Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Nicole Dixon 08/25/09 Consumer Behavior Mon 1-5pm Book Report Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster, by Dana Thomas, brings a hard hitting, raw look at the world of luxury and the mass demand of luxury that has occurred. The book was published by the Penguin Group in 2007. Luxury is defined by Thomas as truly special, and was only available to the aristocratic world of wealth and old money in western culture. Luxury signified an experience and lifestyle that denotes royalty, fame, and fortune. However, with large companies owning the former family-owned luxury producing businesses, profits are the main goal not the production of luxury. Thomas reveals the unfortunate demise and rise of traditional luxury companies. Wherever she looked, it seemed as though everyone owned some kind of luxury product. She asked herself, when did brands such as Chanel, Gucci, and Prada become so widely used and available to anyone anywhere? Thus, the beginning of her research into the world of luxury and her book, Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster. Dana Thomas, New York Times bestselling author, is the European Arts & Entertainment correspondent for Newsweek in Paris. “She has written about style for the New York Times Magazine since 1994, and has contributed to various publications, including The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, the Washington Post, and the Financial Times in London,” (Thomas, “About the Author”). Thomas was also a professor of journalism at the American University of Paris from 1996 through 1999. She has received awards for her outstanding achievements including the Ellis Haller Award. She is a family oriented individual who resides in Paris with her husband, Herve, and daughter, Lucie Lee. (Thomas, “About the Author”) “Today, the luxury marketplace would be virtually unrecognizable to the old-world elite.” Thomas reveals the true goals of the luxury conglomerates that have taken over and how luxury executives