The exhaustive Reddit threads of international shoppers devoted to the hunt for the viral Adidas Chinese New Year Tang Jacket echo the woes of my Scottish father. He groans that he can’t seem to find remotely sensible Adidas colorways in the US that he can in Europe, or secondhand. These diligent pursuits for inaccessible products made me question the reasoning behind and extent of Adidas’s location-specific product variation.

Is it a punishment to be sequined and feathered? The Showgirl is emblematic of Las Vegas, a mecca of partying, sex, drugs, glitz, and gambling. Her image is thus an expression of lawless freedom, and yet, the Showgirl has been bedeviled by exploitation. Female autonomy has often been compromised in the pursuit of good show business. The Showgirl’s aesthetics have made a resurgence in the past year. Yet the adornments of diamond-encrusted, plumaged costumes battle over whether they empower women or further encroach on their agency.

The industry of luxury goods relies on exclusion, on perpetuating the class divide. Luxurious items are a decoration for the rich and an aspiration for everyone else. There has been a notable rise in fads, such as "stealth wealth," which aim to emulate the rich. However, designer perfumes have always existed as a keyhole into their splendor.