An interesting article in the New York Times, about what we try to signal with our consumption habits, and how no-one really cares:

The grand edifice of brand-name consumerism rests on the narcissistic fantasy that everyone else cares about what we buy. (It�s no accident that narcissistic teenagers are the most brand-obsessed consumers.) But who else even notices? Can you remember what your partner or your best friend was wearing the day before yesterday? Or what kind of watch your boss has?