what is luxury

ElaFanabela

ElaFanabela

Member
Nov 14, 2015
27
2
#1
why do you guys buy luxury?
and what is luxury? since it is not exclusive anymore...

sometime I just think to myself it is just a dress, or a bag ... why on earth does it cost so much - I could adopt and raise a child for this amount.
And yet ... the sense of excitement that comes with the purchases...

I suppose I like to have things different from the rest of population (die Zara, die ;) )
maybe it is because I define myself by what I wear, which I am not sure is right ...
 
#2
Luxury, for me, is buying the most expensive version of something that I possibly can and still be able to pay all the rest of my bills. That would be my luxury. Someone else's would, of course, be more or less $
 
#3
Luxury is a luxury. Not necessity. If you can afford luxury items and still have money in the bank and food on the table, great! Luxury is not for everyone. And it should not define a person. Me personally, I LOVE designer hand bags and shoes.. And expensive cars. I won't buy a car if it's not luxury. However, I don't care what other people spend their money on... And I don't judge people based on "who" they are wearing or what they are driving. I have friends who could buy a Mercedes.. But they go with a Honda or something plain.. Or women who could buy a Louie bag.. But instead buy like 20 cheap bags, to me I'd rather have 1 expensive bag than a bunch of not so luxury bags.
 
#4
Luxury to me is something tailor made to your specification: bespoke jewelry, custom designed rolls royce, bespoke fragrance, bespoke tailoring, etc... Essentially anything that can't be purchased from a catalog.
 
#5
Tbs717 said:
Luxury is a luxury. Not necessity. If you can afford luxury items and still have money in the bank and food on the table, great! Luxury is not for everyone. And it should not define a person. Me personally, I LOVE designer hand bags and shoes.. And expensive cars. I won't buy a car if it's not luxury. However, I don't care what other people spend their money on... And I don't judge people based on "who" they are wearing or what they are driving. I have friends who could buy a Mercedes.. But they go with a Honda or something plain.. Or women who could buy a Louie bag.. But instead buy like 20 cheap bags, to me I'd rather have 1 expensive bag than a bunch of not so luxury bags.
Click to expand...

This is how I would also describe luxury and how I also live my life.
 
#6
There are many definitions of luxury but mostly it's just a marketing term that is employed to make something seem desirable even when it's not (luxury).

It can also be relative. When I lived in Norway I only had a shower in my apartment so when ever I was away and had a bath it was a total luxury.

As for clothes, it's quality I'm after not particularly luxury. From a t-shirt to a fur coat, it's quality of the garment that's most important.
 
#7
papertiger said:
There are many definitions of luxury but mostly it's just a marketing term that is employed to make something seem desirable even when it's not (luxury).

It can also be relative. When I lived in Norway I only had a shower in my apartment so when ever I was away and had a bath it was a total luxury.

As for clothes, it's quality I'm after not particularly luxury. From a t-shirt to a fur coat, it's quality of the garment that's most important.
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Love this discussion and I agree that is has become a marketing term, a "sector" in fact. For me if we are talking about clothes, as in luxury clothes, is wearing things that feel divine and are exquisitely made. For example the feeling of putting on a new pair of cashmere socks is luxury, or trying on a silk lined ( as opposed to the usual polyester lined ) jacket is luxury. That sort of exquisitely quiet detail... Hand made by happy well paid artisan people, no sweat shops, no child labour. Would love to hear from others what they feel is luxury...and whether you seek it, or make do.
 
#8
To me the things that are termed "luxury" nowadays are actually the way I expect things to be: well made of high quality materials, sturdy with pleasing esthetics, the best it can be in its class.

Be it an Hermès bag or a meal from a Michelin restaurant. I also use "non luxury" things, e.g. GWP bags if it's for schlepping heavy stuff, but I am only ever content when the quality of something is high (e.g. not looking cheap, about to break, making squeaky noises, having great taste etc).

To me luxury is not really about the price. If I can get fantastic fruits or veggies for a couple of bucks, but they taste divine I also feel they are "luxurious".
 
#9
To me, luxury doesn't need to be expensive. But it's something just has that "x" factor that it's totally unnecessary yet so special. e.g. in my mind the following are both luxury:

1) I was gifted a pair of silk pillow cases, in beautiful smooth thick silk in snow white colour, they are not that expensive but to me they are pure luxury.

2) My Hermes bags are all made of beautiful leather with amazing craftsmanship and each one of them are different and luxury. And yes, they are pretty expensive...
 
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#10
^^'exquisitely quiet detail' love that description!! To me, luxury is something that teaches me something in terms of quiet good taste and quality. It is found in an object that, over time, you find yourself loving more, not less.
 
#12
ladysarah said:
Love this discussion and I agree that is has become a marketing term, a "sector" in fact. For me if we are talking about clothes, as in luxury clothes, is wearing things that feel divine and are exquisitely made. For example the feeling of putting on a new pair of cashmere socks is luxury, or trying on a silk lined ( as opposed to the usual polyester lined ) jacket is luxury. That sort of exquisitely quiet detail... Hand made by happy well paid artisan people, no sweat shops, no child labour. Would love to hear from others what they feel is luxury...and whether you seek it, or make do.
Click to expand...

I agree with you - I love the look and feel and cut of luxury/designer goods. They look better on me and last longer. I like knowing that someone carefully made something to last for years, and not months.

I don't care what other people spend their money on; but to me, I will pay extra for something luxurious because it will be unique and have lasting-power.
 
#13
Luxury runs the gamut from a bespoke item to a homemade pie.. all
done by loving hands for whatever their "carft" may be...

I love buying vintage monogrammed hankies.. to envision petit hands
doing this artistry which seems to be a dying art in today's world.
Having a piece of history for me is luxury from a bygone time
 
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#14
don't you ever look at things and think ... what justifies that price? I agree, the quality etc it is important and I am willing to pay more for the real quality. But I feel like it has become a game nowadays - they develop brands name and then it is not necessary quality and you have to really do your digging and checking and can still end up with product that falls apart. I recently bought Jigsaw shoes ... high street high end my a%^&&^ the sole came off after a month. And I just think to myself - what justifies the price? So in my opinion (jigsaw aside) luxury or brand name does not guarantee the quality anymore.
 
#15
To me luxury is about quality, great craftsmanship and not something I'd go bankrupt for. There are some (a lot actually) where you pay more for the brand than actual quality. For bags I gravitate towards premier designers only because they tend to be made better than some cheaper ones. This is not always the case though as I have some items that I paid high street prices for that are still in great condition years later. Question is, is the premier designer purse worth a 1000x more than it's cheaper counterpart? Probably not in a lot of cases but it's worth at least 100x more (imo). For clothing, it's about quality for me because you can find this aspect regardless of price and brand.
 
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