Vintage in LA
Celebrity Closet Raiders
LA Vintage Shopping Guide
Buy! Sell! Hollywood Hand-Me-Downs
By PETER McQUAID, Published in The New York Times, May 22, 2005
LOS ANGELES
With its white Spanish colonial facade, splashy window display and cool, airy interior, Decades Two on Melrose Avenue seems an unlikely gathering place for the obsessed. Yet here on a hot, sunny Saturday, shod in Jimmy Choos, Blue Cult jeans and Chloé tops, they are drawn to satisfy their desires.
"I am a resale addict," Amanda Demme, a music producer and Hollywood nightlife impresario, declared. "I love buying couture vintage and just plain vintage."
Her sons, Jackson and Dexter, planted themselves on an upholstered bench at the center of the room, as countless children, husbands and boyfriends have done before. With sharklike precision Ms. Demme scanned the shelves and racks of barely used Balenciaga bags for a quarter of the retail price, box-new Manolo Blahniks for $285 and a Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent peasant skirt for $800. Finally she settled on a white Prada safari shirtjacket as the boys offered approval.
The fashion-savvy resale shops of Los Angeles are a perfect example of unusual supply meeting unusual demand. Many prominent women here, including celebrities, do not wish be seen in public or photographed in the same outfit twice, and so they regularly consign or sell high-fashion castoffs.
There is also a large population of strivers, including some in the lower echelons of entertainment, who must dress to impress but do not have the incomes to support fabulous wardrobes. High-end resale is their resource for climbing the ladder.
"A lot of young women can afford a Gucci shirt at $150," although not a new one at $450, said Christos Garkinos, an owner of Decades Two. His business partner, Cameron Silver, founded the original Decades, located one floor above, which is home to more serious - and expensive - vintage fashion from the 1920's to the 70's.
Raya Premji, the owner of Rodeo Drive Resale in Sherman Oaks, has similar customers. "We have a lot of corporate younger women who don't want to wear basic black suits," she said.
At a third shop, It's a Wrap in Burbank, customers can wear a piece of popular culture. The store sells castoff wardrobes from movie and television productions. The clothes hang on racks with signs listing the film or show they appeared in, often mentioning the actors who wore them.
In the last month It's a Wrap has been stocked with clothes from "Anchorman," "Coach Carter" and "Collateral," among others. Also available were Armani cocktail dresses for $80, St. John knitted suits for $180, Jones New York suits for $80 and Oscar de la Renta and Vivienne Westwood jackets for $100.
"Every piece has a story," said Tiara Nappi, 34, the owner, whose mother founded the shop in 1981 and first began cultivating the Hollywood costume designers, line producers and production designers who supply the goods.
Mr. Garkinos and Ms. Premji tend to seek out new goods from overstocked boutiques, department stores and showrooms, and used clothes from estates and the overstuffed dressing rooms of fashion-obsessed Angelenos. Still other shop owners mine overseas sources.
But whether it's couture, designer, brand name or "who knows?," there is a core customer whose relationship to a reseller borders on obsession. "The psychology of this business is like no other," Mr. Garkinos said. He reeled off the opening lines of stories he had heard from consignors: "I've never worn this." "I was hungry and I bought it." "My first husband bought me this dress."
He told of clients who visit the store while on layovers at Los Angeles International Airport, and consignors who spend every penny of what they make from sales on new purchases before walking out the door.
Linda Hodges, another Decades Two shopper, a self-described "hard-core resale addict," said she depends on Mr. Garkinos's "taste and insight" as she would that of a friend. "He won't let you walk out with something that isn't right for you," Ms. Hodges said. "Other times, I've almost said no to something, and he's said: 'Linda, you should do that. It's an important skirt, an important line, and here's why.' "
Shareen Mitchell, who owns Shareen Downtown on Humboldt Street in Chinatown, deals in restored or remade dresses and currently features 70's styles. She stays in close contact with her customers. Every Thursday she e-mails a newsletter to regular clients, telling of new arrivals. In anticipation of their insistent response, her store answering machine includes her cellphone number.
Other resale shops are carrying new clothes by local fashion lines. Shabon, which is on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, sells clothes by local designers like South Paradiso and also carries the Japanese jewelry maker Gunda.
"A lot of our stuff is in the spirit of early Imitation of Christ or Xuly Bet," Mickie Curtis, the store's manager, said. "Most of our customers are in their 20's, in bands, or they're minor celebrities and they're not interested in basic."
The store buys up "dead stock" - old but never-sold clothing - from Japan. "Seventies, 80's boots and cowboy boots, say, in red or blue, are doing really well for us right now," Ms. Curtis said. "We try not to buy black."
And Ms. Curtis says she is happy to wait while a customer calls her bank to transfer money, or even to forgo a shopping bag so a customer can ball up a new purchase and toss it in the back seat of her car "as if it's always been there, so that her boyfriend or husband doesn't yell at her."
