High Tea

Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant

For my final field experiment, I decided to observe conspicuous leisure through high tea. I initially decided to go to The Plaza in Midtown but the restaurant that served high tea was completely full and I couldn’t get a table unless I had a reservation. I noticed that the tables were full of tourists and it worked out better because my observations would be skewed if I had stayed at The Plaza. I decided to go next door to Bergdorf Goodman to their restaurant that served high tea as well. For this observation field experiment, I was curious to see who would be enjoying high tea at 4pm on a Friday. 

My all black conspicuous under-consumption ensemble 

I purposely dressed in all black to test conspicuous under-consumption we discussed briefly in class. In Anne Hollander’s Seeing Through Clothes, she states that black clothing in the 19^th century connotes “antifashion”, “rebellious tradition”, “conventionally sober”, and “isolating” (Hollander 377). My black sweater was purposely knitted with holes and while this may be acceptable in downtown Manhattan, I wondered what response I would get from the other people in the restaurant. I completed my look with a black Chanel bag which is subtle and non-flashy and in Lynn Yaeger’s “Carried Away”, she states that “handbags have nosed their way in a place once occupied almost exclusively by diamonds and fancy furs, functioning as badges of honor, announcements that you’ve arrived at a particular economic or social level” (Yaeger, 2007). Apart from observing the people enjoying high tea on a Friday afternoon, I also wanted to test whether people would judge my social status based on my bag or on my conspicuous under-consuming outfit as a whole.

Typical items offered in high tea

The British categorize tea time to low tea and high tea. Low tea is from 3pm to 5pm and tea is accompanied with small sandwiches and scones. High tea is from 5pm to 6pm and consists of cold meats, cakes, and sandwiches. In the US, high tea refers to a tea party which is a formal gathering where coffee and tea is served on fancy china accompanied by sandwiches and cakes. Which the British distinguish low and high tea according to the height of the table, Americans’ use of high tea refers to high social status. I decided to observe high tea as conspicuous leisure as Veblen defines it as unproductive consumption of time. High tea starts from $35 per person for a drink and a plate of mini sandwiches and pastries. It is not an essential meal as it is between lunch and dinner time. 

My discreet photo of the restaurant

As I sit alone in a throne-like chair with my one cup of black coffee, I looked around the half empty restaurant and observed the tables around me. When I first sat down, I noticed two tables were having a business meeting while the other tables were tourists visiting New York. Around 5pm, various Bergdorf shoppers stopped in to enjoy high tea after a long day of hard work—shopping.  As they walked in with their 4 inch heels and a sea of purple Bergdorf shopping bags, they were ready for a much needed break. The predominately female shoppers varied from older women in their 50s, mother-daughter duos, to women in their mid 20s. For a day of shopping, the women in the restaurant were very dressed up and adorned with large custom jewelry and large visible diamonds. In Zygmunt Bauman’s Consuming Life, the author highlights that “the ‘raw’, unadorned, un-re-formed and unprocessed body is something be ashamed of” as it connotes “ineptitude, ignorance, impotence and resourcelessness to ‘the self’” (Bauman 59). Their dress exemplified conspicuous leisure as Veblen states that “elegant dress serves its purpose of elegance not only in that it is expensive, but also because it is the insignia of leisure” (Veblen 126). The women walked in to enjoy their high tea in 3 to 4 inch heels which signifies “evidence of enforced leisure afforded by its polish” as these women most likely did not have to take the subway in their uncomfortable shoes (Veblen 126). 

What the Bergdorf High Tea consists of (taken from a friend's Facebook photo)

As women carrying crocodile Birkins walk pass me, they seem confused as they look at my empty table with only one cup of coffee (which I abused my free refills to the fullest) while the tables next to me were filled with tiers of sandwiches and scones and the women were sipping on champagne. As I look at the menu, I see that high tea starts from $35 per person and I wonder why this extravagance was necessary. My $4 coffee at the Bergdorf restaurant was nothing special so I wonder why people did not opt for coffee and scones at Starbucks instead.

