000			02098nam a2200289Ia 4500
001			2857
008			230305s2003 xx 000 0 und d
020			_a9780743245067
040			_cTBS
041			_aeng
043			_aen_UK
245		0	_aLiving it up
260			_bSimon & Schuster, _c2003
300			_axiii, 306 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
500			_aAmerica's love affair with luxury
520			_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. ;
630			_aHF COMMERCE _914
650		0	_aConsumers _xPsychology _97445
650		0	_aLuxuries _xMarketing _97147
653			_aBibliography MSc - Fashion & Luxury Marketing Management: Luxury Brand Management
653			_aFashion & Luxury Collection
700			_aTwitchell, James B. _eAuthor
902			_a351
905			_am
942			_a1 _2ddc
999			_c2722 _d2722