Let's not confuse luxury with the spending of wealth. Even high end goods, when arrayed on a retail rack become merely another store purchase. The pre-fabricated feel of that experience is decidedly undifferent from purchasing a fast food burger for a dollar. When you're paying for a designers work that's produced in standard sizes by factories, what exactly are you buying that's so different than you'll find at Target? A label? Our father's brands may not exactly going to set our hearts aflutter, should we wish to be snappily-dressed young men.

True luxury is more accurately described as getting exactly what you want. Your things are customized to your tastes. It doesn't have to cost a fortune for goods exactly tailored to you; making luxury unique from price. Speaking of tailoring, that's just the area that Boston's Blank Label wants to address. Being based in the cradle of the American Revolution has apparently rubbed off on the upstart clothing maker. The brand launches today, October 31st, and it's aimed at changing the way young men buy clothes, with prices that young men could actually afford.

Starting with custom men's shirts, Blank Label will eventually branch out to offer more clothing. The shirts are handmade by experienced tailors for Blank Label. The materials and workmanship are pleasing, and the website lets you build your own shirt with the options you want. French placket? Sure! High style always looks better when it fits correctly, something that's difficult to do when you're buying a name off the rack, designed for the most common compromise. Not having to compromise or settle for something someone else designed? Sounds like luxury to us.

It's full of cat fur now. It's been obsessively shop-vaced clean, but when something is as comfortable as the Puppy Hugger's pet beds, you're not going to keep sybaritic animals away. Of course, I had to wrest it from the clutches of my children first. They thought it made a fine television-watching lounge pillow. Yes, that's right, the bed is made by The Puppy Hugger, and we used it for cats and kids, not a canine in sight. That doesn't change the fact that it's a super-luxurious pet bed with a great design.

The Two's Company bed that my lounge-tastic kitties are trying out has two hollows in the middle that will hold smaller dogs, and of course cats, in hammock-like comfort. The deeply padded sides of the bed give animals something to snuggle up against, a posture that's comforting to many stripes of beast. Covered in a variety of very soft faux fur, and filled with polyester fiber that's marshmallow soft, the handmade beds cuddle your pets when you can't. Don't be offended if Muffy starts to prefer it over your lap.

Continued after the jump.

Photos copyright ©2009 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

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Rolls Royce recently came to town with its Drive of Distinction event for customers and media alike. It's not every day you get to sample every variant in the Phantom lineup, and we spent plenty of time peppering Rolls Royce's representative with all manner of question about the cars he'd brought up for us to try out. While trying out the standard Phantom, Phantom Coupe, Drophead Coupe, and Extended Wheelbase, we got to thinking that even in a poor economy, there really isn't a bad time to purchase a Rolls Royce.

A luxury purchase through-and-through, it's also one of the finest products you'll find to buy. The cars certainly require means to acquire, but the allure is obvious, and if you're going to buy an investment-grade car of any stripe, there's a lot of sense to an expensive, handcrafted automobile that can see everyday use. Vehicles weren't meant to sit in museums, and while some historical autos belong in that setting, most beg for the road - old or new. So, you could be totally selfish and drop $1 million on purchasing and restoring a Lamborghini Miura, or you and the family can take a relaxing trip across the continent and enjoy what life has to offer.



Also check out more images from the event: