This is going to be about what's chic. Not chick—that's something totally different, and we'll get to that later. No, the topic at hand is what's chic, as in, c'est chic, le freak, and so forth. What's the point? Now that well-worn notions of "luxury" and "high-end" and "status" have landed on the scrap heap, we need a new way to size things up. Just because flaunting overpriced consumer goods has been thankfully revealed to be uninteresting doesn't mean people don't crave to have and to know what's good. So let's talk about chic. It's really got nothing to do with price tags or admission policies. It's when something truly appeals. Oysters can be chic. Cars too. Songs, hotel rooms, computer screens...you name it. So let's go.