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Unlike me, Luxury is immune to Daylight Savings and Mondays.

WTF is this life?!

Well, before Anna Delvey/ Sorokin, fake “German heiress”, got into trouble with the law, that was her life!

This girl defined Instagram Luxury and used it to integrate herself into Manhattan Society.

Then she used people to get the rest. (in ways more sophisticated than the average girl who chooses to eat at a cash-only restaurant just to ask men to foot the bill because she carries no cash)

But what exactly were the luxuries that Anna managed to extract from others? And do YOU look at luxury the same way she does?

LOOKING THE PART: Designer clothes and accessories

At first glance, the world knows you for WHO YOU WEAR, not for who you are. Don’t like it?

It’s not a new concept! People are notorious for asking you what you do for a living or giving you a once-over, so they can quickly calculate the amount of respect to give you.

Anna used luxury clothing, her output of stolen wealth, as a shortcut to garner that respect from her social circle.

Anna doesn’t. Why should she when she’s chilling in Supreme athleisure and wearing outfits that start at $17,000? I’m not even counting her $400 eyelash extensions and trips to the salon ($800 at Sally Hershberger) for upkeep!

The real luxury Anna has isn’t in the material objects. The luxury she has is psychological.

She doesn’t worry about working more hours to afford any of this. She just buys them like you’d buy a candy bar from a Dollar store.

Chew on that for awhile.

LIVING IN AN HCOL CITY - Hello NYC

You know SoHo (Anna is known as the SoHo Grifter after all), but what about HCOL?

Anna is no stranger to High Cost of Living (HCOL) areas like Paris (where she worked for Purple Magazine), NYC, and LA. Living costs such as housing, food, transportation, and taxes are more expensive than the national average in these cities, marking them as glamorous dreams to live out.

But what makes living in these areas so luxurious?

HCOL cities tailor to a specific lifestyle. Downtown events & parties, an extensive list of dining options & cocktails, fashion week, shopping, boutique hotels & spas (Anna lived for months in a $1,700-per-night room!) - it’s a buzzing social scene of fun things to do.

Although some flock to HCOL areas to achieve this perceived, lavish quality of life, Anna is strategic. It’s not the luxurious lifestyle she’s after.

It’s the siren calls of Manhattan’s great concentration of wealth and power.

And she was hungry.

DEPARTURES FROM WANDERLUST - Ibiza, The Hamptons, La Mamounia, and Chateau Marmont

There’s travel, and then there’s luxury travel.

Imagine private villas, yachts, jets and helicopters like the one Anna used from Blade to fly home from Omaha without paying the $35K up front.

Luxury travel is the gold standard of travel.

It sparkles bright with 5-star or private accommodations, exquisite gastronomy, and personalized services of exclusivity that cater to your own schedule.

And it’s all really great until you’re the one stuck with a $62K tab from La Mamounia! Then you realize your annual salary just went up in smokes within a few days, and it’s no longer an indulgent escapism when you’re dodging creditors.

SO WHAT IS LUXURY TO YOU?

Is it fancy clothes and cars? Living in a coveted neighbourhood? Or jet-setting to Ibiza?

Let’s face it. Anna’s menagerie of lavish chaos and dramatics isn’t for everyone. Leave me a comment and tell me what luxury has come to mean for you.

For me, time is the ultimate luxury.