“With Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, [Dana] Thomas—who has been the cultural and fashion writer for Newsweek in Paris for 12 years—has written a crisp, witty social history that’s as entertaining as it is informative.” —New York Times From the author of Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes Once luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. It offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and a pampered buying experience. Today, however, luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. Award-winning journalist Dana Thomas digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci, and Burberry don't want us to know. Deluxe is an uncompromising look behind the glossy façade that will enthrall anyone interested in fashion, finance, or culture.

The windows of Louis Vuitton's storefronts are magnetic. Onlookers stand with eyes wide in wonder at such spectacles as a colossal roller coaster, a panoply of brightly colored hot-air balloons, or a universe of polka dots. With an oeuvre of over thirty-five displays, creators Faye McLeod and Ansel Thompson bring the windows of one of the world's leading luxury brands to life with unparalleled magic. Featuring an introduction by The New York Times fashion director and critic Vanessa Friedman, these celebrated vitrines are presented as works of art in this hand-bound oversize Ultimate Collection edition, capturing the inspired world that is Louis Vuitton.

Fleeting human moments memorialized by Oberto Gili's camera translate formally into beautifully balanced classical images. His camera, like his personality, is whimsical questioning, non-judgemental and tenderly objective. Gili's images of interiors capture fundamental moments of human existence, quiet moments and basic needs, wether it's a man on sitting on his coach surrounded by his dogs, a young couple getting into bed, a woman watching herself getting dressed in the mirror or a girl swimming alone in a pool, we experience narrative, isolation, intrusion through Gili's lens. Gili shows us different perspectives of home: color, happiness, sex, depression, arrogance, creativity, simplicity, boredom. These images in this stunning volume are a diairy of the interiors and situations that have, over the last thirty years, strung Gili's curiosity and fantasy the most. Simple, still and understated, Gili's images of interiors all have possibility as their subtext. Illustrated

The first decade of the twenty-first century marked the demise of the current world order. Despite widespread acknowledgement of these disruptive crises, the proposed response from the mainstream remains the same. Against the confines of this increasingly limited politics, a new paradigm has emerged. Fully Automated Luxury Communism claims that new technologies will liberate us from work, providing the opportunity to build a society beyond both capitalism and scarcity. Automation, rather than undermining an economy built on full employment, is instead the path to a world of liberty, luxury and happiness. For everyone. In his first book, radical political commentator Aaron Bastani conjures a new politics: a vision of a world of unimaginable hope, highlighting how we move to energy abundance, feed a world of nine billion, overcome work, transcend the limits of biology and build meaningful freedom for everyone. Rather than a final destination, such a society heralds the beginning of history. Fully Automated Luxury Communism promises a radically new left future for everyone.

Selling high-end luxury creations requires a different set of skills than does traditional selling. Clients have high expectations for the service they receive and base their purchasing decisions more on emotion and desire than practical need. Whether you are selling diamond bracelets or sports cars, the key to concluding the sale lies in how well you sell rather than what you sell. In Selling Luxury, Robin Lent and Geneviève Tour explore every component of luxury sales and offer proven, practical strategies for connecting with customers. Rather than sales associates, the luxury market calls for “Sales Ambassadors” who represent the brand with distinction. Sales Ambassadors understand how to connect with customers by discovering their unique motivational desires. This requires a multitude of specialized skills: passion, perseverance, empathy, daring, and curiosity. Through personalized service each and every time, Sales Ambassadors are able to build trust, brand loyalty, and lasting customer relationships. If you want to succeed in the luxury sales universe, Selling Luxury is for you. You’ll pick up the skills and approaches that work everyday in a multitude of situations. You’ll learn how to: Connect emotionally with customers Exceed your customers’ expectations Turn every customer contact into a brand experience Personalize your customer service Learn about customers through observing and discovery Create the desire to purchase Deal positively with customer objections Build a relationship of trust and brand loyalty The universe of luxury is no place for traditional hard-sell tactics. Instead, you have to subtly adapt to your customer in a deeper way. Doing so takes a truly personal touch. Selling Luxury shows you how to develop these skills and make them a key part of your own unique selling style.

This book is dedicated to all those luxury agents and brokers who are fed up with the "traditional" way of marketing luxury homes. (Or, I should say, traditional way of not marketing luxury houses.) Perhaps you are part of a big national brokerage or an office that specializes in luxury real estate. You might have expected the company owner to provide you with cutting edge marketing tools but instead all you have received are the same old trainings and collateral that everyone else uses.

Interior designer Richard Mishaan believes that all good furniture and art can be combined successfully regardless of style, period, or price. Drawing on his international background and love of travel, he combs the world to find exquisite, unique pieces for his clients. Mishaan skillfully brings together furnishings and objects from myriad periods—Italian neoclassic, seventeenth-century French, African tribal, Art Deco, Biedermeier—in a contemporary fusion style that has become his signature. Mishaan approaches his projects with the knowing eye of a curator, integrating art and objects into the flow of everyday life. A proponent of introducing an element of luxury into all spaces, even the most utilitarian, the designer shares his inspiring ideas for how to infuse every room—from well-appointed formal dining and reception spaces to private spheres for relaxation and work—with personality and generosity of spirit. This lavish color presentation showcases dozens of completed projects, from elegant townhouses to pied-à-terre apartments, spacious second homes, and corporate offices. Mishaan's extensive knowledge of the fine arts, architecture, and modern and historic furnishings is revealed in engaging commentary that details his creative process, discloses his most valuable tips, and explains how his experiences have informed the creation of his own custom furniture and retail line. A directory of the designer's favorite sources from around the country and around the globe encourages those interested in creating eclectic and sophisticated interiors of their own to begin.