Luxury Where Art Thou?!

 When did luxury lose its allure?! Ever wonder why everyone has a Downton Abbey crush. Why we watch old movies with such admiration and delight. The words grand, illusion, and extravagance come to mind… Blue bloods of the rich and royal distinguish themselves from the pack by owning pieces of land, antiques, and jewelry… All are the tip of the iceberg in association with luxury. I remember visiting Bentley’s of London, an antique boutique, and talking to the sales person about some pieces like a larger than life Louis Vuitton trunk previously owned by the wife of the American ambassador to Britain, and an innocent looking cane that can double as a petite leather chair! All of which are breathe-taking exquisite visual masterpieces pieces. Luxury literally means something inessential but conductive to pleasure and comfort, expensive or hard to obtain. We are living in a material world, and in that world we certainly need things that we don’t need to flatter ourselves… Living in the age of accessibility, we find that whenever a new trend is introduced on the catwalks of Paris, London, or Milan; all will be duplicated in all the high street franchises for not half but a quarter of the price! So luxury or ‘fake’ luxury can be bought cheap and by the dozen. Everyone nowadays has to own a wardrobe full of colorful brands, it’s no wonder that in every city you’ll find a row of the most expensive brands, Gucci, Prada, Hermes, Chanel, Burberry…etc. We have to keep in mind that all the brands’ merchandise are mass produced, over-priced, and ON everyone! It is no wonder that the crème de la crème of society opt for vintage and antiques. They want to acquire everything from haute couture gowns of the 50s to Louis XV chairs or desks that exude history and money. Maybe it’s not the luxury of the roaring 20s or the swinging 30s but it is a modern take on everything old and, for a lack of more fitting word, gold.