Luxury

[cookierookie]

What does luxury mean to everyone? Where is the line between luxury and a fashion trend?

 

[dkan 168]

Real jewellery is a luxury, fake ones is a fashion trend.

DK

 

[Caitlin]

That was so good, it stopped me from thinking of anything else, for a few minutes, dkan.

The freshwater pearls of recent years are office wear, thus should be trendy, sometimes at least. A good Tahitian necklace is a luxury. A good metallic white is a bargain and passes for a luxury...

 

[Sea Urchin]

Interesting question. I don't know what retailers would say but to me, the main difference between fashion jewelry and luxury jewelry is probably just price. Maybe $500 dividing line.

I think of "trendy" as a bit separate, usually cheaper but not as a defining factor. More just something that will seem dated in a few years, as opposed to "classic," which won't. With a larger gray area in between trendy and classic, styles that change more slowly or subtly.

 

[cookierookie]

Love everyone's input! Interesting...I really would love to know more opinions and how people in general perceive luxury.

The same question has got me pondering for a very long time. Still pondering! It all started when I came across this quote by Costanza Pascolato (Vogue Brazil contributor) on Garance Dore's blog.

She said, "Luxury was something that was rare and expensive, but nowadays it's only expensive because it's not rare anymore." That really got me thinking...! Price definitely has something to do with luxury, but probably not all the time? Does price/money take center stage in an item we consider a luxury? It buys "beauty", "happiness", "admiration", all of which are not quantifiable...though the number of dollars is quantifiable.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I read this book a couple of years ago, found it really interesting: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. A thought-provoking read.

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-How-Luxury-Lost-Luster/dp/0143113704

People love to one-up each other, and the very wealthy are no different, but the farther up the luxury goods ladder one goes, the harder it becomes to find increasingly costly items to buy, with which to show off one's wealth. If you are competing with someone who owns a 100 foot yacht, it may be a challenge to find a larger one to buy.

I do not inhabit these lofty financial spheres, LOL. Luxury goods for me are those which are nicer than the comparable goods used/owned by the people I tend to move among. But as a stay-at-home mom, I don't have a large supply of cash for luxury goods. We are too busy saving for our daughter's college education, retirement etc.

To buy luxury goods, I need to "rob Peter to pay Paul." I may have nicer pearls than my neighbor (for example) but she is likely to have a nicer purse, or clothes, car or whatever.

I buy the things I like for my own pleasure, not to show off wealth...at least, not primarily to show off (I hope I'm not that shallow), but let's be honest, don't we all like a compliment? Don't we all love it when someone looks at our pearls and we see admiration in their eyes? Yeah, me too.

 

[dkan 168]

Some luxury items leave me stone cold, as all I could think of is "what is the point", like screw tops made from precious metals for the likes of Marmite, Coleman's English Mustard etc. etc...

I have very strong personal tastes, and am not easily influenced by fashion trends. I would pay for quality but not for a name, unless I like something very much, like the perfume I have worn for the past 20 years.

DK

 

[cookierookie]

Pearl dreams, I wouldn't buy something out of pressure to own something beautiful or one-up someone else, but you are right, buying luxury goods definitely is one way for the wealthy to further distinguish themselves from the rest of the population...in other words, setting their place in society by owning luxurious items. I absolutely love how you pointed out that you would buy things you like for your own pleasure, because money aside (whatever sum it is, what is big to me, might be small for someone else), the priceless aspect of luxury is the pleasure that is derived from possessing them and staring at them all day...sighhh...

Dkan, I also love that you pointed out the "what is the point" kind of luxury items...just because a piece of jewellery for example has 5 carats of diamonds and a huge pearl, it doesn't mean that it is necessarily beautiful. 5 carats of diamonds and a huge pearl might be worth something, but the figure 5ct does not explain the design, and therefore does not mean that the owner/wearer has taste. We've all seen pictures or actual jewellery that is really excessive, unnecessary and distasteful! and yes, I would definitely pay for quality over the name, that's why I love small scale designers/jewellers!

 

[Caitlin]

What about small luxuries? Like a high quality fair trade dark chocolate bar? Or a better than usual bottle of wine? How about the luxury of taking the time to do something good for yourself, like a long bath or reviving that hobby? Using time for yourself is a small luxury. I consider a massage a luxury. Or a pair of Tom's glitter shoes...

I may just be easy to please, though.

 

[cookierookie]

hmmm yes love massages! who doesn't?! Spas are definitely a luxury.

Would you consider freshadamas a luxury?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Really, anything that I don't strictly NEED is a luxury. And I have lots of things I don't need.

