Here is a webisode on one of my most favorite vintage stores in Venice: Gotta Have It. Denise Portman has had this gem of a shop here for years. Actually this year marks the 20th anniversary! Yikes I've been hitting this place for that long! Since I was ten (wink, wink)
When it comes to being green in fashion, vintage is definitely the way to go.
This clip was directed, edited and shot by Jay Zaertsky.
The Story: A Historical Record of a Vintage Junkie
My love affair with vintage clothing must have really started when I was a child. When we escaped from Iran I was so traumatized I couldn't really deal with other kids my age. I found relief from the world by immersing myself in books and films. I wanted to live in another era so desperately that I began to dress from another time. I remember having my grandmother make me prairie dresses and bonnets so I could walk to school as my hero Laura Ingalls. This sexy outfit did absolutely nothing for my social status and in fact further isolated me from my peers (rightly so, what a strange kid I was). While others were wearing Metallica T shirts, and feather roach clips in their hair, I was tightening the apron sash on my cotton flower amish dress. Later as a teenager in LA, I sought out thrift stores so I could find dresses that made me feel like Audrey Hepburn or Sofia Loren. How I now wish I bought all those incredible vintage pieces that were so abundant in the 1980's, before the Japanese did! After high school I modeled briefly in Tokyo and there I really fell in love with the vintage phenomena. This time I cut my waist length hair to a bob and began my fixation with the early sixties. Anouk Aimee, Jean Seberg and Capucine were my role models. While studying acting in New York City, I went through my exiled-Russian-Princess-Anais- Nin/June Miller-Years with long velvet cloaks, thirties chiffon dresses, satin slips, messy buns, and dark lipstick look. When I had to go to Hollywood events with my now ex husband, I would go for the Charlotte Rampling- nineteen-seventies- doing- the- forties- dress and visage. My love for old finery has not diminished but instead has been tapered down to something I mix with modern pieces. My most favorite line in years is Miu Miu this season. The divine dresses are inspired by the 1940's and are absolutely stunning with their appliques and prints. When I had to go to a Vogue event last week, I couldn't afford Miu Miu but I went into my closet and got the very next best thing: An authentic 1940's dress with hand embroidered flowers. . . where there is a will . . . there is a way!!
My daughter Colette and I at Vogue event.
This was a vintage frock I wore last year to a PS Arts Event that support Art Programs in Public schools.