Fashion Blogs

I loved finding this vintage 80′s Steve Fabrikant for Bergdorf Goodman knit dress with these wild crazy fun gold buttons.  Steve Fabrikant sold his designs at Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman and it was usually the same clientele that loves and adores St John.  A good knit dress is always a staple in any woman’s closet, especially one from Bergdorf Goodman !  Wink Wink…  A fantastic gold bootie with this dress would make any woman green with envy.  I’m Daniel Troppy your luxury curator!  

The Fashion Group International of Atlanta is hosting a “Vintage Rising” talk on Sept 24th from 6-8pm and I’m talking ! FGI began in 1928 in New York City.  Some of the founding and charter members have been: Elizabeth Arden, Eleanor Roosevelt, Edith Head & Adele Simpson and has grown into professional organization of over 5,000 members in the fashion industry.  So when they recently asked me to bring a few pieces and talk about how I started The Thrifters blog that lead me to opening Doubletake

I saw this St John gold top at the thrift store for something like $2.29 and grabbed it and then I realized that this is going to be my last piece of St John that I ever buy from a thrift store.  Well unless it’s a vintage St John gown or something off the wall chic but I decided no more buying St John knit tops, jackets, pants or skirts anymore.   If I find a vintage 70′s St John gown in great condition for nothing, then hell yeah I’ll buy it but no more pieces from this label.  I kept shopp

 I saw this suede Prada messager bag at the thrift store, as well at the $45 price tag, and carried it around with me for what felt like hours.  I tried to talk myself out of it, I know that sounds crazy but it’s the truth.  I normally don’t splurge on items.  I’m known as The Thrift Guru – The Thrift King – The Thrifter etc etc so no I don’t spend this kind of money on items, I’m used to buying luxury items at 99% off.  I walked up to the counter and the lovely gentleman said “if you don’t get

I remember one of my earliest estate sales experience, it was in Austin Texas when I was 19 years old.  This 93 year old lady was getting ready to move into an assisted living place and had to sell her memories.  I saw this beveled gold mirror priced at $25 (1983).  I asked the lady about the mirror and she told me that when she was a young girl, living in the Texas Panhandle, she gold leafed the mirror with her sister and to get into the corners they used a Bobby Pin.  I will never forget her t

The entire world knows I have absolutely have zero respect for Tory Burch so I wanted to write a blog post about seeing a TB item at the thrift store and leaving it there…  My eyes caught her catchy logo as I was walking inside the thrift store and so I stopped to check it out.  It was a Tory Burch caftan, which you know I love my clients to have caftans, but I want my clients to have good caftans not ‘shmata’ (Yiddish word for RAGS) ones.  The thrift store was selling the item for $4.49 and I d

When I say that I picked both of these items from the same thrift store all within seconds of each other I wouldn’t be lying or exaggerating.  That’s the thing I love about shopping second hand, whether its at a thrift store, yard sale, estate sale or flea market, you just never know what you might find.  Even when you find certain items from various second hand sources you don’t know how they will pair up and look with other pieces but these look like they were always meant to be together.  It’

Love finding Miss O by Oscar de la Renta silk blue dress with a wrap top.  I mean if I saw any A list celebrity wearing this dress I would think it would be current but it isn’t, it’s a fabulous relic from the 80′s.  I could see Julianne Moore wearing this Oscar de la Renta vintage piece with a pair of her favorite Tom Ford heels – couldn’t you?  Hell yeah….  There isn’t one area of this dress that doesn’t look amazing & timeless and that’s exactly why I love vintage so much.  Good vintage is en

I have never in my 31 years of being an avid thrift-er found an early Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress made in Italy.  Over the 4 years of me writing this blog I’ve found numerous DvF items but they mostly were current and made in China …ugh….  so imagine my de-light when I found this lovely number.  I must look at hundreds of dresses everyday and if I hadn’t lifted up the Lord & Taylor label, I would have never seen the DvF vintage label.  So it pays to be diligent & stubborn!  It’s so refreshi

I never pass on the chance to collect another SKY by David Park LBD.  My clients at Doubletake Recycled Luxury LOVE this label because it makes every woman look & feel sexy.  There is enough spandex in this dress to choke a horse, it’s like wearing a Spanx dress !  This dress is always my go to dress for any client of mine.  I also loved finding this yellow Givenchy jacket, it’s so 80′s it’s on fire!  The client who wears this outfit will be singing “This Girl is on Fire….“  Less is always more

