Late Summer my “niece” Monya from Indianapolis visited us for a week. Monya was seventeen years old then and is enthusiastic as I am when it comes to thrifting. Five out of seven days we hit LOTS of thrift stores and since she was 17 and on a budget we made every dollar stretch to a whole new level. At the end of her journey with us I had scored her 6 pair of denim jeans, Jil Sander slacks, Bernard Zins slacks, 2 skirts, 3 dresses (2 Ann Taylor and 1 Banana Republic), 3 shirts, 1 cashmere sweater, 1 Missoni ‘ISH shawl, and finally 3 vintage head bands. Twenty one items we scored and the grand total for this high school student was a whooping $70. That’s right folks $70 damn dollars! The Jil Sander and Bernard Zins slacks combined retail wise would have cost $600-650. So what better holiday gift for this girl but the Alice + Olivia leather trimmed jeans I scored awhile back with this fabulous silver chained belt. The grand total for those 2 items cost me $6.75. SHOPping smart at any age is always fashionable. Toodles for now. Daniel

Yesterday I was filming a tv show pitch all day and didn’t have time to do much shopping or blogging but I did do some shopping the day before. Monday I drove down the street to my local Value Village to do my Christmas shopping. Yes you heard me Christmas shopping, I’ve discovered you really do get more bang for your buck at thrift stores. I started off in the mens section and found a nice Calvin Klein light blue shirt priced at $3.29, I know just the person who will absolutely love this. Then I walked over to the women section and started looking at sweaters when out of the blue came this St. John knit in pristine condition marked at $2.29. There was absolutely not a damn thing wrong with this sweater and I know just the person that would love to wear this out. A few minutes later and I found another sweater by Kim Rogers, not a famous label but cute and very stylish, and for $3.29 how do you go wrong? So after shopping for about 30 minutes I decided to leave so I walked up to the counter to pay for my 3 lovely items. I handed the lady a 10 dollar bill and you know what ? I got some money back !!!! I thought to myself I just scored a fantastic St. John knit sweater, Calvin Klein shirt and another sweater all for under $10. I’m calling that one hell of a bargain. Can you get any more stylish for any less? I think not. Toodles for now. Daniel

When I stepped inside the thrift store yesterday and first saw this vintage air hockey table, I almost flipped out. God what a flashback I had. Growing up in South Texas during the 70′s we had one of these tables in our den. You read it correctly our den! My brother Darrell and I would spend hours playing this game and invite all our friends over as well. The air hockey pucks would fly everywhere and break everything in sight and yet for some reason my mom never yelled at us. We were lucky kids. So after I had a 70′s flashback, I saw the price marked at $50.00 and just smiled. I walked over to the women’s section and went through the jackets and found this gorgeous Christian Dior wool jacket priced at $5.00. So if any of you ladies out there feel the strong urge to rehash a childhood memory and wear a size 8, for $55.00 you would be one stylish air hockey player. Toodles for now. Daniel

I am back from Indianapolis and here to report my final thrifting experience. My niece or that’s what I like to call Monya picked me up after school on Friday to hit a Goodwill. Monya was with her friend Kelsey (wearing the hat) and are both 18 years old. They love to hit the Goodwills and Salvation Armys and I’m so proud of them! Really within a matter of minutes I found this gorgeous black and white St. John knit sweater priced at $5.39. I continued to shop with Monya shuffling through the blouse section and I plucked out this very stylish and Missoni’ISH print . At first I was so excited thinking it might be Missoni , it wasn’t. I continued to sift through the blouse section and yanked out another fabulous print for Kelsey. This blouse yet again turned out to be a no brand name but the design and style was simply chic and for $4.00 how do you go wrong? I decided to walk over to the mens section and let the girls continue to shop and that’s when I got lucky. I spotted this fantastic Robert Graham shirt. I absolutely love Robert Graham’s apparel, LOVE IT. Robert Stock designed the first collection in 2001 and favored Saville Row style – an influence that continues to resonate today in the Robert Graham line, with its impeccable quality, exquisite detailing and wry, subtle wink of British-inspired humor. This shirt was priced at $4.00 and in pristine condition. Finally I bought several Joy Mangano huggable hangers priced at 2 for $1.00. For those out there that don’t already know this these are hands down the best hangers known to mankind. I was very pleased with my purchases and grateful that I got to spend time with Monya and her friend Kelsey thrifting in Indianapolis on a cold day. Toodles for now. Daniel

