You might remember that, last month, I told you about a special issue of American Express Publishing's Departures magazine, devoted solely to the luxuries of modern Moscow.

Moscow has had luxuries before. But under the Soviets, the baubles and beluga were pretty much limited to Communist Party favorites, and the luxuries might not have seemed terribly luxurious on Madison Avenue, Rodeo Drive or Avenue Georges V.

The clothiers, restaurateurs and pampering described by Departures now are accessible to any Russian with the desire--and the bank account. That may only be a slice of Russia's population, but it is apparently a big enough slice that somebody has had to organize a Millionaire Fair in Moscow.

This year's edition of the Millionaire Fair--the third annual--just ended today. According to its organizers, 38.500 people visited last year and more than 45.000 were expected this year. No, they didn't need to show proof of assets at the door; the tickets were a modest 30 euros ($44.50) per person. And for that, they got access to more than 200 national and international luxury companies and brands in markets from cars and boats, to fashion and real estate. Aeroflot took space at the fair to preview two new classes of lavish service in the air. Let that sink in for a minute to get a good picture of how far the Russian economy has come.

The BBC had a lovely little piece on the Millionaire Fair, complete with a slideshow of some of the treats that vendors hoped would tempt the wealthy. I'm sure someone among them could find a parking spot for that Swarovski crystal-encrusted Mercedes.

The man behind the Millionaire Fair--the head of an Amsterdam-based luxury media group--told the BBC that he sees his mission as that of an educator. He wants to help Russians understand that the most expensive wine on the wine list isn't always the best. I guess that's why there was a $22,000 cell phone on display.

Image credit: luisrock62, Morguefile.com