02036nam a2200229Ia 4500 2857 230305s2003 xx 000 0 und d 9780743245067 TBS eng en_UK Twitchell, James B 22121 author Living it up : America's love affair with luxury / James B. Twitchell. Simon & Schuster, 2003 xiii, 306 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm America's love affair with luxury Luxury isn't just for the rich, says James B. Twitchell. Today you don't need a six-figure income to wear pashmina, drink a limited-edition coffee at Starbucks, or drive a Mercedes home to collapse on the couch in front of a flat-screen plasma TV. In Living It Up, sharp-eyed consumer anthropologist Twitchell takes a witty and insightful look at luxury -- what it is, who defines it, and why we can't seem to get enough of it. In recent years, says Twitchell, luxury spending has grown much faster than overall spending -- and it continues to grow despite the economic recession. Luxury has become such a powerful marketing force that it cuts across every layer of society, spawning a magazine devoted to spas, cashmere bedspreads on sale at Kmart, and a dazzling array of bottled waters. Twitchell says that the democratization of luxury has had a unifying effect on culture. Luxury items tell a story that we want to identify with, and more people than ever aspire to the story of Ralph Lauren's Polo or Patek Philippe. Shopping itself is no longer a chore but a transcendent experience in which we shop not so much for goods as for an identity. Sharply observed and wickedly funny, Living It Up is a revealing and entertaining examination of why we are all part of the cult of luxury. ​​MSc Fashion & Luxury Marketing - Understanding Fashion & Luxury Markets and customers​ 26039 Consumers Psychology 7445 Luxuries Marketing 7147 lcc 0 0 lcc 0 0 TBS TBS 26 2020-09-22 0 HF5415.32 TWI B01972 2020-09-22 2023-03-05 1 2722 2722