Image Magazine issue 22: Where L.A. culture meets “luxury” - Los Angeles Timestwitterfacebookenvelope

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

Valet is the pinnacle of aspirational L.A. living

Valet is the pinnacle of aspirational L.A. living

In a city with too many vehicles and not enough space (or public transit), there are few experiences more luxurious than having someone else park your car  Read the story  🔑  
Should I button up or button down?

Should I button up or button down?

To most people, a shirt with a collar is a nice shirt. But there is so much importance woven into that little scrap of cloth  Read the story  👕  
There’s a reason they call it a statement piece

There’s a reason they call it a statement piece

The appeal of Prada is that it always feels slightly of the future. The brand’s new lab-grown jewelry collection is, paradoxically, telling a new kind of story about heritage  Read the story  💎  
Issue 22 cover

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Issue 22: Luxury

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Don’t mind me. I’m just playing around in my Issey Miyake

Don’t mind me. I’m just playing around in my Issey Miyake

The late Japanese designer’s clothes are daring in their imagination. You don’t always know how to wear something and part of the fun is in figuring it out  Read the story  👘  
Walking into the James Veloria dressing room is like walking into a party at any time

Walking into the James Veloria dressing room is like walking into a party at any time

Even if you’re just trying something on for a few minutes before returning it to the rack, it’s thrilling to study, firsthand, the work of major designers’ artistic visions and how they have evolved  Read the story  🪩  
How do you have the same couch for 40-plus years?

How do you have the same couch for 40-plus years?

Care is a plastic cover on your grandmother’s sofa. It bonds with you on a cellular level — and is hard to peel yourself off  Read the story  🛋️  
I’m in the garden, watering my garden. Everything is going to be just fine

I’m in the garden, watering my garden. Everything is going to be just fine

At this age, I understand Jody’s mom in “Baby Boy.” Luxury is sitting in the garden with a cigarette and just giving exhale  Read the story  🧖🏾‍♀️  
‘Cadenas de opulencia prodigando a mi reina, mi abuela, reservada y contenta’

‘Cadenas de opulencia prodigando a mi reina, mi abuela, reservada y contenta’

Luxury is a nameplate with a story. It’s never too late to add a personal touch to the legacies of those who came before  Read the story  ⛓️  
8 items to bring a little ostentatiousness to your game in October

8 items to bring a little ostentatiousness to your game in October

From Wales Bonner’s compass brooch to Noon Goons and Christian Fletcher’s collection of hand-painted surfboards, these are the items to covet this month  Read the story  🏄🏿‍♂️  
13 L.A. happenings in October perfect for pulling up on your own time

13 L.A. happenings in October perfect for pulling up on your own time

From LAFW to Patrisse Cullors’ exhibit at the Fowler Museum to Saint Laurent’s new store, the Drip Index knows what you need this fall  Read the story  🖼️