Was high tea simply an extension of their expensive handbags and another form of conspicuous consumption? Bauman states that “‘consumer syndrome’ is all about speed, excess and waste” (Bauman 86). The shoppers fulfill “speed” by spending all afternoon trying to be up-to-date with the current trends at Bergdorf. In Gilles Lipovetsky’s The Empire of Fashion, the author highlight’s Gabrielle Tard’s claim that the we are more “susceptible to passing fads” and our interest in “novelty… is a matter of social persistence” (Lipovetsky 228). Furthermore, we have the mentality of “everything new is beautiful” (Lipovetsky 227) embedded in our heads and this is further reinforced by Bauman as he claims we have “the concern ‘to be and to stay head’ (ahead of the ‘style pack’… the ‘others who count’ and whose approval or rejection [matters])” (Bauman 82). Furthermore, Bauman states that “shop dependence” sets in early on in our childhood and “everyone needs to be, ought to be, must be a consumer-by-vocation” (Bauman 55). Similarly, Lipovetsky reinforces that “the love of novelty has become general, regular, limitless” (Lipovetsky 229). The limitless novelty in fashion is echoed in high tea. The meal is not necessary but the large variety of mini sandwiches, pastries, and scones fulfill the limitless need for novelty. Veblen states that “principle of novelty is another corollary under the law of conspicuous waste” (Veblen 127). While an expensive handbag signifies a woman’s economic and social status, being seen at high tea shows that she does not have to work, do domestic chores, or watch her children as she is enjoying high tea with her friends on a Friday afternoon. For the women in their 20’s, these girls represented their parents’ wealth as they do not have to be at school, work, or internship and have the luxury of spending their afternoon at Bergdorf instead. Just like how the handbag or an engagement ring shows how financially established the husband is, having high tea reinforces the economic and social status implied by the handbag and jewelry and shows not only does she have money, she also has the leisure time to spend it without other responsibilities.  

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the waiters were to me as I only ordered one thing and they kept asking if I wanted a free refill. While I did feel isolated because I was the only person who was alone at the table, I felt that my conspicuous under-consumption dress was not dramatic enough to make a strong impression. In class, we discussed whether an expensive handbag overshadows the outfit and immediately implies wealth or whether one’s wealth is judged based on the entire outfit. In Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, he claims that each individual expresses two kinds of sign activity: “the expression he gives, and the expression that he gives off” (Goffman 2). Based on the service and few stares I observed, I think my black outfit gives off an independent and isolated impression and that I want to be left alone. The waiters only approached me when my cup was empty and quickly gave me my bill after I said I no longer wanted anymore refills. As I left the restaurant, I stopped on 5^th floor to browse the contemporary designers’ floor and although I walked by several sales associates, none of them asked if I needed help. Compared to the other shoppers, I was definitely underdressed and I didn’t look like I was going to buy anything. Although my field experiment didn’t include testing the sales associates’ service, I found the contrast between the service in the restaurant to the service in the store quite drastic and I felt that my dress was more harshly judged in the store.

For my field experiment, I expected the restaurant to be full of women in their 40’s and 50’s enjoying tea time with their friends and I was surprised to see the wide range of age in the people I observed and there were a few men in the restaurant but they were there strictly for a business meeting. I was disappointed that the restaurant was only half full but I strategically chose Friday afternoon to conduct my experiment because there is a limited pool of carefree people who would be shopping and enjoying their high tea. I’ve always thought of high tea as a treat for special occasions but through my observations and analysis for this field experiment, I’ve realized that it is another form of conspicuous consumption and reinforces Veblen’s concept of conspicuous leisure and conspicuous waste.

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Bibliography

Bauman, Zygmunt. Consuming Life. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007.

Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Double Day, 1959.

Hollander, Anne. Seeing Through Clothes.  New York: The Viking Press, 1978.

Lipovetsky, Giles.  The Empire of Fashion: Dressing Modern Democracy.  Princeton:

Princeton University Press, 1994.

Yaeger, Lynn. “Carried Away.” The Atlantic Monthly (April 2007), http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200704/yaeger-handbags.