Recently I was in Athens Georgia to see a fashion exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art (thank you Barbara) and stumbled upon a resale shop downtown.  You know I love looking everywhere for my vintage treasures and a resale shop is no exception.  I flipped through all the blouses and when my eyes ran across this label, I knew I had struck gold !  Jacques Fath was a French fashion designer who was considered one of the three dominate influences on postwar haute courture, the others being Dior &

Fred Perlberg started his company around 1920, and was known for elegance.  I believe he died at the age of 90 in 1991 .  I have to say when I found this Fred Perlberg dress for Sak’s Fifth Avenue, I was completely delighted.  The entire look of this piece is stunning and looks just a grand as the day it was designed.  To modernize this piece I always recommend your best Tom Ford heels and your best Lanvin clutch (always from your local consignment stores of course)….  Be bold and brave and wear

Every time I hear someone from South America pronounce Carolina Herrera I love it….. click here to listen…. Every time I find a little black dress by Carolina Herrera I love it even more. She began her fashion empire in the early 80′s and her designs have always managed to stay true & timeless. When you look at the details in this LBD you begin to realize that this designer has a keen eye for simplicity. I will never pass up the chance to grab a Herrera dress that’s for sure. I’m Daniel Troppy y

I’m a sucker for polka dots.  Love them on just about anything and to me the pattern is enduring not to mention cheerful…  When I’m at any thrift store and I see a polka dot print I always check it out because who knows it could be a Oscar de la Renta !!!!  Vintage 80s Miss O by Oscar de la Renta still has its punch to it and can keep on punching for eternity.  So I’m loving the vintage de la Renta blouse but what I’m really loving are these Mainbocher classic slacks.  Founded by French Vogue fa

I don’t know why the Italian Chamber of Commerce hasn’t warmly invited me over to Italy just yet because I’m always whoring up the Italian fashion designers.  I love anything French and everything Italian so with this blog posting its a total celebration.  I loved finding this Missoni top within the walls of the same thrift store as the Moschino Couture skirt.  The two of them just needed me to pull everything together and I did that and got the gold star.  Can you wrap your head about this blog

You know I’ve been a thrifter now for 31 years so when I say this I really do mean it, you don’t find YSL handbags in the thrift stores every day.  I was at a thrift store and dug through all the dresses, skirts, blouses, belts & shoes and found nothing so as I was heading out of the store I walked by a rack of purses and bags.  I looked inside each and everyone of them and then this lovely treasure appeared.  If I had to guess age I would say 90′s on this bag but could be 80′s.  You can only im

The traditional gift for a 4 year anniversary gift is fruit/flowers and the modern gift is appliances….  Yeah that’s what the Hallmark website will tell you.   I can’t believe today has been 4 years since I launched The Thrifters blog, I knew I had a lot to say but who knew I could have talked this long???  There have been some changes I’ve made on the blog, for instance I’m really connecting to fellow thrifters like myself, I want to hear more of their stories and share in the celebration of th

I thought I was a trapeze artist when I found this vintage early 80′s Bill Blass top that was made in Italy.  I did so many somersaults my head was spinning for days…  I LOVEEEEfinding vintage Bill Blass, in my opinion this man is not given his proper full metal of honor badge.  Yes his items are collectible and when you look at his work on my favorite sitewww.1stdibs.com you see it has value but not nearly what I think it should be.  This man knew a thing or 2 about draping and fabric, he was a

I love finding vintage Valentino but I really love finding this navy duster. How hot is this? It has all the bells & whistles on this item, it has the 2 side pockets and all the pleats-front & back. Love this Valentino vintage duster, it’s so chic and stylish. With items like this you can wear just about anything and it will only elevate it to a whole new level of sophistication. Wear this with jeans, slacks, dresses or power pants suits (think Hillary) and then just throw this over as if you’re

Believe me every time I see any stylist, actor, designer, manufacturer etcetera etcetera that gives our Mother Nature a helping hand, I will be there cheering them on.  When I recently watched this video, that originally aired back in Dec 2012 , it didn’t bother me that it wasn’t a’ current’ news story video.  Anytime Anyone talks about doing things to curb our wasteful spending habits to help save our planet, I will bestow upon them the highest honor in the land, The Thrifters Award.  The Thrif