This chapter argues that taste needs to be thought of as a mix of period styles, social differences, and personal preferences and judgements. Starting with the work of the Scottish philosopher David Hume, the chapter argues that Hume recognised the way that sentiment is an important aspect of taste to be found alongside but sometimes in conflict with judgement. To negotiate this conflict Hume promoted the role of critics as arbiters of taste. The chapter argues that while Hume was writing at a very early stage of consumerism his arguments have guided how taste has operated in the postwar period, except that the role of tastemakers has been considerably enlarged. The chapter ends by looking at Jenny Diski’s memoir of the 1960s and its description of the role of consumption in producing a complex sense of being modern.