Fashion Blogs

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

I can’t tell you how much I loved finding this vintage 80′s Pierre Cardin black jumpsuit at the thrift store.  There are no words to acutely describe this vintage Cardin jumpsuit, with pockets, because there are no words to really describe the vision of Pierre Cardin.  He’s been designing clothing for over 60 years and he is iconic in the fashion industry.  All this jumpsuit needs is this William Spratling necklace and off you go… If I could just get my hands on some of his pieces of furniture I

This is my very first piece of Alexander Wang I’ve ever found inside a thrift store so that sound you just heard was my cherry popping!   This silk LBD by Wang is off the chart sexy and you should have seen my eyes when I saw the label.  I immediately said “Thank you GODS”….  You would have to literally be living under a rock or in some cave not to know who Alexander Wang is today, he is the American superSTAR.  In 2007 it was the first time he shown a runway collection and ever since then he ha

Anyone would have to be living under a rock to not know who Vivienne Westwood is today but all that counts is that I do and I love this woman.  I would give just about anything to spend some quality time with her because her approach to living a healthier lifestyle is on par with mine.  She’s genuinely aware of our globe warming perils and makes it her mission to do something about it.  Please click on and watch this short video and prepare yourself to be wooed by her charm & intelligence.

Growing up in Texas I’m very familiar with the Victor Costa label and normally I wouldn’t rescue it from a thrift store except when it says under the Victor Costa tag “Neiman Marcus”…  Victor Costa was born in Houston Texas and studied fashion design at Pratt Institute in New York.  In 1973 he launched the label and became known for “line for line” copies of European couture pieces.  I love this quote from him and it sums it up nicely : “The word ‘fashion’ would not exist if there were no copyin

You know I love finding vintage luxury but to find both of these items next to each other is like going on a holiday to Ibiza.  Vintage is the new black and with this outfit trust me, it can’t get any sweeter.  Calvin Klein 70′s & Ungaro 60′s think of all those psychedelic drugs those items have witnessed in their lifetime.  Lard have mercy.  I love the sheer sleeves on this Calvin Klein blouse and the pattern is off the chart hot.  You know how much I love finding items that have pockets so it

I found the vintage silk cream Escada 90′s blouse at one thrift store and the vintage Valentino plaid skirt at another.  Did I mention that the Valentino skirt still had the original price tag as well as label tag still on the skirt?  Judging from the age of this Valentino skirt I would say 90′s as well.  I love that the size on the Valentino skirt said it’s a size 6 because today it’s really a size 2.  Yes a size 6 back in the 80′s & 90′s is really a size 2 today, that’s how crazy the sizing fl

I consider myself pretty lucky when it comes to a lot of things but finding this mint condition Ports 1961 black top & this vintage linen Valentino skirt at the thrift stores, well I consider that a gift from the GODS…. There isn’t one thing I don’t like about this Ports 1961 black top, just check out the photo of the backside and you’ll know what I mean.  In 2004, under the Canadian sportswear lable Ports International’s umbrella, North African-born, Vancouver-bred designer Tia Cibani launched

I recently saw this video  (click to watch) and read that these young workers at these factories are as young as 12 years old and make as much as $32 a month.  They work upwards to 12-14 hours a day, in the worst working conditions known to man, for companies like WalMark, Gap, Old Navy and many others.  There are of course so many of these factories in Bangladesh, Ski Lanka, China etc that don’t have fire exits or even fire extinguishers …  This is a prime example of pure greed and of course an

I had no idea who Cahill of Beverly Hills was but that’s what your smartphone is for…  Cahill of Beverly Hills was the firm of William Cahill, premier designer of wedding gowns from the 1940s through the 1960s.  Cahill of Beverly Hills defined quality in bridal wear during this period with its use of exquisite fabrics and craftsmanship.  His wedding gowns were considerably more expensive than most gowns back then and if you look at the photos you will see the price of one for $140.  $140 back th

The thing I love the most about The Thrifters blog among many things is the opportunity to meet other fellow thrifters like myself.  Last week the lovely Amber Bickham strolled intoDoubletake Recycled Luxury Boutique (my store) and we chatted as if we knew each other our entire life.  I love meeting people who are as passionate as I am when it comes to hunting & gathering vintage luxury so saying that I want you all to meet Amber Bickham and here goes a few questions & answers……

Q:  Please tell T

When I found this dress inside a thrift store it was brand new, still with the new smell and still with the clear plastic tag used for the price tag.  I love when I find something new from a thrift store because you really don’t expect that, so it’s a surprise surprise surprise… Laurel Berman created this brand and every piece I’ve ever found has always been contemporary & sexy.  This is one sexy dress and I can’t think of a single woman on the planet that doesn’t want to look & feel sexy.  Don’

Tiger, leopard, cheetah or zebra prints NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE….  NEVER…..  Yes I’m screaming as I type this because the other day at my boutique – Doubletake Recycled Luxury – a woman came in and saw this leopard print top by Versace and said “oh is leopard back in style”???  It’s very hard for me not to roll my eyeballs while I’m explaining this to her but I said ‘that classic animal prints NEVER go out of style, only our perception does’!  So when I saw this Moschino, tiger print,  sexy and