‘Mob wife’ is the latest in a long line of flash-in-the-pan micro trends or aesthetics that began life on TikTok: cheugy, coastal grandmother, tomato girl, coconut girl, coquette and quiet luxury being just some that have popped up in recent years.

It may or may not exist outside of a screen, in real life, but this latest trend with a catchy name is the opposite of quiet luxury. It’s unapologetically brash: leopard print, faux fur, gold jewellery, lip pencil, black leather, big sunglasses, body-hugging silhouettes, flashy bag. It’s sexy rather than subtle. The Sopranos’ Carmela Soprano and Adriana La Cerva are the nostalgic faces of this not-so-new look that coincidentally has taken over the internet ahead of the 25th anniversary of the show – something that the more cynical have questioned as being part of the marketing plan.

Is it a little problematic? There are absolutely layers to it – glorification of violence, cultural and class appropriation, not to mention the waste and churn of all these new TikTok ‘trends’. Rachel Tashjian nailed it in her Washington Post story about the look: “Much like the mob itself, the trend is rich with opulence – and, potentially, corruption,” she wrote. “Some women claim this is cultural appropriation, blithely lifting trends from Italian women (and who took at least some of their style notes from the label-conscious and gold-jewelled looks of Black women in the 1980s and 90s).”

Juliet Polcsa, who designed the original costumes on The Sopranos that have been inspiring this new version, shopped at New Jersey malls, but told Tashjian that the look – “nouveau riche, suburban New Jersey housewife” – is not about the clothing.

“It’s more about the attitude. It’s this fierceness. With Carmela, there was a strength and attitude that she had. She was not a wallflower. She was a strong woman. I think that appeals to people.”

The Sopranos matriarch has a New Zealand counterpart – our own stylised version of the ‘mob wife’.

The wardrobe of Cheryl West, played to perfection by Robyn Malcolm, offers a very local take on the trend – a low-key suburban glamour with attitude, and plenty of layered jewellery (and a push-up bra by her own brand, Hoochie Mama). She’s the mother and wife who’s setting her family on a straight path; instead of a faux fur leopard print coat, our version might be a leopard print robe.

I interviewed the show’s costume designer Katrina Hodge back in 2010, and she talked about the West Auckland influence on the characters’ costumes – the attitude rather than the specific garments.

“The 'Westie' culture meant a lot of things to me: it didn't just conjure up images of black jumpers, black jeans, black wraps and a packet of rollies in your back pocket, or tie-dye, lace and leather... although that does help in the West extended family!” she said. “The true essence lay in the proud way that these people wore their clothes.” Sound familiar?

Next year, it’ll be 20 years since Outrageous Fortune first aired. Expect plenty of nostalgia and reexamination of the show’s influence and legacy, from its storytelling to its style. For now, as the ‘mob wife’ discourse continues, here are our picks for making the look your own, here in Aotearoa.