First, we need to make sure you understand the concept of a ‘bespoke’ item. This is one that I had to go to the dictionary for when I first ran across it in some British fiction a few years back, so I shall arrogantly assume that not everyone is familiar with it, rather than assuming this just another one of those things everyone knows but me.
The example I ran into was a ‘bespoke shirt’, and I’m sure I had seen examples before, but never bothered to run them down, of ‘bespoke tailoring’.
Well, it turns out that what that ‘bespoke‘ means in this context is essentially ‘tailor made to a customer’s specifications without any pre-existing pattern’. This would be the swankiest kind of tailoring, and the etymology of the word seems to actually come from Saville Row, which makes a kind of sense.
OK. Keep that definition in mind.
Now, the last time did a conspicuous consumption post, it was about eCreamery and their custom ice cream system. That system is pretty high-end, but it’s still a process that would be more analagous to “made to measure” tailoring
Well, this time the post is about ‘bespoke chocolates’.
Yes, you read that right. Cocoa Locoa is an NYC boutique chocolatier that offers a bespoke chocolate service.
What could that even mean? Well, apparently it means that $250 will get you a private consultation where Karalee LaRochelle, the owner and “chocolate artisan”, will meet with you to determine the styles of chocolate you enjoy, and to develop a palette of flavours. She then “formulates unique recipes inspired by your specifications”, which is followed by a second meeting. This is a “private tasting” where you choose which of the items will become your signature items.
(Perhaps somewhat ironically, ordering quantities of your signature item is cheaper than order quantities of the ‘stock’ items–you’d think the people with money to throw around developing unique custom chocolates wouldn’t be attracted by the fifty cent discount.)
There are actually a couple of people who I think this would make a great gift for, but since they aren’t in the NYC area, it’s not possible. And then, of course, my ethics analyzer would kick in and make me feel pretty dirty about spending that kind of money on luxury food when there are people who can’t afford to eat. (There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of people willing to pay enough money for a ‘bespoke’ shirt to stop a half-dozen people from being homeless for a while, so why should bespoke chocolate be any different? I’m sure Karalee will do just fine without needing to seduce customers with ethical issues.)
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