Vintage (876)

You know running across Stephen Burrows isn’t exactly easy these days…  when you hunt for Stephen Burrows vintage pieces you do just that HUNT.  One so many levels this man is considered to be one of America’s finest fashion designers of our time…  In the 1970′s this man was on fire….  The first African American fashion designer to achieve international acclaim, he won several Coty awards in the 70′s and was one of the 5 American designers to show their clothes along with the French couturiers a

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I love seeing women wearing long skirts, I don’t know why but I really do.  The vintage 80s Ungaro floral cotton top with the poof sleeves and high collar is just off the chart hot.  The long velvet pencil skirt by Caroline Charles is off the chart hot.  So when you put the Ungaro hot top with the Charles hot skirt you get a lot of hot-ness.    Over the years you have heard me talk nonstop about Ungaro well today I’m going to to talk nonstop about Caroline Charles….  She began her career in th

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Norman Norell black sequin clutch…..

Sequins are always in style and this is something Norman Norell knew to be true…  This is my first item from Norman Norell, hopefully the ball gowns from the 50′s 60′s & 70′s will find me too…  Among the American fashion designers creating between the 1950′s and the 1970′s, Norman Norell had a very classical and elegant style, both of daytime and for nighttime outfits.  Remembered for both the elegance and simplicity of his designs, Norman Norell once said, “There are people who say that designe

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If there is one thing I love finding it would be vintage Missoni.  I love finding any luxury brand mind you but vintage Missoni is just so classic Italian.  The thing I really love about shopping second hand for your clothing is the fact that you yourself can own luxury brands that are classic.  I don’t care if you shop at consignment stores, flea markets or at yard sales, its the search for it that keeps me going and entertained.  Missoni started their company in Italy back in 1953 and today is

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EARTH DAY 2014!!!!

Today is one of my favorite holidays right next to Halloween, it’s EARTH DAY!  Earth Day is more than a one-day event or annual environmental wake up call to the public, it is a catalyst for ongoing education, action, and change.  Could there be anything better than that?  Earth Day aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for earth’s environment.  Planet Earth is really at a turning point now so I ask you all to plant a tree or flowers, stop to pick up a piece of trash on the sidewalk or s

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Years of Living DANGEROUSLY will air on Showtime April 13th at 10pm/ET and you bet I will be watching.  Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change.  These 21st century disasters such as killer heat waves in Europe & Australia, wildfires in the USA, droughts in Australia and deadly flooding in Thailand & Pakistan highlight how vulnerable humanity is to extreme weather.  We assume that we will always be able to get water out of our faucets but that’s not realit

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First of all I wish you could just feel the weight of this black 80s Pauline Trigere cocktail dress…  It’s quite impressive….  Every detail about this black cocktail dress by Trigere is impeccable.  The puff sleeves, the wool with taffeta mix and especially the way this drapes on the mannequin…  The woman that originally wore this in the 80s to some cocktail party, I am willing to bet, made a fashion statement.  You know I lived through the 70s & 80s in Texas and I can assure you that a Texas la

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Bill Blass vintage 70s MOD dress…

OMG I absolutely love this vintage Bill Blass 70s dress with it’s MOD look.  Wearing a great pair of Missoni or ETRO stockings and a pair of fabulous Tom Ford heels you would break the box office!   You could even wear some fabulous Lanvin trapeze vintage pants under the dress to give it more depth and walk the red-carpet!  The great thing about vintage Bill Blass is that it is timeless….  He was a great American fashion designer that really did pave the road for many of todays American fashion

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OMG when I saw the Sakowitz label inside this Oscar de la Renta for Swirl caftan I almost passed out.  Being from Texas I’m very familiar with Sakowitz but let me give you the 911 on it.   Sakowitz was a chain of family owned high end luxury department stores based in Houston Texas.  The store was founded by 2 brothers in Galveston Texas in 1902.  They sold high end luxury items and going into that store was the ultimate experience in luxury because one thing Texans do well is show off their wea

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You know I love it when I get the opportunity to interview a fellow thrifter so without further adieu here is one fascinating woman….

Q:  Please tell us your name and what you do professionally speaking.

A:  Melanie Woodroffe and I am a copy writer for an online beauty, fashion and lifestyle magazine and blogger for Capitol de Beaute, which I founded in 2007.

