Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world. ― Marilyn Monroe Fashion footwear―boots, shoes, sandals and slippers―no longer captures the bulk of consumer spending in the footwear category, according to retail analysts. "Athleisure"―sneakers, flats, slip-ons and flip-flops―has walked off with it. The reasons for the...

Art doesn’t have to be expensive. — Judith Selkowitz, Art Adviser Al, a painter I know, asked me yesterday about the size of my works. He's friend to another artist who is enjoying commercial success with large abstract paintings, which he sells to interior decorators. Al wondered...

  The whole aim of civilization: to make everything a source of enjoyment. — Leo Tolstoy   Singapore-based Wealth-X asked over 2,000 people, Why buy original works of art? How do you think they answered? Nearly two-thirds (62%) said "my enjoyment." Pleasure—what the researchers termed the "emotional return on investment"—represents collectors'...

According to the art dealers at New York's Agora Gallery, one of the best ways to establish the personality of a room is by decorating its walls with art. While furniture stores and big-box retailers sell mass-produced wall decorations, what are you really getting at these...