That is probably not the kind of thing a Decades Two customer would worry about. On May 14, Jamie Levine, a member of the Costume Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, was shopping there with her 17-year-old daughter, Lauren Fields, for a prom dress. The teenager was already wise to the secrets of resale.
"I won't see anyone else in any of these dresses," Lauren said as she considered a selection including two beaded Marc Jacobs numbers, a black Mayle and a gold Lanvin, all priced around $500. "The Second Time Around" by Shalamar played on the sound system.
"She'll be the belle of the ball," Mrs. Levine said, "and it's affordable."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No need to kick yourself for throwing away those Flashdance legwarmers you swore you'd never wear again. Or your mom's mod A-line coat that Twiggy would kill for. LA's vintage stores have it all, from Rudi Gernreich dresses to python-skin boots to hippie coats with suede fringe.
Stylist Stalking Grounds
These shops offer the upper crust of vintage. That woman next to you—the one you're elbowing—might be shopping for your favorite star.
1.
Paper Bag Princess
The store recently expanded its offerings in a roomier new Bev Hills location. Drea De Matteo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Maria Bello and Kelly Lynch expressed their approval at the opening party.
8818 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 358-1985
2.
The Way We Wore
Owner Doris Raymond opens up her personal closet, revealing a treasure trove of delicate frocks from the late 19th century to the early '80s. The boutique is also Mandy Moore's favorite store in LA.
334 S. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 937-0878
3.
Flounce
This small, cozy boutique only has enough room for its edited-down selection—the cream of owner Lisa Gerstein's ever-evolving crop.
1555 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles (213) 481-1975
4.
Decades
Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman...the list of celebs who shop here goes on and on. Owner Cameron Silver has created a sort of salon, where designers come for new inspiration and stylists come to dress their celeb clientele for the red carpet.
8214 1/2 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles (323) 655-0223
5.
Polkadots & Moonbeams
What started 20 years ago as a modest retail shop on has now become a celeb-infested spot.
8367 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles (323) 651-1746
Fashion-Forward Vintage
Just because the clothes are old doesn't mean they're dated.
1.
Shareen Downtown
The actress/stylist owner pulls her vintage clothes to align with the latest trends in her Downtown warehouse.
3294 E. 26th St., Downtown (323) 264-3294
2.
SquaresVille
On uber-trendy Vermont Ave., SquaresVille carries the threads of a great vintage store but with the prices more aligned with a Salvation Army.
1800 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles (323) 669-8464
3.
Shabon
It may be filled with old-school looks, but the fashions here are definitely of the moment. Catering to what's hot on the street, Shabon fills its racks with only the most happening used looks.
7617 1/2 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 692-0061
4.
Luxe de Ville
This shop has long been a resource for stylists and others unwilling to pay today's prices for '80s fashion flashbacks.
2157 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 353-0135
5.
American Rag
This collection of vintage and contemporary clothes will cost you, but at least there will be no digging through smelly piles.
150 S. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 935-3154
Vintage for the Masses
Intimidated by the fashiony-ness of even LA's vintage hotspots? Here are some safe zones for novices.
1.
Aaardvark's Odd Ark
This vintage chain is a prime location for Valley teens looking to amp up their cool factor—and Japanese tourists looking to bring a little bit of Americana home with them.
7579 Melrose Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 655-6769
2.
Snap Vintage Clothing
This store scours the Midwest for vintage finds. You don't have to go to Louisville, Kentucky for that John Deere trucker cap.
3211 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica (310) 453-4177
3.
Jet Rag
With $1 Sunday sales, this store makes vintage accessible to anyone with a buck to spare.
825 N. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 939-0528
4.
It's a Wrap
The Burbank store sells clothes that have been cast off by various studios' wardrobe departments, which means you can often get high-quality stuff that's barely (or never!) been worn, for next to nothing.
3315 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (818) 567-7375
5.
Wasteland--Santa Monica
The vintage mecca for funky finds branches out near—but not quite on—the Third Street Promenade. It's just mainstream enough.
1338 4th St. , Santa Monica (310) 395-2620
Step Into Vintage
If you don't want to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, try death stock, which sounds creepy but means "never been worn."
1.
Re-Mix
With vintage shoes dating as far back as the 1920s, Re-Mix is the best place to find vintage shoes that nobody has ever worn.
7605 1/2 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 936-6210
2.
Meow
Keep your feet from barking by buying vintage shoes at this shop. The store has men's and women's shoes from dressy to sneakers.
2210 E. 4th St., Long Beach (562) 438-8990
3.
Rockin' Rodeo
For a great selection of cowboy boots, check out this vintage shop that specializes in all things Western.
