What Is Luxury?
“Luxury is a necessity that begins where a necessity ends” -- Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
What is Luxury?
“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury”. -- Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
Luxury is a term that can mean different things to different people; therefore there are multitudes of ways to describe it. It is, as a whole superfluous, based on the attainment of desires and is not considered to be a need. According to Christopher Berry luxury is “an expenditure that goes beyond what is necessity” (Berry 1994). It revolves around the concept of aspiration, objects / things that people aspire to have. However, over time the ideals of luxury have changed drastically. Luxury was first only reserved for the monarchy and aristocracy and revolved around lavish parties, golden plates, large palaces, caviar, champagne, and servants (Leadbeater 2008). The first notions of luxury began with the French monarchy living lavish lives of luxury, which set the standards for luxury, being reserved only to a selected few.
In our current day and age, the term luxury has been over used to the point that its meaning has diminished and people are no longer able to decipher what luxury is (Paul Smith 2011). Luxury has become less differential, more emotionally driven, and self-obsessed, making it less about the traditions of the aristocracy and more about how we define ourselves (Leadbeater 2008). “Luxury is a pleasure out of the ordinary” (Paul Smith 2011) that are built on desires. These desires are created by celebrities who play an influential role, in the luxury society today. In present day, the main role of luxury is to portray status in society and convey power. Luxury has become a mask, where one can create the persona they wish to expose to others.
Luxury goods are defined as an “association with a compelling and binding meaning in terms of emotional connectivity, personal harmony, a connection to the world of the inherently beautiful” (Karra
What is Luxury?
“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury”. -- Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
Luxury is a term that can mean different things to different people; therefore there are multitudes of ways to describe it. It is, as a whole superfluous, based on the attainment of desires and is not considered to be a need. According to Christopher Berry luxury is “an expenditure that goes beyond what is necessity” (Berry 1994). It revolves around the concept of aspiration, objects / things that people aspire to have. However, over time the ideals of luxury have changed drastically. Luxury was first only reserved for the monarchy and aristocracy and revolved around lavish parties, golden plates, large palaces, caviar, champagne, and servants (Leadbeater 2008). The first notions of luxury began with the French monarchy living lavish lives of luxury, which set the standards for luxury, being reserved only to a selected few.
In our current day and age, the term luxury has been over used to the point that its meaning has diminished and people are no longer able to decipher what luxury is (Paul Smith 2011). Luxury has become less differential, more emotionally driven, and self-obsessed, making it less about the traditions of the aristocracy and more about how we define ourselves (Leadbeater 2008). “Luxury is a pleasure out of the ordinary” (Paul Smith 2011) that are built on desires. These desires are created by celebrities who play an influential role, in the luxury society today. In present day, the main role of luxury is to portray status in society and convey power. Luxury has become a mask, where one can create the persona they wish to expose to others.
Luxury goods are defined as an “association with a compelling and binding meaning in terms of emotional connectivity, personal harmony, a connection to the world of the inherently beautiful” (Karra
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