All posts filed under: Interviews

A CONVERSATION ABOUT LUXURY WITH OUR GUEST EXPERTS

Meaningful Experiences are the Greatest Luxury of All

Published by Amy Nauiokas

The luxuries that are most engaging to me right now are the non-material ones. For me, luxury is all about having the opportunity to see and experience things that add meaning to my life, not just surrounding myself with stuff. I know many successful women share my view. When you can buy yourself anything, you think twice about acquiring luxurious objects for their own sake. I now take luxury in spending time with the people important to me, in magical places, and supporting the causes and craftspeople who align with my values. That’s not to say that I never want to buy beautiful things! It’s just that I want to understand their origin, and ideally I want them to stand for something. That has led me away from big corporate brands and toward individual artists. Part of the luxury of purchasing their work is knowing the authentic stories behind what they create. For example, I am lucky to know the founders of two my favorite jewelry brands, Bowen NYC and Foundrae, both based here in New York. These …

Money is the True Third Rail of Literature

Published by David Roberts

When I first read “Bonfire of the Vanities” in the late 1980’s, the book’s protagonist, the bond trading Master of the Universe Sherman McCoy, struck me as very wealthy, a huge Wall Street success.  I recently dipped back in to “Bonfire of the Vanities” as I was curious to measure Sherman’s financial success, circa 1987, against our current 2017 standards of what it means to be rich––our age of the TV show “Billions”, the Kardashians and the Trumps, and multi-million dollar birthday parties.

Network for the Ultimate Luxury of Time

Published by Pamela Ryckman

The wealthy acquire second homes, fancy cars, museum-quality art, and this season’s clothing and accessories. They hire assistants, house managers, gardeners, maids, drivers, nannies, and tutors – all in an effort to ensure they’ll have time to enjoy these possessions, and time to spend with loved ones. For even when money is no object, time remains elusive. In today’s frenetic, fast-paced world, time is the ultimate luxury.

The Importance of Powering Up your Luxury Smarts (101)

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

I’m standing in front of the windows at Bergdorf’s and I’m transported. I do this every time I can when in New York. Inside, I have a lively exchange with a salesperson about the price of the most fantastic silk brocade coat I’ve ever seen (let’s be fair, no names). I look around and notice a woman angrily snatching at a dress on the rack, frowning and comparing it rather unfavorably to her great grandmother’s couture dress. Another is checking for size 0s and exuding body anxiety. A third woman with an edgy sequin T-shirt, sky blue hair, and a “strictly business” arrogance is clearly shopping as her boss’s surrogate abusive consumer. What is their problem? The whole place is GORGEOUS! Can’t say it isn’t luxurious. So why aren’t more customers and salespeople having a yumilicious time?