459 1/2 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles (323) 937-8450
LA Vintage Shopping Guide
Buy! Sell! Hollywood Hand-Me-Downs
By PETER McQUAID, Published in The New York Times, May 22, 2005
LOS ANGELES
With its white Spanish colonial facade, splashy window display and cool, airy interior, Decades Two on Melrose Avenue seems an unlikely gathering place for the obsessed. Yet here on a hot, sunny Saturday, shod in Jimmy Choos, Blue Cult jeans and Chloé tops, they are drawn to satisfy their desires.
"I am a resale addict," Amanda Demme, a music producer and Hollywood nightlife impresario, declared. "I love buying couture vintage and just plain vintage."
Her sons, Jackson and Dexter, planted themselves on an upholstered bench at the center of the room, as countless children, husbands and boyfriends have done before. With sharklike precision Ms. Demme scanned the shelves and racks of barely used Balenciaga bags for a quarter of the retail price, box-new Manolo Blahniks for $285 and a Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent peasant skirt for $800. Finally she settled on a white Prada safari shirtjacket as the boys offered approval.
The fashion-savvy resale shops of Los Angeles are a perfect example of unusual supply meeting unusual demand. Many prominent women here, including celebrities, do not wish be seen in public or photographed in the same outfit twice, and so they regularly consign or sell high-fashion castoffs.
There is also a large population of strivers, including some in the lower echelons of entertainment, who must dress to impress but do not have the incomes to support fabulous wardrobes. High-end resale is their resource for climbing the ladder.
"A lot of young women can afford a Gucci shirt at $150," although not a new one at $450, said Christos Garkinos, an owner of Decades Two. His business partner, Cameron Silver, founded the original Decades, located one floor above, which is home to more serious - and expensive - vintage fashion from the 1920's to the 70's.
Raya Premji, the owner of Rodeo Drive Resale in Sherman Oaks, has similar customers. "We have a lot of corporate younger women who don't want to wear basic black suits," she said.
At a third shop, It's a Wrap in Burbank, customers can wear a piece of popular culture. The store sells castoff wardrobes from movie and television productions. The clothes hang on racks with signs listing the film or show they appeared in, often mentioning the actors who wore them.
In the last month It's a Wrap has been stocked with clothes from "Anchorman," "Coach Carter" and "Collateral," among others. Also available were Armani cocktail dresses for $80, St. John knitted suits for $180, Jones New York suits for $80 and Oscar de la Renta and Vivienne Westwood jackets for $100.
"Every piece has a story," said Tiara Nappi, 34, the owner, whose mother founded the shop in 1981 and first began cultivating the Hollywood costume designers, line producers and production designers who supply the goods.
Mr. Garkinos and Ms. Premji tend to seek out new goods from overstocked boutiques, department stores and showrooms, and used clothes from estates and the overstuffed dressing rooms of fashion-obsessed Angelenos. Still other shop owners mine overseas sources.
But whether it's couture, designer, brand name or "who knows?," there is a core customer whose relationship to a reseller borders on obsession. "The psychology of this business is like no other," Mr. Garkinos said. He reeled off the opening lines of stories he had heard from consignors: "I've never worn this." "I was hungry and I bought it." "My first husband bought me this dress."
He told of clients who visit the store while on layovers at Los Angeles International Airport, and consignors who spend every penny of what they make from sales on new purchases before walking out the door.
Linda Hodges, another Decades Two shopper, a self-described "hard-core resale addict," said she depends on Mr. Garkinos's "taste and insight" as she would that of a friend. "He won't let you walk out with something that isn't right for you," Ms. Hodges said. "Other times, I've almost said no to something, and he's said: 'Linda, you should do that. It's an important skirt, an important line, and here's why.' "
Shareen Mitchell, who owns Shareen Downtown on Humboldt Street in Chinatown, deals in restored or remade dresses and currently features 70's styles. She stays in close contact with her customers. Every Thursday she e-mails a newsletter to regular clients, telling of new arrivals. In anticipation of their insistent response, her store answering machine includes her cellphone number.
Other resale shops are carrying new clothes by local fashion lines. Shabon, which is on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, sells clothes by local designers like South Paradiso and also carries the Japanese jewelry maker Gunda.
"A lot of our stuff is in the spirit of early Imitation of Christ or Xuly Bet," Mickie Curtis, the store's manager, said. "Most of our customers are in their 20's, in bands, or they're minor celebrities and they're not interested in basic."
The store buys up "dead stock" - old but never-sold clothing - from Japan. "Seventies, 80's boots and cowboy boots, say, in red or blue, are doing really well for us right now," Ms. Curtis said. "We try not to buy black."
And Ms. Curtis says she is happy to wait while a customer calls her bank to transfer money, or even to forgo a shopping bag so a customer can ball up a new purchase and toss it in the back seat of her car "as if it's always been there, so that her boyfriend or husband doesn't yell at her."