I’ve been in Indianapolis now since Wednesday and so far I have hit 5 thrift stores. The first one I went into I saw these 2 vintage wool English hats both marked so low I can’t believe I walked out empty handed. At the same thrift store I spotted this women’s green linen MaxMara jacket priced at $4.00. Mitch and I walked right next door to another thrift store and that’s where I found this spectacular vintage Givenchy bamboo print shirt. Made from 100% polyester and marked at $5.00, it had style written all over it. One thing I can say about this city is there are no stortage of thrift stores or warm places to hang. It’s super cold here and yet that doesn’t stop me from thrifting so on that note I have more shopping to do. Toodles for now. Daniel

I wanted to share with everyone this fabulous yard sale story. This is from my dear friend Art who is an amazing thrifter and when you hear this story I swear you’ll wake up early Saturday morning and hunt for yard sales.

Daniel,

I came across this Dior wild and crazy print shirt marked at $4.39 and did I buy the damn shirt? NO. Each time I see the photos of that shirt I ask myself “what was I thinking?” That pattern is so rich and classic, I was a total fool for passing it up. Then I found this simple and yet sophisticated Longchamp tie. Longchamp is a French leather and luxury goods company founded by Jean Cassegrain in 1948. I rarely come across anything Longchamp so why did I pass on this too? The shirt matches the tie and yet it slipped through my fingers. Mercury must be in retrograde. Toodles for now. Daniel

This will conclude my thrifting saga from Saturday. Umie was gathering up quite a nice assortment of labels in her paws when all of a sudden she froze. I’ve seen that face before and am myself quite familiar with what just happened. She slowly raises the slacks , showing me the label “Jil Sander“. We both busted our guts with laughter and did our usual high 5. She was in shock and I was truly overjoyed for her conquest. She continued her search when all of a sudden she come running over to me waving another pair of Jil Sander slacks in her paws! We just screamed with joy. She kept saying ” I can’t believe I found 2 pair of Jil damn Sander slacks”. She marched into the dressing room to begin trying on all her finds. She was concerned about the sizes, both slacks had a different size, one was a size 6 the other 8. I told her to just try them on. What I have learned over the many years of doing this is you just have to try things on. If you hold them up to your body and think there is a chance they might fit you, then get your booty into the dressing room immediately. You might just be pleasantly surprised. At least that was the case for Umie. Both slacks fit her to perfection. Toodles for now. Daniel

Continuing with Saturday’s thrift store raid I spotted this gorgeous 2 piece dress suit by Laundry. Shelli Segal launched the brand in 1988 and from the first collection it has always reflected the “LA Girl” – feminine and contemporary with an energetic and free-spirited attitude, always craving the next fashion statement. This little 2 piece Laundry suit was priced at $16.00 and size 8. It’s gorgeous and super chic. A few more steps to the left and I ran into this really well constructed red velvet jacket from Henri Bendel. Henri Bendel is one of Manhattan’s chicest shopping playground, it’s where the girls go to find the next in accessories, cosmetics, and of course fashion. The store has been around since 1895, it’s an institution. This jacket would be so perfect for Little Miss Red Riding Hood, don’t you agree? Priced at $8.00, can you look any chicer for less? Toodles for now. Daniel

Continuing onward with our thrifting from Saturday as I was checking out the mens shirts I was extremely fortunate in finding this orange Canali shirt. Everyone knows just how much I love my color orange and when I saw this I might have gotten a wee bit moist. Here is Canali’s story: Drawing strength from a tradition in textiles that dates back to the 19th century, in 1934 brothers Giovanni and Giacomo Canali established an artisan workshop in Triuggio, Brianza Italy, to produce high quality clothing. Today the business is run by the third generation of the family, but continues to be guided by a creative flair and a vision of men’s elegance that is quite out of the ordinary. This shirt is made of 100% cotton but feels like butter. This shirt retail would sale for $250 and lucky me paid $4.39! I love the color orange and anything Italian, I think I need help! Toodles for now. Daniel

