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The Way We Wore is a favorite celebrity LA hot spot when it comes to vintage clothing. Owner, Doris Raymond, has sold gowns and accessories to celebrities such as Drew Barrymore and has been visited by famous designers such as Dior's John Galliano. Her La Brea Avenue shop is a vintage must-see for the rich and famous.  Jean Desses 1950s Dress, The Way We Wore for 1stdibs.com Raymond has noticed an increasing awareness of vintage clothing, especially high-end labels. "More and more people recognize the thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars spent on haute couture and that, in itself, has created a tremendous investment opportunity. There are a lot of people who buy to add to their collections as one would buy art." Sales at The Way We Wore® are proving that couture does not care about the economy. Online and in the store, The Way We Wore® is selling everything from Vionnet, Traina-Norell, YSL, Chanel, Ceil Chapman, Vollbracht, Trigere, Halston, Ungaro- and this is just in the last 6 weeks. A 25-year veteran of designer and couture vintage fashion, Katy Kane has made a career of hand picking luxury designer names from decades past. Known for her breadth of knowledge and professionalism, Katy has worked with some of the top fashion and textile museums as a consultant and curator. Her website, KatyKane.com, is practically a fashion museum on its own, featuring designers such as Geoffrey Beene, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent. In addition to ready to wear designer names, Ms. Kane has a selection of couture and, the epitome of fashion design, haute couture.  Shrimpton Couture is another site that has found its niche in high fashion vintage. Owner Cherie Federau launched ShrimptonCouture.com two-and-half-years ago and has seen tremendous growth ever since. Recently hailed by theHuffingtonPost.com as one of the best vintage shopping sites on the web, Ms. Federau has been busier than ever. "This year I decided to really commit and make a go of it, so I had the site completely redesigned from scratch to make it what I hope to be the optimal vintage shopping experience," explained Cherie. ShrimptonCouture.com's selection is hitting the mark when it comes to desirable vintage fashion. Despite the economy, Cherie's sales are going strong. "I find that in our current economic condition that clients are looking for good value for their dollar and wise investments. Buying vintage allows my clients to satisfy their needs to purchase items that are superbly made and are one of a kind without completely breaking the bank," said Cherie. Emmanuel Ungaro Haute Couture, While stylists, celebrities, designers and fashion influencers have embraced vintage fashion, traditional high-ticket antiques dealers have been slower to join the party - until now. This July, premiere antiques marketplace site, 1stdibs.com, launched a collection of vintage couture and designer fashion from the 1920s to the 1980s. Michael Bruno, founder and president of 1stdibs.com, has had tremendous success with his luxury antiques marketplace and is ready to take on the vintage couture market. "1stdibs provides unparalleled access to the best available inventory of the most beautiful things on Earth. Vintage Couture and Designer Fashion is another collecting area where we strive to provide easy access to trusted dealers for those who want to incorporate vintage into their lives," explains Bruno. The initial group of dealers on the site includes Katy Kane, Lynn Ban, Marlene Wetherell, The Paper Bag Princess, Post Script, Rare Vintage, Resurrection, The Way We Wore, Torso and Vintage Luxury, all highly regarded and trusted vintage dealers. This new section at 1stdibs.com is spearheaded by Clair Watson, the internationally recognized antique and vintage fashion expert who came to notoriety as the creative consultant for New York City Opera. Prior to joining 1stdibs, Watson was the Couture Director at the auction house Doyle New York. "Vintage's timelessness is a fresh choice for those looking to invest in couture fashion and enhance their wardrobes," said Watson. The economy may be slowing down, but the desire for luxury and quality marches on. The vintage couture market is proof positive that some things were built to last. And in the case of vintage fashion, they retain value. The Lexicon of Fashion Ready to wear - mass manufactured designs Couture - literally means dress making Haute couture - the French term for high fashion that is made to order |
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