While my parents sat in the living room surrounded by friends discussing the ill-effects of technology on children, my 12-year-old niece was in the bedroom flipping through a fashion magazine, lapping up the newest trends. The result is a bit different from the usual childhood being wasted in front of Xbox portals –it veered into a point where my niece knew more about Louis Vuitton than the Mughal Emperor Humayun.

Till I joined a fashion magazine, I didn’t quite care about the history of Chanel, not that I am saying it’s not important at all, but thanks to all the cramming of history syllabi and the random sixth grade dream of being an archeologist, I had to brush up my general knowledge. In my head, only pretty young girls who dined on marble tables out of bone china dinnerware and learnt horse riding for a hobby bothered to grow up using their mother’s Fendi scarves and Dior perfumes.

Then something magical happened in the ’90s and, before you knew it, the middle class had dissolved and given way to new money. Disposable incomes became a term in vogue and my peers were saving their first salaries to buy Versace. Shopper’s Stop, the then mass chain of multi-brand outlets, gave itself a makeover to target the new trend – stocking everything from La Prairie to Guerlain. The question arose: did elite suddenly turn mass? Did The Sartorialist mark more than just the beginning of fashion blogging? Street fashion was suddenly being poured into a cocktail shaker along with high-end couture and stirred to create the trends of mix and match, colour blocking and even the fanciest of magazines were telling us how to interpret runway looks for cheap.

If it isn’t Kendall Jenner at the tender age of 16 promoting Hello Kitty, in 2012 we don’t have to wait to be 18 to subscribe to a fashion magazine. We are lapping it up; the boys are sporting the Justin Beiber hairstyle with little or no knowledge of the world beyond popular culture. Stephen Hawkings, who... what?

While we steer clear from the explanations of an economist calling this a repercussion of the rise of the Nouveau Rich, we rejoice at the fact that luxury is now a household name. While my mother would still be scared to carry a Prada bag or would be pronouncing Gucci in the horrendously wrong way (Goo-ssi anyone?) and I may not have 0.35 per cent of the general knowledge she may have, but I know with conviction that by the time I am 30, I will own at least three luxury branded bags.

Customisation Calling
If the meaning of luxury is constantly changing, what do the Richie Richs of the world do? Surely they cannot splurge on a Lanvin jacket if the ordinary can afford it! Welcome to the world of customisation. Think pink Bentleys, diamond-encrusted bath fittings or even couture doggy beds.

Hermès’s Diamond Clutch
USD $129,000
David Beckham gifted Victoria Beckham a rare diamond-studded bag of which only three are made in a year. The Silver Himalayan, made by Hermès, was a Christmas present from David Beckham to his beloved wife. It is made out of fine white crocodile leather and has a three-carat diamond on the lock. We wonder what she would be carrying in a bag like this!

Les Pooch V.I.P. Dog Parfum
USD $3000.00
Only once every two years can enough petals of the rare Osmanthus flower be picked and distilled to create Michel’s signature Fragrance Les Poochs V.I.P. This liquid gold is packaged in hand-crafted crystal bottles each numbered and signed. Due to the high demand and limited quantity Les Poochs V.I.P is offered by invitation only, made to be shared by a lucky pooch and his master.

Ginza Tanaka’s Swarovski crystal-studded Toilet
They haven’t fixed a price yet but apparently this turd flusher cost a whooping $128,000 to make. This finally proves that the loo is not just a place to attend to your nature’s call but to contemplate, maybe watch some water-proof TV, drink a glass of wine... the possibilities are endless!

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