All Gilt, No Guilt

House in the Hamptons? Of course. Amex Black? Naturally. Yacht parties in South Beach? A weekly occurrence. For most of us, the only way we can get access to this level of luxury is through 3°+ of separation connections - which is the only way I was able to meet Tameka and Nick.

Despite the downturn in the economy, Tameka is investing her own money into a startup cosmetics company. Her husband flips hot Miami properties. Her kids enjoy the spoils. While speaking on the phone with her, she received a picture message on her iPhone. A friend spotted the cutest little $1,000 jumper by Rosa Chá. Based soley on the photo, Tameka casually mentioned to "pick me one up too." Apparently, this is mere pocket change to Tameka, which leaves this humble-spending blogger wondering, "Is there a $1,000 value menu out there somewhere for these people?"

Tameka and her husband boating in South Beach.
Tameka and friends enjoying a "little weekend retreat" at Sanctuary Spa in Phoenix.
In New York, Nick owns several restaurants on Long Island. He gets his model looks from his Greek ancestry, but his body from his personal trainer whom he pays to see six times a week. While walking with him into his Upper West Side high-rise apartment, Nick asked if we could stop by the front desk to check his mail. Nick is immediately handed several boxes of daily shopping spree. He has a near unquenchable thirst for fashion. And in order to keep up with the trends, he scans a luxury designer website, Gilt, every evening and one-click buys a few items. The concierge didn't even bat an eye at all the packages. I, on the other hand, clicked my tongue knowing all I would have to look forward to from my tiny metal mailslot were MasterCard credit bills and Ikea circulars.

Nick on a recent month-long trip to Greece and posing off his expensive physique.
Gilt: All in a Day's Mail
Though the recession has not yet truly made a dent in either Tameka or Nick's lives, their expression of luxury is no simple case of conspicuous consumption. They've both built up their own empires to enjoy the money for their own sake. They feel they've earned the lifestyles they now have and are determined to live their personal lives outside of the economic downturn as much as they can. In fact, they admit they may even be slightly overcompensating with the stubborn sensibility that,"no economy is going to tell me what I can and can't have." For them, luxury should be guilt-free.

Opportunity: Acknowledge their "I've earned it" attitude and tap into their "no matter what" take on luxury.