During fashion week, New York Magazine, dedicated an entire issue to Spring Fashion with the theme of luxury, money, and clothing. In an article by Josh Patner titled, The High Price of Fashion, he examined the luxury market, the definition of luxury and the reason why a “dress costs more than a car.” One standout quote that I found enlightening was made my Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs International:

”Luxury is something you don’t need, it’s something you want. The bag of potato chips I ate for lunch today was a luxury.” It seems that today, when people are worn out from bad news and broken promises, the promise of indulgence is one worth believing in.

While I find the statement idealistic because it ignores the issue of consumers’ need to impress and show off the wealth they may or may not have, I do find a sense of comfort in it. I understand that we are a consumer society, a society impressed by the superficial elements of others, and obsessed with things that are unattainable, but this statement hits the need for us to want more, and want the things that make us feel safe in the midst of being “worn out from bad news and broken promises.”

The need to want more is a very American state of mind. Whether it is in the position you have at work, in the amount of square footage your Manhattan apartment offers, or in the credentials your future ex-husband/wife may have, we want that sense of status, that sense of luxury in our lives. As Duffy stated, “Luxury is something you don’t need, it’s something you want.”

Another standout statement was made by Sam Shahid, who developed Abercrombie & Fitch’s , “luxury”-slash-risque (elitist, white American) company image:

”How can I say this Abercrombie sweater is luxury? It’s easy. You put the word on there. You tell them its luxury. Luxury is the best you can buy. Luxury touches you. I feel safe. I have the best of it.”

Although it may seem ridiculous that a company will call a knit sweater hoodie with a moose embroidered on it’s lapel luxury, it works. People/consumers want to feel, even if the item really isn’t, as if what they are purchasing is the best and want that notion of luxury to seep through the seams of their clothing. Granted, certain people may be able to afford a $30,000 dress or wait on the waiting list for a Hermes Birkin Bag, but that has to reflect one’s own prestige and status (and bank account).

The article ends on a note of perfection in my opinion:

Luxury is what you want. Fashion has never been more expensive. Fashion has never been more democratic. The handbag that costs as much as a car. The bank teller’s salary. Department-store perfume. The bargain-basement shoes. Does any of this even make any sense? It does. Prices are not out of control, but these are the kinds of questions that always come up when people talk about fashion. What, exactly, would fashion that is in control look like? His-and-hers Mao suits? The bank teller has dreams, too; a $33,905 dress may never be hers, but why shouldn’t she—and we—dream of it? Fashion is like art. Even if we can’t afford the painting in the museum, we love looking at it.

Yes, fashion is ridiculous, and as a future fashion media heavy-hitter, it is essential for me to recognize that while we need clothing to survive, we don’t need the Gucci monogram cashmere scarf for $700, but if it makes you feel good and buying it is what comforts you in a world of chaos and disaster, buy it. Yes, it’s superficial and quite absurd, but “no debate about fashion can exclude the priceless value of joy.” If it makes you happy, whether it is a Prada blouse or a pair $20 vintage shoes, indulge and invest in luxury because that is what drives the industry and satisfies consumers.