Calling all A-List fans!

I thought this article was really interesting...never knew this before!

Zoey Dean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zoey Dean is a fictional character put forth by Warner Books as the "author" of The A-List, a New York Times Best Selling series ofYoung adult books.[1] The Dean books are actually written by a well-known young adult writing married couple, which is why both the girl and the guy point of view is so strong. They know the ins and outs of Hollywood very, very well and currently also write for a top-rated TV show. "Zoey", however, is on vacation on a small Caribbean island. It has also been said that Zoey Dean grew up in Beverly Hills and now lives in Palm Beach.[2].

The Dean ghostwriter is working on the next A-List novel and has recently finished a different book, How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.

Deluxe: Blog 4, Post B

Three words: cult of luxury

Deluxe: Blog 3, Post A

Vocab for the week:

Lilt (69)- a pleasant, gently swinging rhythm in a song or tune

amelioration(75)- make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better

Figurative language:

1)"Dior's leather was as fake as acrylic nails"(76)  This is a simile because it uses "as".

2)"I would've never bought Givenchy. I wouldn't have even paid a penny for it, but now I would never sell it. Not even for hundreds of millions of dollars"(63). This is an example of irony because Arnault (read post #4 for info on him) loves that Givenchy turned into a gold mine.

3)"This bag, this one bag, represented all we were as a company" (67). This example shows figurative language as a symbol because the bag is representing Louis Vuitton as a growing company.

Quote:

"I don't want to sell. The company is priceless"(56) Although this quote is similar to the one in figurative language, it shows a different side to Arnault.  He really was a strong business man who had very good ideas. He was young and what was needed for LVMH to succeed. 

Theme:

A theme that I see emerging is that sometimes taking chances is a good thing, which could mean success. 

Deluxe:Blog 2 Part B

 So far so good!  I am loving my new book. Granted, it’s not a page turner, but the random things that I am learning are really interesting. There are about 350 pages in my book and I am on page 50, so I have a ways to go. I am currently on page 54. Chapter 1is all about Louis Vuitton. Did you know that when the Nazis arrived in Paris during WW1, all of the couture houses shut down except for Louis Vuitton? (pg 27)  In 1977, Vuitton was only making 1.2 million dollars a year. The problem was that they weren’t able to sell ready-to-wear goods. Everything they made was handmade in a small shop in Paris. They then decided that Vuitton needed to step out of the family to find a younger head of the company. By 1984,  sales had increased 15 times, to about $143 million, and profits by almost thirty times, to about $22 million. (pg 36)   Then, Vuitton hit a goldmine. They merged with Moet-Hennesey to form the now very powerful LVMH group, in 1986.  What I find the most fascinating, though is that Vuitton is able to mark up their goods to thirteen times the manufacturing costs.  I can’t wait to read more and I promise that I am going to dig deep and really reflect in my next B blog. Thanks for reading! 

Deluxe: Blog 1, Post A

Well I am on Chapter 1 of my wonderful new book, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. So far, I have learned a lot about the early days of fashion.   

Vocab

1) bourgeoisie-the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes. (pg 25)

2) akimbo-with hands on the hips and elbows turned outwards. (pg 3o)

Figurative Language

Still working on it....will edit tomorrow

Quote  

"More than two hundred thousand women worldwide wore couture in the 1950s. it was an expected part of a bourgeois woman's everyday life. Today, in comparison, a mere two hundred women worldwide buy haute couture" (pg 29). This quote is significant because it shows that luxury has now become more accessible to those who maybe couldn't afford it when it was so expensive. The people who used to buy haute couture don't want to but it anymore because it isn't as special.

Theme

One emerging theme I see is that luxury isn't "luxury" anymore, it is more McDonald's luxury.

New book

New book new book new book new book new book

It snowed today. :) But I missed it.