Limits of Fashion Exhibitionism in the Fashion Job Interview

In Mary Lynn Damhorst and Patricia A. Kimle’s “Symbolic interaction: A Grounded theory Model of the Ideal Business Image for the Women”, “fashion excessively in business can be seen as exhibitionism” (Damhorst 54) and being too trendy in the workplace can “communicate negative ideas, including a lack of judgment in personal decisions and a tendency to conform easily” (53). While the authors are referring to the corporate business world where conservative fashion is preferred, I decided to test out fashion exhibitionism in the fashion industry. For my dress up field experiment, I decided to apply for a summer internship at a few major fashion magazines: Vogue, Elle, W, and Harper’s Bazaar. I submitted my real resume and cover letter to different departments in each magazine and I was called in for an interview at Vogue Paris for a fashion internship position and at Elle for an accessories internship position. Both magazines encourage the use of luxury goods and fashion trends so for my field experiment, I decided to test the limits of conspicuous consumption at an interview in the fashion industry. Thorstein Veblen defined conspicuous consumption as extravagant spending on products to display wealth and social status. However, Veblen’s context of extravagant spending referred to the product’s “solidity and durability… solidity, permanence and indestructibility” (Bauman 30). Today, conspicuous consumption refers exclusively to the brand of the product rather than its quality. People often make snap judgments on people’s success based on the brands associated with the things they own. In The Language of Clothes, Alison Lurie states that the language of dress announces your “sex, age, and class… through what you are wearing” as well as give clues to “your occupation, origin, personality, opinions, tastes, sexual desires and current mood” (Lurie 3). Lurie states that this information can be inferred based on what you’re wearing even before the person talks to you. In the fashion industry, an industry where luxury brands are heavily encouraged, would dressing conspicuously hurt one’s performance in a job interview?

            For my experiment, I decided to choose an appropriate interview outfit consisting of a silk blouse and a skirt. For my Vogue Paris interview, I chose to keep my outfit more on the conservative side. For my Elle interview, I decided to convey wealth and conspicuous leisure through dress. When deciding which accessories to add, I made sure the accessories either had a visible and easily recognizable logo or is eye catching and sparkly. 

Weds. March 9th 11am
Conservative Outfit for Vogue Paris Interview:
Rag & Bone Blouse, BCBG Skirt, Miu Miu Bag

Fri. Mar. 4th 3pm:
Flashy Outfit for Elle Interview:
Eryn Brinie Trench, Sly Rabbit Fur Vest, Silk Blouse, 3.1 Phillip Lim Collar, Alexander McQueen Scarf, D&G belt, Zara Skirt, Louis Vuitton Bag

            My interview at Vogue Paris was exactly what I predicted. I walked in with my conservative interview attire and waited patiently at the front desk and two interviewers came in, the female in with jeans and heels and the male jeans and leather oxfords. As jeans are considered “slang” dress meaning that it “tends to be loose, relaxed and colorful” (Lurie 8), both interviewers gave off a casual chic aura and I wondered if their personality matched what her clothes were communicating. Lurie states that “sartorial communication... can also be used to convey misinformation” which can voluntary or involuntary but careful manipulation of dress can shape other people’s first impression (Lurie 24). Was my prospective supervisors free spirited who has fun with their interns or are very uptight? I quickly discovered that it was the former as the interview was fairly casual and it allowed me to ask them what their previous experience was before working at Vogue Paris. Both interviewers were easy to talk to and they made me feel as if I were talking to my peers rather than superiors. However, when I first stepped into the Elle office with my flashy attire, I noticed that I was significantly over-dressed and I felt uncomfortable while I was waiting for my interviewer. Irving Goffman states that the concept of “proper dress” is “dependent on the situation” and the person “whose clothes do not conform to these standards is more or less subtly excluded from participation” and I wondered how my fur and rhinestones will affect the interviewer’s impression of me. My interviewer wore a plain black shift dress and 4 inch heels and I was relieved when she was heavily accessorized. She first commented on how she liked my collar and proceeded to ask me routine questions. After I told her about my past experiences and extracurricular activities, she asked me several questions about my work ethic. She asked how I would rate my work ethic on a scale of 1 to 10 and asked if I was willing to stay late if necessary. I was completely taken aback by how in depth she wanted me to talk about my work ethic. However, my interview with her was much longer than my interview at Vogue Paris so I hoped she found something favourable in me.

Damhorst’s study claims that employee’s first impression is very closely associated with what she wears and often correlates with her work ethic and behaviour. In the blog post “Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?”, a reader asks whether it is appropriate for her to bring her Birkin to work at a small big law firm. People often advise to dress the position you would want to have but others advise to dress appropriate to your level at work. The blogger concludes that “the intern with a $9000 bag” may have negative connotations that would hurt the intern in the work place. The blogger states “you may find you have to work even harder to get the respect that you deserve” because people might think you’re “not working for money” (“Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?”, 2010). This is similar in Damhorst’s study that the employee’s dress is reflective of her work ethic. Damhorst states that “those who are reviewed as expressing organizational values in dress and other behaviours are likely to receive greater validation for their appearances from persons in power in the organization” (Damhorst 49). Similarly, a contributor to the blog post “WTF Do I Wear to a Fashion Job Interview?” states, “Whenever I see recent grads dressed [head to toe in designer labels] I can’t help but think, spoiled little rich girl. Is she going to give me diva attitude when I’m having her cut swatches and make copies at 9pm at night?” (“WTF Do I wear to a Fashion Job Interview?”, 2009).