But perhaps that doesn't answer your question about Freshadamas (brand name) a.k.a. top quality/earring grade freshwater pearl strands. I have yet to see a single person in my area wearing high quality freshwater pearls-- so I think in my area, yes, they would be, relatively speaking. But perhaps in Greenwich, CT, they would not be-- maybe large round South Seas are a luxury there and freshwaters are ordinary.

 

[lisa c]

I think of Freshadamas as a luxury item. I think Luxury is something you don't need, of high quality, that enters the realm of pleasure.

What happens when the criteria changes? I didn't need Freshadamas or Metallics to survive before I met Pearl Guide. I still survive without them because I don't have the Ready, but I'm manipulating the elements in my world towards getting them.

So, as Caitlin stated so well, there are personal perceptions involved in Luxury.

 

[CLICLASP]

That's an interesting question.
I always stick to Karl Lagerfeld definition : "Luxury for the ones who know is luxury, and for the ones who don't know, it's beautiful".
You should say, what is beautiful? in a way I feel it as something that doesn't need explanation, a kind of "wow" effect. Often brought by authentic material.
Trend is adding meaning and speach to something that is not enough significant by itsef, it is the field of marketing.
But sometimes both are claiming for style and elegance, when Chanel started using jersey it was a plain material and she brought it to high fashion, maybe it is the sign of a genius to melt trend and luxury?
I would like your opinion on my opinions

 

[Happy Huku]

At this moment, I wish I had the luxury to sit quietly for an hour or so, compose my thoughts and add them to this thread!
Alas, I must be disciplined, tear myself away from my computer and have an early night as we have a busy day ahead tomorrow.
Maybe I'll have a spare hour over the Christmas break... now that would be one of those small luxuries!

 

[cookierookie]

That's an interesting question.
I always stick to Karl Lagerfeld definition : "Luxury for the ones who know is luxury, and for the ones who don't know, it's beautiful".
You should say, what is beautiful? in a way I feel it as something that doesn't need explanation, a kind of "wow" effect. Often brought by authentic material.
Trend is adding meaning and speach to something that is not enough significant by itsef, it is the field of marketing.
But sometimes both are claiming for style and elegance, when Chanel started using jersey it was a plain material and she brought it to high fashion, maybe it is the sign of a genius to melt trend and luxury?
I would like your opinion on my opinions

What Karl Lagerfeld said is deep! Luxury is always beautiful and tasteful. Opulence alone does not make something luxurious. I really like what you said about trends, they certainly do come and go -- but why? Is it because they lose their meaning over time? or because they become forgettable after some time? or something else comes along and creates a new wave, making its predecessor forgotten? Can a trend ever cross the line and become luxury?

With what Chanel did, was it a strategy to keep two sides of their business, being both luxury and fashion? Is that possible? :O So many questions...

At this moment, I wish I had the luxury to sit quietly for an hour or so, compose my thoughts and add them to this thread!
Alas, I must be disciplined, tear myself away from my computer and have an early night as we have a busy day ahead tomorrow.
Maybe I'll have a spare hour over the Christmas break... now that would be one of those small luxuries!

Good on you, Happy Huku! I can't stay away from the computer...I am weak!

 

[Caitlin]

Did anyone say this? If you need it, it is not a luxury; if you don't need it, it is a luxury.

Everyone loves a luxury and being able to indulge in luxuries from time to time is satisfying. The pursuit of luxury for itself, is vanity. People who compete for status via displays of luxury were aptly described by Thorstein Veblen as indulging in "conspicuous consumption". The popularity of pursuing such excesses rises and falls in cycles. Those not in a luxury-seeking cycle, tend to disdain excesses of luxury. The psychology of those living in a cycle of excess luxury is plain to those who aren't in one.

To own any pearls at all is a luxury. Thank goodness so many beautiful pearls are not expensive luxuries, but are an affordable beauty for so many more people than they ever were in centuries past. And thank goodness pearls are both trendy and classic! LOL!

 

[Caitlin]

PS. That book looks good if you want the low down on the trade in luxury. Luxury usually has a dark side.

I almost went into it a couple of posts ago, from an world-centric anthropological pov, but decided to spare you all -and keep it light. After all, this forum is based on the luxury trade in pearls!

In an age and place where many of us can still have hobbies, pearl collecting is at least as satisfying as bird watching- and you always have a couple of items you can pass on to someone where it will score big points.

 

[cookierookie]

PS. That book looks good if you want the low down on the trade in luxury. Luxury usually has a dark side.

I almost went into it a couple of posts ago, from an world-centric anthropological pov, but decided to spare you all -and keep it light. After all, this forum is based on the luxury trade in pearls!

In an age and place where many of us can still have hobbies, pearl collecting is at least as satisfying as bird watching- and you always have a couple of items you can pass on to someone where it will score big points.

Oh Caitlin! You can't just leave me hanging! What dark side? now you've just managed to intrigue me even more!