Q:  How long have you’ve been interested in shopping second hand / recycled for your items???
A:  Since I was a child! My Mother owned an anti
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Today is the first day of Spring 2014…..

I know I’m not the only soul that is so excited about today being the first day of Spring…. Spring we all welcome your arrival and it comes not a moment to soon.  Spring time is always a great time for you to get inside your closet and start that Spring Cleaning….  Go through your clothes and only keep the pieces you love, treasure and worship, the rest donate or consign.  Spring is the time when I flip through all my clothes and purge.    The ones I don’t want to wear anymore I gather up for Mo

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Thierry Mugler 80s snap dress….

I love Thierry Mugler.   He was an extraordinary fashion designer that when you see his pieces today they look just as fresh as the day he made them.  This is a very simple cotton dress with 3 snap buttons and the coolest of cool pockets…  I mean everything this man designed back in the 80s I WANT….  I’m always searching for vintage Mugler for my clients.  There isn’t one thing that screams out ‘outdated’ in this piece but then again when I’m out looking for recycled luxury pieces, this is exact

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I’m a HUGE fan of Geoffrey Beene and always have been.  His earlier pieces are in my opinion national treasures.  Beene, Blass & Halston…  all national American treasures.   Let me first give you some info on Swirl.  Swirl was established in Philadelphia and it produces clothes since the beginning of the 20th century….  Swirl was producing dresses for the ‘modern’ woman in the 50s and by the 60s they began making women’s loungewear.  By the 70s, Americans were becoming ‘designer crazed’ so Swirl

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I feel lucky that I was nominate because yes I’m way over 40 and yes I’m FAB so this contest just seems like a no-brainer.  I’m asking all my readers to please click on the Over 40 & FAB Contest link and vote for me (Daniel Troppy) and I will bake you some cookies, wash your laundry or your car, run your errands or even let you flip through my old fashion magazines… Oh wait I’m supposed to be doing something for you..  that’s right.  I got off track.   The contest is over April 4th so click clic

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This vintage 80s Bill Blass dress really does have that Flamenco dancer’s flavor doesn’t it?  I love it and I love the mix of patterns and especially the bow on the side of the waist.  I love seeing bows on the waistline, it’s so very 80s….  Remember back in the 80s every woman had bows either in her hair or on her clothes…  I love it.  The weight of this dress is actually quite substantial believe it or not…  That’s a sign of really good fabric and when it came to Bill Blass he didn’t leave any

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What better accessory than a scarf especially a Gucci & Dior one???  Scarves are always the best accessories and yet I hardly ever see women wearing them today.  Back in the day you would always see the likes of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn & Elizabeth Taylor wearing scarves.   I think scarves are great additions to any ensemble.  These are all vintage scarves and all are gorgeous in design especially the modern Dior one…  I say ladies bring back wearing hats & scarves even if it’s to take out

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The first home run was finding this gorgeous black Guy Laroche Collection dress and the other touch down was finding this x-large YSL shawl / scarf…  I don’t know where to even begin with this blog post because these 2 labels are iconic French brands that have been around for some time and their designs seem to stand the test of time.  This classic sleeveless LBD by Guy Laroche is so simple and chic, just look at the layers above the shoulders.  Simple design yet effective.  The x-large YSL shaw

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Finding a vintage James Galanos piece in pristine condition is equivalent to winning the lottery I kid you not.  You just don’t find a Galanos item everyday.  He started his fashion house, based in Los Angeles, in 1951 after 9 years of studying and working in the fashion industry.  Galanos became known for his work in chiffon; evening wear was a specialty.  He also designed elegant suits and dresses for day.  James Galanos is considered to be one of the great fashion designers of the 20th cent

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I just read this fabulous article in the Huffington Post titled “This is What A Totally Green, Sustainable NYC Could Look Like”… click here to read…. The article starts off by saying that the people of NYC require some 4 million acres of food producing land just to grow enough food for New Yorkers to eat annually…  4 million acres of land…  that’s like the size of Connecticut people…  I loved looking at the futuristic city of New York would look like if it indeed went completely green and all th

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Yes this 80s Pierre Balmain dress really does make quite the artistic statement doesn’t it?  Grant it I love solids and prefer them over patterns but for some reason I actually think this pattern is very upbeat.  This is just a fantastic French label, one of many, that has always delivered the goods…  I don’t know about you but when I see this label I swoon…  I’m Daniel Troppy your vintage luxury curator!  

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