t believe me about my family and maybe you don’t either, but unless you have family like mine, you may never understand.
I added many costume rings given to me by Italian family members
What is shown in true crime books and shows really does happen. I watch every episode of 20/20 and people can be extremely violent, Italian or not. My friend has a pretty basic family (which is totally fine…no family drama can be great!), so I still don’t think he believes me.
Mob wife look is very glam
In looking through old family photos and remembering the extravagantly big and luxurious fashion seen on women in Goodfellas (as well as in some of my actual family photos), I came up with my own modern version of the “mob wife” aesthetic.
First of all, there is a bit of an attitude that you have to begin with before getting dressed in the fashion. It’s an attitude that’s all about confidence. You cannot pull off this look without a lot of confidence. Either fake it or make it.
My editorial mob wife self portrait
To fake it or make it, start with this idea: I think the modern day “mob wife” may not be a wife at all. I see her as being a leader. She’s a leader in the business world, or a leader in her family. She may be a “he” or maybe not gender specific at all. I believe you can take gender out of “mob wife” and maybe just call it “mob attitude” or just a leader-like personality.
This personality type puts up with a lot from people, but knows how to squash the bull. They help others when needed, but have to see through those that are trying to take advantage of situations or aren’t truthful. The mob doesn’t like fibbers or people who are trying to take advantage of others. I don’t like those people either. Granted, someone doesn’t have to be stuffed into a trunk when they make mistakes in my eyes, but the movies and books will tell you otherwise.
Mob Wife 2024
We are creating an aesthetic here, which according to Oxford Languages and Google, it can be considered to be a set of principles that guide an artistic movement. The mob wife aesthetic is definitely a movement the world seems to be coming back to. I think it’s a movement of being social, being a leader, and going after what you want. I’m trying to put a new modern definition of what it could be by writing this article.
Even mob wives have to take a day to relax
After you figure out what you are a leader of (for me, I am growing and leading my own website creation/business concept) scour thrift stores, peddler’s malls, eBay and vintage shops to find the perfect faux fur coat. I also found a pretty faux fur on Walmart.com. Some of my family were OBSESSED with real furs and still are.
I was given several furs that belonged to my great grandmother and I gave them back to my grandmother several years ago. I am not a believer in using real fur in fashion and I do not see them to be important in our world anymore. Once upon a time, real fur was necessary for humans to keep warm, but it’s not in the modern world, so raising animals only for the use of their fur is ridiculous. Stepping off of my soapbox for now….
Carolyn Braden’s Mob Wife Aesthethic
I found the perfect vintage faux fur on eBay and then created a full “mob wife” aesthetic using many fashion items I already had. I found a black slip dress in my closet, added platform gold disco looking heels, fishnet tights, shiny and sparkly clunky necklaces big rings and gold cuff bracelets.
Minnie Pearl definitely has the mob wife look down! Oh…that stare!
In the movie Goodfellas, many of the hairstyles look as if the women slept in sponge rollers or had very curly perms. If you are interested in creating a super curly hairstyle like you’d see in the movie, use my video of how to use sponge rollers in my YouTube video below or via my channel @carolynjbraden:
I simply used a Remington curling wand to curl my hair for this look, as I wanted to update the 1980’s look from Goodfellas to the 2020’s. I added some shimmery green and brown eyeshadows, red lips, red nails and some contouring. I also added Ardell false lashes and black eyeliner.
Mob Wives are leaders
I wanted to bump up the glam, so I added a fur head warmer set I found on Temu for about $6. If you put discount pieces together in the right way, it can look “expensive”. “Mob wife” should look expensive, as the movies showcase money as the main reason for all their activity. The more the money, the happier they are (or are they?).
My dogs wanted to be a part of this mob wife look
To finish the look, I added some Gucci dupe sunglasses I found on Amazon years ago. I currently don’t spend a lot of money of sunglasses (except my Ray Bans…I do love some Ray Bans), and if you find the right “dupe” no one would know they were knockoffs of a designer brand.
Mob Wife Glam
I’m not condoning brands that copy designer’s products, but with the cost of designer brands, I understand why they do it. The average person cannot afford even a designer pair of socks, like these $320.00 Louis Vuitton socks.
When I put all my outfit together, my first thought was “I’m hot”, but it was mostly because I’m currently living in Southwest Florida on Sanibel Island, and the cool day I created my look was still in the upper 60’s. Then I thought, “Well….I do look pretty fab”. It was very glam, and though I don’t dress super glam all the time, it’s fun to do every once in a while, even if you have nowhere special to go.
Mob wife aesthetic includes faux furs
When you think you look good, you feel good and that can go really far. How you put yourself together can help you find confidence if you are in need of some. The look was a lot, but you can pick and choose to wear different pieces with different outfits.
We’ll be moving to north Georgia soon, and I know I’ll wear the coat there. It’s really fabulous! I already layer the black slip dress with other pieces and the fur head wrap will definitely come in handy in my future winter months.
Embracing my dogs wanting to be a part of the look
When I took the photos for my look, I wanted to do some editorial looking ones, and I suppose my dogs wanted to be a part of it. As I sat down to take some self-portraits, they rushed right into the camera shot, and I went with it. Sometimes you just have to go with whatever happens when creating a form of art.
If you are looking to create a “mob wife” aesthetic, use some of my ideas or come up with some of your own. If you want to wear a faux fur or red lips and aren’t brave enough, try it out at home for a while before taking it out into the world. People make fun of me and say mean thing to me online, but a lot of people also say really good things to me too. Either way, it doesn’t really matter.
What matters is trying. What matters is being your true self and if creating a “mob” wife aesthetic is where you start experimenting to find yourself, by all means, do so. Take the inspiration and run with it. Just try not to stuff anyone into a trunk while doing so.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.