>> In fact, if you do this I think you're vapid and lose respect for you. To springboard off of this comment - you're entitled to this opinion, but why do you

>> In fact, if you do this I think you're vapid and lose respect for you. To springboard off of this comment - you're entitled to this opinion, but why do you feel that way? Perhaps you can be convinced that not everyone who enjoys veblen goods is vapid. I wear a $3000 watch every day. It's mechanical one that is, from a purely objective time-keeping perspective, inferior to a $50 quartz watch. But I love watches. This particular watch is made by Nomos Glashutte, a very small watch company that makes minimalist watches with completely in-house designed movements. They manufacture not only most of their watch parts, but also most of the tools required to make those parts. When I wear this watch I like to gaze at its movement sometimes and hear it ticking away, thinking about the fact that some watchmaker in Glashutte trained for years to make this by hand and finally did so. I also get a lot of satisfaction from winding it by hand. Finally, though it is an expensive watch, I don't wear it for recognition. It is of a much higher quality from a horological perspective than most other watches in this category (in-house movement, consistent industry awards, beautiful design), but it is simple. It's not gaudy and does not broadcast a name brand that is instantly recognizable, like Rolex or Tag Heuer. For the same reasons I also love A. Lange & Sohne and Glashutte Original. I encourage you to check out a video with John Mayer on Hodinkee where he talks about his experience of watch collecting - yes he has the token Rolex in his collection, but he also has many that are not instantly recognizable and it would appear that he genuinely loves each of them for explicable reasons. Now, I can't talk at the same length about a Hermès tie, but I could probably speak at some length about a made-to-measure custom suit versus a bespoke suit, and talk about the differences between Brooks Brothers, Brioni, Canali or Ford (all different "tiers" of suits). It is much easier to enjoy a suit when it fits you extraordinarily well, is made of a very comfortable fabric and has a level of quality to be both attractive and reliable. Further, the experience of going to a tailor is an altogether different one than buying "off the rack." I think this is what the author means by products inspiring a certain "feeling"...it might not be vapid elitism, it might just be affection for hand-made, well-fitting and attractive items for both form and function. In short, it can be art. I think you might feel that people who enjoy these sorts of things are more like yourself if you gave them a chance to explain their passion.