Super-Rich Men Go to ‘Bottle War’ in Nightclubs. Champagne—and Models—Are Their Weapons.

This absurd story is just one of many jaw-dropping tales of the waste and profligacy of the super-rich on the nightclub circuit documented by the Boston University sociology professor Ashley Mears, who spent 18 months hitting up nightclubs in New York City, the Hamptons, Las Vegas, and Miami for her new book, VIP: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit. …

But why, one wonders, do men—and it is almost always men—such as Jho Low want to waste their money in this way?

“I guess it’s an unsatisfying answer to say that it feels good, but people take a lot of pleasure out of spending,” Mears says, “It’s not something the nightlife industry invented. Even in pre-capitalist societies, rich people would show off their status, and perform this ‘big man’ show. Who can have a bigger feast? Who can waste more riches? Who can squander more food?” …

“People refer to it as ‘models and bottles,’ with the idea that if there’s a lot of beautiful women, that approximate to look like a fashion model, then people will spend more money on the bottles,” says Mears.

By Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast