Antiques in Advertising - Back in Vogue?

Pouring through magazines lately, I've come across some fantastic fashion spreads with antiques incorporated into the sets. What I find interesting is that it's happened simultaneously and the magazines are not parent-owned, which leads me to a large leap of logic - have we turned the corner on modern minimalism? Are antiques, like a gold brick, back in vogue? Are we an asset again and not a commodity? Perhaps too early to tell. Though in this recession, it is nice to own things you can enjoy everyday. Beauty can enrich and improve your atmosphere.
I'm not insisting on certain products or tastes in certain products. There is a space and motivation for a broad diversity of products. But, I am a little biased. I went to an event recently at a large, beautiful home and the designers had filled the house with cheap-looking reproductions that looked, well, cheap. It's one thing if your designing on a dime. But when you build a multimillion dollar home and fill it with poor quality reproductions, it cheapens the beauty of the space. And I think that's just a shame. And worse, the reproductions are almost as expensive, if not more so, than the real thing. So why go there? If you want to go with contemporary furniture then choose new, innovative designs by artists that make a new statement. If you want traditional, get the real thing or as close to it as you can afford. In my opinion it is all about authenticity. If something is "pretending" to be something it isn't, then it isn't right. But alas, there can always be exceptions, all rules can be broken!

The previous images are from the Neiman Marcus ad campaign in Vogue. The few images below are from a recent "Bal Harbour Magazine," a local publication distributed in South Florida.