July 19, 2007

Go Green: Buy Recycled YSL at decadestwo

Somehow, you just don't feel like you're saving the planet when you drop $2,000 on a YSL Downtown bag. But what if you bought a YSL bag that someone else had already purchased and worn for a few months? Now, wouldn't that be considered recycling? Damn straight. And thanks to a recent expansion at L.A.'s best designer resale shop decadestwo, you can go eco-crazy.

The shop, known for its extensive array of Chanel boucle jackets, has doubled in size and new shipments of red carpet dresses (Dior, Mizrahi, Prada) and summer stock are arriving everday. On a recent visit, we also spotted Balenciaga sandals ($395), a Chanel black jacket ($1,100), and a cute Pucci mini skirt ($300). A Chanel quilted double chain tote in burnt toffee was priced at $1,250. The Stylephile browsed and then cornered co-owner Christos Garkinos (at left in green, pictured with co-owner Cameron Silver) for the inside scoop on the shop.

When do the best pieces come in?
Mid-July is great because the shops outside of Los Angeles are stocking fall and they send us their summer collections. February is a good month too for end of season stock. But we get shipments all the time. It's like Christmas in here every day!

Ho Ho Ho. What's the typical mark down at decadestwo?
Usually, our pieces are 60% to 70% off. If something is brand new, we sell it at 30% off. A new Dior gown that sells for $8,000 would be about $5,000. A women came in here recently and bought four gowns for $6,000.

Please don't tell us that your sizes range from 0 to 2.
No. Our average size is 6, but we have 0s too and range up to size 10.

How about shoes?
We have a lot of models bringing us clothes, so we get plenty of 10s and 11s. We also have Japanese clients so there are 5s and 6s too. Probably, 7s and 8s are the most popular sizes.

Where do you get your clothes?
We have 1,800 consigners. About 20% of them are celebrities; 10% to 15% are stylists. We have plenty of industry exces too.

What do you look for as a curator?
Stand out pieces. When it comes to bags, we don't want the plain black bag. We want the cobalt blue or eggplant Balenciaga. It has to be unique and make a statement. The same goes for clothes. A plain black Prada top is not for us.

Who shops here?
Selma Blair, Winona Ryder, the Olsen twins. Oh and Chloe Sevigny.

decadestwo -- 8214 Melrose Ave; 323-655-1960