That is probably not the kind of thing a Decades Two customer would worry about. On May 14, Jamie Levine, a member of the Costume Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, was shopping there with her 17-year-old daughter, Lauren Fields, for a prom dress. The teenager was already wise to the secrets of resale.
"I won't see anyone else in any of these dresses," Lauren said as she considered a selection including two beaded Marc Jacobs numbers, a black Mayle and a gold Lanvin, all priced around $500. "The Second Time Around" by Shalamar played on the sound system.
"She'll be the belle of the ball," Mrs. Levine said, "and it's affordable."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No need to kick yourself for throwing away those Flashdance legwarmers you swore you'd never wear again. Or your mom's mod A-line coat that Twiggy would kill for. LA's vintage stores have it all, from Rudi Gernreich dresses to python-skin boots to hippie coats with suede fringe.
Stylist Stalking Grounds
These shops offer the upper crust of vintage. That woman next to you—the one you're elbowing—might be shopping for your favorite star.
1.
Paper Bag Princess
The store recently expanded its offerings in a roomier new Bev Hills location. Drea De Matteo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Maria Bello and Kelly Lynch expressed their approval at the opening party.
8818 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 358-1985
2.
The Way We Wore
Owner Doris Raymond opens up her personal closet, revealing a treasure trove of delicate frocks from the late 19th century to the early '80s. The boutique is also Mandy Moore's favorite store in LA.
334 S. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 937-0878
3.
Flounce
This small, cozy boutique only has enough room for its edited-down selection—the cream of owner Lisa Gerstein's ever-evolving crop.
1555 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles (213) 481-1975
4.
Decades
Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman...the list of celebs who shop here goes on and on. Owner Cameron Silver has created a sort of salon, where designers come for new inspiration and stylists come to dress their celeb clientele for the red carpet.
8214 1/2 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles (323) 655-0223
5.
Polkadots & Moonbeams
What started 20 years ago as a modest retail shop on has now become a celeb-infested spot.
8367 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles (323) 651-1746
Fashion-Forward Vintage
Just because the clothes are old doesn't mean they're dated.
1.
Shareen Downtown
The actress/stylist owner pulls her vintage clothes to align with the latest trends in her Downtown warehouse.
3294 E. 26th St., Downtown (323) 264-3294
2.
SquaresVille
On uber-trendy Vermont Ave., SquaresVille carries the threads of a great vintage store but with the prices more aligned with a Salvation Army.
1800 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles (323) 669-8464
3.
Shabon
It may be filled with old-school looks, but the fashions here are definitely of the moment. Catering to what's hot on the street, Shabon fills its racks with only the most happening used looks.
7617 1/2 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 692-0061
4.
Luxe de Ville
This shop has long been a resource for stylists and others unwilling to pay today's prices for '80s fashion flashbacks.
2157 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 353-0135
5.
American Rag
This collection of vintage and contemporary clothes will cost you, but at least there will be no digging through smelly piles.
150 S. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 935-3154
Vintage for the Masses
Intimidated by the fashiony-ness of even LA's vintage hotspots? Here are some safe zones for novices.
1.
Aaardvark's Odd Ark
This vintage chain is a prime location for Valley teens looking to amp up their cool factor—and Japanese tourists looking to bring a little bit of Americana home with them.
7579 Melrose Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 655-6769
2.
Snap Vintage Clothing
This store scours the Midwest for vintage finds. You don't have to go to Louisville, Kentucky for that John Deere trucker cap.
3211 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica (310) 453-4177
3.
Jet Rag
With $1 Sunday sales, this store makes vintage accessible to anyone with a buck to spare.
825 N. La Brea Ave. , Los Angeles (323) 939-0528
4.
It's a Wrap
The Burbank store sells clothes that have been cast off by various studios' wardrobe departments, which means you can often get high-quality stuff that's barely (or never!) been worn, for next to nothing.
3315 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (818) 567-7375
5.
Wasteland--Santa Monica
The vintage mecca for funky finds branches out near—but not quite on—the Third Street Promenade. It's just mainstream enough.
1338 4th St. , Santa Monica (310) 395-2620
Step Into Vintage
If you don't want to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, try death stock, which sounds creepy but means "never been worn."
1.
Re-Mix
With vintage shoes dating as far back as the 1920s, Re-Mix is the best place to find vintage shoes that nobody has ever worn.
7605 1/2 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 936-6210
2.
Meow
Keep your feet from barking by buying vintage shoes at this shop. The store has men's and women's shoes from dressy to sneakers.
2210 E. 4th St., Long Beach (562) 438-8990
3.
Rockin' Rodeo
For a great selection of cowboy boots, check out this vintage shop that specializes in all things Western.
459 1/2 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles (323) 937-8450
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