a yen for style.

*butterfly in the sky. i can fly twice as high. take a look, it's in a book. a reading rainbow.* where is lavar burton when i want to give my book recommendation?



while searching for another title in barnes and noble recently, i was intrigued by a book with a simple white cover with a black and white illustration of a mcdonald's value meal adorned by prada's signature logo that is found on the dust bags that hold many of my favorite shoes and handbags by the line. knowing that the book must be an expose of sorts, i had to buy it. i am glad i did.

"deluxe: how luxury lost its luster" is a must read for anyone who is interested in fashion history, branding, marketing or the effects of globalization. the author, dana thomas, skillfully details the history of couture fashion houses and luxury goods lines that became synonymous with style and craftsmanship, but have more recently become victim to the greed of multi-billion dollar global conglomerates that mass-market and mass-produce collections in order to reach a brand and label obsessed middle market consumer and increase profit share. not to spoil it all, but stick with hermes and chanel. now if only i could find an extra $10K+ for my own birkin bag. i will not look at some of my clothes the same way again.

since i am not much of a book reviewer (as evidenced above), just take my word for it that it is a good read.

but don't forget that not everything out there is mass-produced. for instance, there is some great handmade jewelry (of course). also check out this site of independent artists and designers. my collection of handcrafted gemstone jewelry even has its own home there.