Possible Explanation for the Price Increases!

You should try to read Deluxe - How Luxury is Losing its Luster by Dana Thomas. It came out last week and is being widely quoted in the media. She gives a pretty thorough overview of the luxury goods business: histories, craftsmanship, pricing, marketing, counterfeits. I'm about half-way through at the moment and it's an interesting and thought provoking read.