On Sunday, I decided to go vintage shopping at a spot called the Address Boutique in Santa Monica, Calif., which touts itself as the Best Known Celebrity Shop throughout its own website. With balloons flying outside and lots of “Sale” signs everywhere, I anticipated a good find. There were lots of cool things about this shop. The salesladies were really warm and helpful. I loved the toy area for kids to play, while Mommy tries on clothes! And everywhere you look, there are brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Christian Loboutin and Marc Jacobs (my favorite!). For instance, a pair of strappy Jimmy Choo kitten heeled sandals originally sold for $425 sells at the Address Boutique for $125.

Nevertheless, I had to remain true to my $50 a week budget. So I found myself limited to the meager belt rack. And most of them were just too small for me (sad face). Perusing the nice tops rack, I stumbled across a really nice white cotton/silk blend Donna Karan blouse that really framed my collar bone and fit almost like a stiff shawl. But at $75, it was outside of my budget and I couldn’t think of an occasion when I would actually wear it. Then I really found myself drooling over a brown fur Theory capelet. But again, when would I wear such a thing? Especially in this town?

Still, I love the idea of wearing vintage clothes. It’s good for the environment, because it’s essentially recycling. And I love the sense of history you get with second hand clothes. The downsides are that you have to hunt so hard for something halfway wearable. And my husband keeps insisting that the vintage game has changed in the past decade. Thrift shop finds are few and far between. At the end of the day, I walked out of the Address Boutique empty-handed and humbled at how pricey the items were—even the sale stuff. Maybe next time, I’ll check out something more low budget, like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Or even better, maybe a yard sale or stoop sale. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

-Serena

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