02144nam a2200241Ia 45000010005000000080041000050200018000460400008000640410008000720430010000801000038000902450078001282600028002063000044002345000038002785201293003166300107016096500033017166500031017499420008017809520099017889990015018872857230305s2003    xx            000 0 und d  a9780743245067  cTBS  aeng  aen_UK  aTwitchell, James B922121eauthor 0aLiving it upb: America's love affair with luxury c/ James B. Twitchell.  bSimon & Schuster,c2003  axiii, 306 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm  aAmerica's love affair with luxury  aLuxury 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. 0a​​MSc Fashion & Luxury Marketing - Understanding Fashion & Luxury Markets and customers​ 926039 0aConsumers xPsychology97445 0aLuxuries xMarketing97147  2lcc  00102lcc4070aTBSbTBSc26d2020-09-22l0oHF5415.32 TWIpB01972r2020-09-22w2023-03-05y1  c2722d2722