             The fashion industry is difficult to dress appropriately for because each work environment has a different aesthetic and vibe. In an interview for the Fall issue of NYChic Magazine (pg 63-68), I asked fashion interns what the office environment was like at their internship ranging from Elle, Vogue, Karla Otto, Miu Miu, and Nick Knight Studio. The general consensus was that the interns were expected to dress more casual than their supervisors while still looked put together. In contrast, their superiors were often very dressed up (head to toe in Miu Miu or Prada at the corporate office) and are more feminine in heels and chiffon dresses. The corporate world and the fashion industry are almost polar opposites and in the corporate world, Damhorst claims that exhibitionism “may discredit the image of professionalism… [because of] extreme consequence of fashion” and “highly fashion forward [women] in the work place draws too much attention to [herself]” (53).

            I decided to interview interns and supervisors regarding interview attire at my current internship at 3.1 Phillip Lim. I asked each intern what they wore for their interview and each intern generally wore the same thing consisting of a skirt with a cashmere sweater or blouse and a pair of heels or heeled boots. One intern asked her friend if it would be wise to wear 3.1 Phillip Lim to the interview and her friend strongly objected. I interviewed two sales assistants after they interviewed a girl for a sales internship position about the influence of dress on the interview. One sales assistant stated that while it is important what the intern wears for the interview, she does not associate the interviewee’s interview attire to her ability to work. She judges the interviewee’s clothes to better understand if the potential intern is interested in fashion and trends and whether or not she understands the brand’s aesthetic. The other sales assistant emphasized that he would not hire anyone who wears jean overalls or wears anything with large logos from Abercrombie. However, he later states that certain logos are acceptable. One thing I found extremely interesting was that they both agreed that they wouldn’t negatively judge a potential intern who shows up at the interview with an  $8000 Hermes Birkin or $700 Christian Louboutin heels. Furthermore, while some people believe that dressing head to toe in the brand’s clothes seem like one is trying too hard, both sales assistants disagree and encourage the interviewee to represent the brand to the fullest.

            I realized that dressing flashy did not necessarily result in bad connotations as my Elle interviewer spent more time questioning me to make me truly prove my capabilities. Like several blogs have stated, one has to push oneself more to sell herself if she chooses to communicate conspicuous leisure and consumption. By proving to the interviewer wrong and erasing the “spoiled little rich girl” impression, perhaps flashy dress is a good tactic to get the interviewer’s attention but should still have relevant experience in her resume. I didn’t hear back from Vogue Paris but I was offered a summer internship at Elle as an accessories intern. The fashion industry has a completely different set of rules when it comes for office appropriate attire as there are no rules but the limitations are a slippery slope. Through my field experiment, I realized that dressing conservatively works against the interviewee when looking for a job or internship in a luxury brand company or a high-end fashion magazine because the interviewer meets with many prospective interns that dress the same.

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Bibliography

Bauman, Zygmunt. Consuming Life. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007.

Damhorst, Mary Lynn and Patricia A. Kimle. “Symbolic Interaction: A Grounded Theory Model of the Ideal Business Image for Women.” Caliber 20(1) (1997): 45-66.

Lurie, Alison. The Language of Clothes. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2000. pp.4-36

“Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?” Corporette.  Access Date: 21 March 2011.  <http://corporette.com/2010/06/03/the-intern-with-the-9000-handbag>

“WTF Do I wear to a Fashion Job Interview?”  39thandbraodway.com.  Access Date: 21 March 2011.  < http://www.39thandbroadway.com/wtf-wear-fashion-interview>

What Does Your Bag Say About You?

