Just Remember, Luxury is Not Dead

In January, as Neiman Marcus was reporting dismal Christmas numbers and laying off nearly 400, the retailer’s CEO and president, Burt Tansky, insisted a rebound was around the corner: “Luxury is not dead,” he insisted. Perhaps not — maybe it’s merely comatose. So notes this morning’s New York Times in its survey of how the wealthy have stopped spreading the wealth. Among the locals noted: a still-employed Rowlett couple trolling the indoor mall playgrounds rather than the pay-per children’s museum — “just in case.” Also cited is Good Christian Bitches author Kim Gatlin, the Highland Parkie who tells The Times …

… some of her friends had urged their husbands not to give them jewelry over the holidays. “They were like, you know, ‘There’s nothing I’m dying for right now — let’s just wait,’ ” she said. “It makes them feel like they’re participating, although they don’t contribute to the income stream.”