deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster by dana thomas caught our eye here at long weekend style, mainly because of it's stark, simple cover AND the fact the an entire mcdonald's meal had been absolutely designered out, complete with prada-esque labels covering burger paper, french fry carton and a supersized soda cup to underscore just how far luxury brands are willing to go to get your dollars into their pockets.
deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster is a fantastic peek behind the scenes of the luxury goods business and the absolutely massive global money involved. yup, all those monogrammed handbags, perfumes, belts, and licensed sunglasses, lighters and scarves that consumers ferociously scoop up by the armload.
louis vuitton. dior. gucci. cartier. prada. chanel. you get the picture.
and the players - LVMC (louis vuitton moet chandon) group. the richemont group. the gucci group. the prada group. these are just a few of the luxury conglomerates in play that serve as umbrella corporations for several different brands. and they are all feuding, scheming and trying to outsmart the others in the aquisition of even MORE luxury brands, making the luxury goods business seem more like a game of monopoly rather than one of style and substance.
this can't-put-it-down expose takes you through the back alleys and crammed warehouses of counterfeit high end luxury goods as well as the production of true (read: authentic) luxury items - handbags, wallets, trench coats et al abroad, far from where consumers would think their exalted top shelf booty hails from.
fun fact: deluxe deftly details just how the legendary wait-listed-to-the-hilt, unbelievably expensive (a crocodile birkin can easily go toe to toe in price to that of a new car) coveted hermes birkin bag is crafted by a single leather artisan and takes anywhere from 15 to 30 hours to complete a single bag.
another fun deluxe fact: centifolia rose and jasmine harvesting in grasse, france exclusively for chanel number 5 - the only perfume still in production that retains it's original formula, first concocted in 1919.
long weekend style could go on and on but we seriously don't want to spoil this decadent read for you!
deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster by dana thomas, available online @ http://www.amazon.com/
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