The founders of Decades, LA’s premier vintage store, are making their reality show premier on Bravo in a new series called The Dukes of Melrose. The New York press junket has officially started and we were lucky to grab a moment with Christos Garkinos and Cameron Silver before the bright lights of fame whisk them away.
From what little we’ve seen, the show is destined to be as delightful as a Ron Ben-Israel cake shaped as a Birkin bag. Bold face camios include Jennifer Tilly, Sandra Bernhard and Phyllis Diller and “her beaver.” The show focuses on the jet set life of tracking down the most important pieces of fashion along with the day-to-day trails of running a retail operation. Of course, there are jaw dropping scenes inside the closets of some of the world’s largest fashion collectors. When speaking to Cameron, he says that he would like viewers to walk away with a better appreciation for the value of fashion.
“Fashion is art and we all have style,” Cameron says. “It’s an incredible outlet for self expression.” The show premiers on Bravo on Wednesday at 10:30 but the Decades founders wouldn’t be content letting you just watch beautiful fashion!
Coinciding with the TV premier, on Wednesday, you can shop the Decade’s Park Avenue pop-up shop. (Not a bad address to pop-up). We got a sneak peak at the merchandise and you can be assured that the duo has brought the best of the best to New York. For the first time there’s even a selection for men. (We hear that the men’s selection is just part of a $10 million wardrobe.)
First, we have to start with the huge assortment of basic black Chanel bags. There are at least two dozen of very wearable classic styles, which range from tiny to huge. A Maxi caviar with gold hardware is $4000 and several smaller sizes are priced in the $3500 range. (Remember, the Maxi size now retails for about
$6000 and the medium is more than $5000.)
Over in the clothing section, there is the requisite Chanel rack. A suit trimmed with chainmaille is $3000, a sweater with a Chanel label on the front is $900 and a gown with a full feathered skirt is $5000. The best deal is a Chanel tweed jacked that comes with a leather skirt for $1600.
Yes, everything we’ve mentioned is very expensive but we also found some great pieces for less than the price of a vacation villa. A perfect Lanvin black sweater is $270; a Dsquared top is $200; a Prada jacket with a mink collar is $895; an ethereal Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress is $1500; a ‘so cute’ Fendi dress is $660; and a bright orange McQueen strapless jumpsuit is about $900.
Overall, the best deals can be found in the shoe section. Look for shoes that were worn maybe once or twice for the best discounts. We spotted suede Louboutins for $180; another worn maybe once for $200; never worn glitter platform Zanottis are $300; and never worn croc Tom Ford heels were $700. Yes, there’s also Chanel jewelry. A classic chain belt (easily doubles as a necklace) with a clover is $1000 and a Gripoix logo necklace is $1700.
You can see a full catalogue of pictures from our shopping trip here. We suggest heading over early if possible. There were some VIP sales Tuesday night and who knows when or if the Decades sale will come back to New York again, especially once the Dukes get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Decades
Wednesday, March 6 & Thursday, March 7
10am to 6pm
583 Park Avenue (@ 63rd st)
