Luxury

Luxury car rentals. Luxury labor and delivery. Luxury unpermitted ADUs. Luxury haircuts. Luxury dog grooming. Luxury outlets. Luxury post-op recovery. Luxury bath towels. Luxury Magnesi-Om supplements. Luxury spiritual concierges. Luxury NFTs. Luxury private security. Luxury kitchenware. Luxury rideshares. Luxury cat trees. Luxury mobile car washes. Luxury beliefs. Luxury party planning. Luxury self-care. Luxury streetwear. Luxury Airbnbs. Luxury nail salons. Luxury vinyl flooring. Luxury Zoom backgrounds. Luxury paint. Luxury dog daycare. Luxury resorts for dog Reiki and acupuncture. Luxury apartments. Luxury card holders. Luxury mansions. Luxury golf gear. Luxury headphones. Luxury incense. Luxury resale. Luxury camping. Luxury karaoke. Luxury laundry detergent. Luxury yoga mats. Luxury Hollywood sightseeing tours. Luxury butter from the farmers market. Luxury water from Erewhon. Luxury movie theaters. Luxury facials. Luxury gyms. Luxury fish sandwiches that come with caviar. Luxury caviar dealers who make house calls for celebrity chefs. Luxury yachts. Luxury hair weaves. Luxury doomsday bunkers. Luxury porta potties. Luxury ayahuasca retreats.

In Los Angeles, it’s not just who you know; it’s the words you know. Luxury is, contrary to the trend pieces, anything but quiet these days. It trails just behind property value as the favorite catch phrase to lob at an acquaintance at brunch. When the bat signal shows up, the answer is always: “I’ll have what they’re having.” Luxury announces itself as “This is something new in history,” to borrow from Dwight Macdonald. No matter how malleable its definition, luxury has a distinct fragrance; it never loses the scent of the novel.

Even as far back as 2000, some journalists hinted that the luxury lexicon was already in the autumn of its medusa phase. New meanings of luxury sprouted from the old faster than the internet could catalog. Now, even AI can’t keep up with the Jonzes. (Oops, Joneses!) There are simply so many interpretations, coming from so many sources, each of which felt inspired to create its version of luxury.

The definition we gravitate toward is “something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary.” Luxury is the upsell when you’re getting your feet did. It’s not nothing; it’s something, surely. After you treat yourself, you leave thinking, Why doesn’t everyone have this?

Issue 22 is “Luxury,” a collection of small gestures toward abundance. A series of stories to make you feel full from start to finish. We know your time is limited, so we’ll spare you the long summary. The Cliffs Notes version? You won’t find the true meaning of luxury in these pages. Instead, you will have a few moments, free from scarcity, to meditate on the gospel of luxury as it is written. When you are done, perhaps the word will appear differently when you see it in the wild. In L.A. there is luxury and there’s luxury. Maybe it's splurging on valet. Or maybe (cough, cough) it’s not having to think about parking at all.

Ian F. Blair Editor in Chief

Image logo by Jacob Rochester For The Times