The Purse Forum and The Bag Forum are where handbag enthusiasts gather and discuss brand name and members often post pictures of their bag collection and offer support and advice to other members. The Purse Forum states that they are “the Web’s #1 destination for enthusiasts of authentic designer handbags and accessories” with over “250 000 registered members” (“About PurseBlog”). Both forums’ members are made of predominantly women from a variety of ages and professions and after thorough observation, I categorized the members into the following groups: the recent high school and college graduates group lusting for their first big purchase, the working girls who just started their collection, and the established bag collectors who either invests all their savings in their bags or has a very generous husband (usually the latter is the case). In Lynn Yaeger’s “Carried Away”, she states that “if a serious bag once signified that you were grown-up, now the brand name on your bag signifies what kind of grown-up you are” (Yaeger 1) and members of these forums are perfectly aware and agree that “if you’re carrying a $1000 Christian Dior bag, it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a jogging suit from Kmart—people will assume you’re wealthy because of the bag” (Yaeger 2).

In my mediated field experiment, I was particularly interested in a section of the forum called “Your Bag Showcase” in The Purse Forum and “Show off your Bags” in The Bag Forum. I decided to closely observe the threads and note any particular patterns as well as start threads and post comments to invite other members to interact with me. In the bag showcase section, members take individual photos of each purse they own showcasing their purse collection. I didn’t understand why members would take the time to post every bag they own to show strangers what they have in their closet. What was the allure of these forums for the members? Why did they choose to look at a stranger’s collection of bags when they can shop online for the same results? After reading several threads, I have realized that there is an unwritten law of how to photograph your bags and only brands that would appear in an issue of Vogue are considered worthy of being posted. For my mediated field experiment, I decided to post pictures of my bag collection in the exact manner other members have done so in order to fit in. Members usually photograph their bags with their original dust bag or box that it came in. For my pictures, I photographed my bags in front of a white backdrop and I included their original dust bag and stuffed the bags to give it shape. Some members group their bags by brand and/or style and put them in one photo to display her collection. While the forums are focused on bags, I have noticed that other members included pictures of small leather goods, such has key holders or wallets, as long as they were brand name so I decided to include anything else I had that was brand named. I posted my bag collection on the Bag Forum and titled it “My Small Collection”. I decided to state that I was a college student in hopes of steering people’s impression of me and getting people to question how I acquired my collection. I didn’t expect a lot of replies because first of all, I don’t own a lot of brand name bags and second of all, the members are avid collectors and Hermes Birkin and hard-to-find limited edition bags are absent from my collection.

My Bag Showcase:

Within 3 days, I got 7 replies and all of them complimented on how much they loved my collection and one even said, “You have a dream team here!” and all of the sudden, complete strangers envied my bag collection and some even gave me advice when I asked what I should get for my next bag. I avoided lengthy captions for each picture to remain anonymous and I wondered how other members judged me based on my possessions as Simmel states that “every property is an extension of personality” (Simmel 84).

In Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, the author highlights psychologist Samuel Gosling’s study that one can learn a lot about an individual by looking at her belongings. In both forums, members openly invited strangers to judge them based on their bag collection. Gladwell states that “our personal belongings contain a wealth of very telling information” (Gladwell 37). Gosling concluded that a person’s bedroom gives three clues to his or her personality and Gosling’s conclusion can be applied to a person’s closet. The members of the forum strategically choose what they want to display on the forum to mold the character they want to be perceived as. Gosling claims that the following can be concluded based on close observation of a person’s bedroom: identity claim, behavioural residue, and thoughts and feelings regulators. The identity claim based on a member’s bag collection is closely connected to her wealth or her significant other’s wealth. Most members use the Hermes Birkin or Kelly bag as their identity claim to prove that they have made it or their significant other is very generous. The member’s behavioural residue can be judged from the condition of her bags. Are the bags in shape and are in good condition? Are there any scratches? Is the leather dirty? The bags’ condition reflects how much the member values her bags and also reflects her lifestyle. For my pictures, I stuffed my bags to give it shape and changed the lighting on the pictures to hide the scratches. Lastly, thoughts and feelings regulators can be interpreted as accessories used to personalize the bag.

            To the members, a bag was more than a functional object that carried necessities. A bag connotes one’s style, characteristics, and social status that can be easily manipulated with the right bag. In Georg Simmel’s “Adornment”, Simmel states that “adornment gives one’s whole appearance, the sociological charm of being” and “the significance of his status, symbolized by jewels [handbags in this case]… enlarge his sphere of impact… [and] his social power… is transformed into visible, personal excellence” (Simmel 83). Simmel claims that adornment allows the individual to “distinguish himself before others, and to be the object of attention… to the point of wanting to be envied” (Simmel 80). 

