I love Santa Barbara for oh-so-many reasons. Shopping on State Street being one of them.

Even though State Street has five-star shopping like Juicy Couture, Betsy Johnson, Saks Fifth Avenue and Blue Bee, my favorite place to shop is Yelllowstone Vintage.

Their tagline is ‘for those who desire vintage luxury’. And its easy to see why.

The quality of the vintage is always outstanding, and they carry a huge selection. The garments are impeccably clean and pressed with lots of petite sizing to choose from.

My favorites? The racks and racks of vintage dresses. Whether you’re lusting for polyester or silk, 50’s-80’s styles, plaids, stripes or solids –you’re sure to find something that’ll knock your socks off. Let me not forget to mention their skirts. They have loads of skirts that fit in the waist AND at the knee.

There are many other unique pieces that rock a wardrobe like vintage purses, belts, jewelry, hats and excellent vintage t-shirts. I always walk away with something unique that fits!

Some Odd Rubies is an inventive and brilliant line that recycles vintage fabric and designs to create wholly original, fresh and modern fashions. Each re-constructed piece is one-of-a-kind, making each of your purchases an absolutely original and a truly modern vintage find. Scouring estate sales, flea markets, church bazaars (and a bevy of “secret” locales), their team of designers comb the best of the best from sources worldwide.

Without compromising the authenticity of the original piece, Some Odd Rubies will reconstruct the novel design by utilizing unusual vintage appliqués in tandem with a little slicin’, a little dicin’, and a whole lot of flair to keep the designs up to date and form fitting for today’s petite gal. Their clever use of straps, elastics, and pin-tucking keep the creative outcome both flattering and modern.

They have a lovely location on Hillhurst Avenue in Silver Lake where you’ll not only find their fantastic re-imaginings, but also contemporary and period jewelry, as well as vintage shoes and clutches.

I stopped in the other afternoon for a leisurely perusal and, I must say, I’m delightfully impressed. There are fantastic designs at every turn, including a wonderful selection of dresses — with exquisitely paired vintage necklaces and earrings — that are just perfect for summer.

If you’re up for something chic and love vintage, Some Odd Rubies is a grand new discovery. Every design is splendid and is – for the most part — cut small; however, not everything is petite. I highly suggest stopping by and trying on a few things — their collection rotates rather often and each visit unveils a new selection of treasures.

Some Odd Rubies shops are located in NYC, Boston, and Los Angeles.

I’ve driven past the vintage pop up store for The Way We Wore on Melrose for the past two months, and today I finally had a second to stop in.

La Brea boutique The Way We Wore’s owner Doris Raymond has so much vintage in stock that she opened a pop-up store. Although the Way We Wore on La Brea’s selection is uber glam ranging from long ball gowns, 40’s swing dresses and 50’s cocktail dresses by designers like Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Halston — the pop up is much less formal. Its your typical vintage shop – loads of items in great condition from the 50’s – 80’s. Clothes, jewelry, purses, shoes, hats – they’ve got it all.

The sizing of course is hit or miss as it’s vintage so be sure to try everything on. If all else fails ask the pleasant sales staff for help. New shipments are twice weekly so its worth stopping back periodically. The shop will be open through May 15th.

The Way We Wore Pop Up
7264 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 932-8490

Monday: Saturday 11am-7pm

Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

Yes its true.

I stopped into Trina Turk yesterday to peruse her selection of P sizes and I discovered a charming green dress. After pulling it off the rack I realized it was vintage. Perplexed but excited I asked the sales girl about it, and she said occasionally Trina will find a few great vintage pieces and sell them at her boutiques.

The dress fit well in the legs hips and waist but was large at the top. A size 0 with a bust bigger than 32A will fit into this dress. Or, walk it down to Hans the Tailor for alterations.

Trina Turk
8008 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 651-1382

It’s October, a time of ghosts, ghouls, and the Vintage Expo in Santa Monica. If you’ve never experienced the Vintage Expo, oh my! You’ll in for a whole new way of shopping.

This is where us petite gals get to shine and lay claim to the biggest fashion booty: women were generally shorter and smaller in years past. Which means the selection for petites is enormous: smokin’ hot nipped-waist cocktail dresses from the ‘50s, and a wide selection of fabulous contemporary looking ‘20s dresses, which are almost always cut for petites.

A couple of notes for people who don’t usually do vintage: the Vintage Expo in Santa Monica is by far superior and truly one of the best in the country — Decades and Lily et Cie do some of their buying at this show. Also keep in mind that the sizing system has radically changed in the past 50 years; a modern size 2 or 4 translates to higher sizes depending on how old the piece is. Rule of thumb: the older the piece, the higher the number (if sized at all). Busts are also cut slightly different; pieces from the ’50s have more conical bust darts.

The Vintage Expo is not the place to go to if you are searching for a true, hard bargain (though they can be found with due diligence). The pieces are true craftsmanship and the pricing reflects so. But these are one-of-a-kind remarkably fabulous pieces that are worth their weight in gold.

Saturday morning presents the best selection. There is an early buying time, but the dealers I know say it’s not worth the crack-of-dawn struggle (the hardcore dealers have already swiped up the goodies). Sunday afternoons are the best for bargaining, especially if you have a wad of cash. Ask if the marked price is the best the dealer can do — some bargaining is expected.

Two of my favorite vendors are Denise at Unforgettable and Bobbie Smith. Both carry a wide and interesting range of clothing, including sizing. Bobbie specializes in coats and eveningwear, while Denise carries just about everything and will often accommodate requests at her Polk Street store in San Francisco.

The Vintage Expo is offering a $2 off admission coupon (normally $10); all you have to do is print the page and show it at the door.

The Vintage Expo will be in Santa Monica October 20 & 21. If you are outside of LA check out their calendar for additional locations and dates.

Vintage Expo
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1855 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-8551