I’ve lost track as to what chapter this is in the story but again this is what I found while shopping on Saturday with Mitch, Umie and Sloan. Ok remember we were all at the Goodwill and I was having to lug around the vacuum and desk lamp. I flipped through the mens suits and jackets and found nothing, so I walked over to the mens denim section and voila I first found these 7 for all mankind jeans. This brand, famously dubbed “Sevens” by fashion editiors and stylists, grew to fame in no small part because it became an instant favorite among Hollywood’s elite. 7 for all mankind jeans continue to rank as the preferred jean among Hollywood’s leading ladies such as Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Garner and Liv Tyler. Male celebraties such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Affleck and Ryan Reynolds became fans of the brand too. They were priced at $4.00 and they are so my size. Continuing to flip through the denim I came across these Lucky Brand jeans. The denim brand was created by friends since youth Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman, they shipped the first order of LB in 1990, and have been renowned for their great fitting, vintage-inspired jeans ever since. These jeans would retail for $129.00, I snagged them for $4.00. Wait till I show you the shirt I found…. OohLaLa. Toodles for now. Daniel

Part 2 of yesterdays thrifting adventures. Mitch drove Umie, Sloan and myself to a Goodwill I had never been to in Sandy Springs Georgia. When the four of us entered we all scurried in different directions, like rats. I immediately, when entering a thrift store, go to the furniture section to see what’s there. I saw this very cool black floor lamp that was priced at $7.07, I loved the base of the lamp, I looked for any kind of a manufacture mark and didn’t see one. A few steps later I saw this Karim Rashid for Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner. This futuristic sculptural vacuum creates an elegant look that it can be left on display in your house. It was marked at $5.05 so I had to have it. I took a few more steps and saw this gorgeous vintage red gooseneck desk lamp marked at $4.51 and have to have this too. Within 5 minutes of being at the Goodwill I scooped up a very cool vacuum and a vintage red desk lamp, regrettably I passed on the black floor lamp. It started off with an electrical bang. Rest of the story to be continued. Toodles for now. Daniel

Today was a whirlwind of a day so I’m going to have to really spread this day out with several postings. It started off with me, Umie, and Mitch driving over to our friend Sloan’s house. I feel as if I have known Sloan my entire life and she has lived one hell of a life. You name it and she has been there to prove it! Fascinating life and she can tell story after story and each one just draws you in. Sloan lived in Los Angeles in the 1970′s and was in the record industry, so right there you know she got some dirt! She has mentioned this black Halston evening dress many times in the past and it wasn’t until recently that she remembered where she put the damn dress. So when we arrived at her house I say “show me Halston”. She brings it out and we all gasp out loud, I think I might have been louder than Umie, and she proceeded to tell us the story about this dress. It was LA in the 1970′s and she was staying in the Beverly Hills Hotel getting ready to attend the Academy Awards (Oscars). As she walked through the lobby in front of her was Elizabeth Taylor with this dashing man on her arms, she turned to Sloan, saw what she was wearing and said “Halston look she’s wearing your dress!”. Halston turned around and smiled at Sloan. This dress with its matching coat is one to die for and when she handed it over to me I almost came unglued. I told her she needs to hang it on her wall and spotlight it as the piece of art it is. I love a gorgeous design but a rich story like that is hard to beat. Toodles for now. Daniel

I think this Neiman Marcus cashmere sweater’s pattern is brilliant. My background is art, I am an artist and my passion is anything abstract. So you can imagine what went through my head when I scooped this creative piece up. I thrifted a little more and came across this Giorgio Armani black wool skirt. The abstract sweater and this Armani skirt would look STYLISH on anyone who could squeeze her cheeks into that size 8. A little cashmere, a little wool and VOILA the perfectly chic outfit . Toodles for now. Daniel

At 10:30 am I pulled up to Cathedral St. Philip Thrift House and immediately hit the mens section. Having no luck there I decided to check out what they had in the women’s section and thank the gods above I did. I found this really classic Giorgio Armani jaw dropping jacket size 10 USA. Then I took a step to my right and found these fantastic Etro slacks size 8 USA, priced at $9.98. I can honestly tell you I have NEVER seen anything by Etro in any thrift store. NEVER. This find was such a treat for me, you know I love Italian labels to begin with, I really had to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. The label was established in 1968 and from the beginning Gimmo Etro company produced superb fabrics made of fine original fibers, decorated with elegant designs and dyed in chic colors. The Armani jacket was priced at $14 and if I were shopping for a client I would have gobbled up the jacket and slacks, walked out of the store having paid $24 for 2 FABULOSO items and one ultra chic outfit. I did not buy the two items, I know I’m crazy. I then drove over to my friend Liz Lapidus to watch her try on that gorgeous Yves Saint Laurent pink linen Rive Gauche suit. She looked like a mix between Jackie O and Alexis Carrington only 100 times better ! That jacket has a new home now and the next time Liz wears it out she will be turning up the style volume. Toodles for now. Daniel