Those were the days. In 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the nascent United States for $15 million. His wife, Josephine, promptly spent half the proceeds on clothes. But at least they were French clothes. Here Thomas, a leading fashion journalist, shows that “deluxe” has come far from its roots as the produce of indigenous artisans and the prerogative of an elite plutocracy.

As Thomas travels the world to visit luxury houses both old and new, her thorough research is evident and effective. She covers such subjects as silk and sericulture, or the qualities of reptile skins. The history is fascinating. Many of the luxury brands at first remained true to their high, handmade standards. The Second World War put an end to that. The rebirth of most smart brands came to follow Walt Disney, for whom outside contractors produced goods under licence. With some honourable exceptions, and despite their owners' protestations to the contrary, the majority of deluxe goods are now made in? Guess. Simply add a handle or a pocket made in the West and you can legally lose “China” from the label.

This “pyramid model”, Thomas shows, now rules. “The exquisite work is produced in a very limited quantity by ... traditional craftsmen in France, Italy and the UK.” The middle range and below “is farmed out to big factories in places like ... Turkey” and now China. Thus cost makes charlatans of us all.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre by Dana Thomas
Penguin, £8.99 Buy the book here

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