8. Forbes Price Index of Luxury Goods Keeps Pace with Inflation
Scott Decarlo
The following chart is excerpted from one posted on the Forbes magazine Web site on September 23, 2010. Forbes is a business bi-weekly that is famous for its lists, such as “The Forbes 400,” which identifies the richest Americans.
| ITEM | 2010 PRICE | CHANGE FROM 2009 |
| Coat/Natural Russian sable, Maximilian at Bloomingdale’s | $200,000 | 14% |
| Silk Dress/Bill Blass Ltd., classic | $1,900 | –21% |
| Loafers/Gucci | $495 | 0% |
| Shirts/1 dozen cotton, bespoke, Turnbull & Asser, London | $4,200 | 0% |
| Shoes/Men’s black calf wing tip, custom-made, John Lobb, London | $4,187 | –11% |
| School/Preparatory, Groton, 1-year tuition, room, board | $48,895 | 4% |
| University/Harvard, 1-year tuition, room, board, insurance | $50,723 | 4% |
| Opera/Two tickets, six performances Metropolitan Opera, Saturday night, parterre box | $4,265 | –3% |
| Caviar/Imperial Special Reserve Stellatus, 1 kilo, Petrossian, Los Angeles, CA & N.Y., N.Y. | $19,600 | NA |
| Champagne/Dom Perignon vintage 2000, case, Sherry-Lehmann, N.Y. | $1,799 | 0% |
| Dinner at La Tour d’Argent*/Paris, estimated per person (including wine and tip) | $426 | –15% |
| Flowers in season/Arrangements for 6 rooms, changed weekly, Christatos & Koster, N.Y., per month | $8,175 | 0% |
| Hotel/1-bedroom suite, Four Seasons, N.Y. | $4,650 | 0% |
| Face-lift/American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery | $17,000 | 0% |
| Lawyer/Established N.Y. firm, Schlesinger, Gannon & Lazetera LLP, average hourly fee for estate planning by partner | $875 | 3% |
| Perfume/1 oz. Joy, by Jean Patou | $450 | 13% |
| Motor yacht/Hatteras 80 MY (with 1,550hp Caterpillar C-32 engines) | $5,281,600 | 0% |
| Shotguns*/Pair of James Purdey & Sons (12 gauge Side-by-Side), Griffin & Howe, Bernardsville, NJ & Greenwich, CT | $185,954 | –1% |
| Swimming pool/Olympic (50 meters), Mission Pools, Escondido, CA | $1,476,000 | –5% |
| Tennis court/Clay, Putnam, Tennis and Recreation, Harwinton, CT | $55,000 | 0% |
| Automobile/Rolls-Royce Phantom | $380,000 | 0% |
| Magazine/Forbes, 1-year subscription | $60 | 0% |
| Duffel Bag/Louis Vuitton, Keepall Bandouliere, 55 centimeters | $1,225 | 0% |
| Watch/Patek Philippe classic men’s in gold (Calatrava), alligator strap | $17,400 | NA |
| Purse/Hermes, Kelly Bag, calfskin, rigid, 28 centimeters | $7,300 | NA |