21st Century Luxury

In his book Enough – Breaking Free From The World of More, writer John Naish coins several catchy new phrases, Amongst them are “hedonic adaptation”, i.e. the inevitable comedown feeling that follows the purchase of long desired, major status purchase and “CAD” Compulsive Acquisitive Disorder, the psychotic desire to keep buying unessential new stuff all the time. These are the conditions and consequences, claims Naish, of a world bedazzled by cheap consumerism and entry level luxury items, of a world overloaded with a dizzying array of choice.
What Naish doesn’t recognize is the fact that the intelligent, reasonable and highly discerning luxury lifer and cool-hunter remains blissfully unaffected by such viruses.
This is an aesthetically educated person who has raised the game on considered indulgence. His quarry is beautiful items of quality and distinction. He’s hunting down provenance, quality of materials, craftsmanship, and longevity. He wants to buy things that will last, that might even be considered investments that will achieve a patina of age and lasting excellence.
The hobby restricted to the super rich or the fashion victims. Luxury is now being defined in new ways and that definition evolves constantly with ever-shifting demographics, socioeconomics and the geopolitical climate. The luxury lifer will always find a way to seek out a considered level of perfection in every single item he buys or encounters. Price and fashionability don’t come into it. These are people with an acutely tuned sensitivity pre-loaded onto their lifestyle hard-drives and the cool hunting filter is never switched off.

So, the foil pack of Illy coffee purchased at the supermarket during the weekly shop, the impossibly cute new Fiat 500 hired at the airport, the Hunter Wellingtons worn at the weekends, the Pashley Bicycle ridden to work, the Persol sunglasses worn on holiday or the silly money Giuseppe Zanotti shoes worn to lunch with friends; all these things contribute to the quietly epicurean life style.
It is necessary to be so particular because things have changed so much because money is hard won while the competition is fierce and varied. The likes of, say, Prada, Balenciaga and Jimmy Choo, used to be known by just a few, high-earning fashionista types, but during the past two decades luxury has experienced a rapid and rather scary democratization. Where the airport indulgences of designer fragrances, underwear and neck ties, were once the only points of entry into a luxury label's domain, now, because of a daily desire for knowledge of the newest, shiniest things generated by a fashion-hungry print and internet media, because of a rolling culture of celebrity endorsement, red carpet photos and endless best dressed lists, pretty much everyone, everywhere wants Prada eyewear and the latest “it” bag.
But the ill-considered fripperies of the free spending WAGS are not what we are talking about here. Others have learned to distance themselves from the pointlessness and ugliness of misguided, ill-educated, over indulgence This is not just about champagne splurges, showy labels and showing off. Many of the things desired and purchased are personal, often unseen, “stealth” items. A scented candle, a spa treatment, a discreet weekend break, underwear, a classic, second hand Rolex, rare first edition books, deleted albums, old hi-fi, maybe even a dog.
A really quite beautiful dog, of course. Preferably one with a nice shiny, gunmetal coat to match the Farrow and Ball colour scheme in the hall.