Disclaimer for Members

The disclaimer for this thread in the Purse Forum heavily emphasizes that members should not “post fake bags. This showcase functions not only as eye candy for many, but also as a reference. Misleading members with faux bags is not acceptable” (“Rules for the Bag Showcase”). Authenticity is heavily emphasized as anyone can buy a knock-off but only certain people can afford the authentic version. This further emphasizes that “[the authentic bag owners] have something which you do not have” (Simmel 82). In “Adornment”, Simmel’s discussion of genuine material of jewelry can be applied to the emphasis on authentic bags. Simmel states that “their genuineness makes their aesthetic value” and similarly, in John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, the author makes a similar point with art and that an artwork’s market price is said “to be a reflection of its spiritual value” and if “it is authentic…, therefore it is beautiful”. 

Many members on the forum illustrates Thorstein Veblen’s point, in The Theory of the Leisure Class, that “without reflection or analysis, we feel that what is inexpensive is unworthy” and that “a cheap coat makes a cheap man” (Veblen 124). Similar to Berger’s claim that art’s aesthetic value is reflected from its market value, Veblen claims that “we find things beautiful… in proportion as they are costly” (Veblen 124). In the Purse Forum, there is a thread titled “ Do you buy unbranded bags?” and most members reasoned that they buy brand named bags because of its quality and durability—not for its symbolic connotations. I started a thread asking members whether they preferred bags with obvious flashy logos versus ones with subtle designer signature and while I didn’t get enough replies to make a concrete conclusion, one member stated that she prefers the latter because she “like the style to speak for itself”.

Peanutbabycake's Tri-colour Hermes Ostrich Birkin

The emphasis on the bags’ brand name in the forums often overshadow the bags’ aesthetics. One Purse Forum member, Peanutbabycakes, is infamous for her Hermes collection and her tri-colour ostrich Birkin made up of clashing dew green, orange, and red highlights how people think a bag is aesthetically pleasing purely based on its brand. If it weren’t for the bag’s iconic shape and brand, most people would not look at the bag twice. Peanutbabycakes has a thread with 3094 replies and 1 186 965 views over past 3 years and people are still commenting on her bag collection.

Peanutbabycake's Hermes Birkin Collection

Peanutbabycake's Hermes Kelly Collection

Peanutbabycake's TDF Closet

I was in awe when I first came across her thread because she owns currently owns 6 Hermes Birkin and 5 Hermes Kelly in various skins (for your reference, calf leather starts at around $8000 while ostrich and crocodile costs much more). My first question was: how did she afford all these bags? According to her captions, her husband funded her bag collection. Members have showered her with compliments and comments like “your collection is TDF (to die for)” and “I want to be you when I grow up”. Her captions state that her husband funds her Hermes addiction. Similar to Berger’s critique that people immediately place aesthetic value on artwork that has market value, Peanutbabycakes seem to buy Hermes bags for the sake of the brand and the connotations attached to an Hermes Birkin and Kelly. Both the Birkin and Kelly have a long waiting list and cannot be bought by simply walking in an Hermes store.

The Purse Forum and the Bag Forum celebrates materialism and conspicuous consumption but the forums are a mere extension of the plethora of fashion magazines that send the same message. The forums make me question how our personality and individual style is conveyed with a bag that numerous people own the same one. I personally find it vain that people take so much time taking pictures of items in their closet in hopes of being showered with compliments on their material possessions from strangers. By reading thread after thread, I conclude that the aesthetic and practicality of the bag is lost and only the brand matters in the end.

As a side experiment, in your comments on my journal post, I invite you to judge me based on my bags and try to figure out my personality based on my material possessions.

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Bibliography

“About PurseBlog.”  PurseBlog.  Modification Date: 17 March 2008.  Access Date: 24 February 2011.  < http://www.purseblog.com/about/>

Berger, John.  Ways of Seeing.  London: Penguin Books, 1972. 

Gladwell, Malcolm.  Blink. Back Bay Books: New York, 2005.

Simmel, Georg.  “Adornment.”  The Rise of Fashion.  Edited by Daniel Leonhard Purdy.  Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.  1908 (1997).

Veblen, Thorstein.  The Theory of the Leisure Class.  New York: Random House, 2001.

Yaeger, Lynn.  “Carried Away.”  The Atlantic Monthly (April 2007). <http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200704/yaeger-handbags>