Yves here. In this overly dynamic time, some lighter material seems in order, here on how people have overwhelmingly been converted into consumers who must have new and/or pristine wares.

Now I must confess that when I worked on Wall Street and in consulting (as in had top execs and billionaires as clients, as well as status-competitive peers), I was guilty of the behavior described below, not out of internal desires per se but Keynes beauty contest thinking, as in what others would make of worn items. I was very sensitive to the signals my clothes, jewelry, shoes and bags conveyed. This sort of thing is very acute in Thailand, where a big driver of consumer indebtedness is keeping up face via ones clothes and particularly, vehicle.

But when I was off duty (and even more so now), my cold water Yankee tendencies came to the fore. No makeup. Badly worn jeans and sweatshirts. Cheap and serviceable outerwear.…