The $10,000 leather Gladstone bag

[Talbot]

Ah, of course. Arrivistes with something to prove. Conspicuous consumption.

Staff are even trained to spot these types, and how to identify and avoid old money.

If two women walked into a Tiffany store, one wearing a large diamond ring, the other an orange fluoro LV quartz watch, which one would be served first?

 

[vintage.vendeuse]

Have you seen the new Moonphase women's watches? They keep going from strength to strength with their designs. I haven't decided upon a model, but their watches are on my list. I am hoping they expand the moon phase into a men's model.

http://www.shinola.com/shop/moon-phase.html

That model nearly knocked my preference out of the running. But not quite.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

This is not your usual luxury item. There is no conspicuous consumption here and no bragging rights. One would have to tell people that it cost as much as it does. That is not the same as buying something like say a Hermes Kelly Bag, where people would recognize it as the thing that it is (for better or worse). There is no brand cache here. This is more like a one-off artisan item. My thoughts.