Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1352017
62 The Costume Designer Spring 2021 GARDENA, CALIFORNIA AMERICAN RECYCLED CLOTHING Elvia Lahman has been in the vintage business for 30+ years, the past 11 as creative director at American Recycled Clothing (ARC) where she liaises with vintage buyers, fashion and costume designers, and everyone in between. Lahman began selling at the Rose Bowl flea market at the age of 17, and honed her expertise while working as buyer for an array of signature brands, including American Rag, Urban Outfitters, and American Apparel's Cali Select Vintage. For four years, Lahman helmed The Loved One, which began as a vintage wholesale brand and exploded into a reproduc- tion vintage lingerie line and boutique that garnered a loyal cult fol- lowing. She is known for transforming clothing from the past into modern day wearables. ARC, with over 7,000 pounds of clothing, carries all eras to modern-day, and strives to educate the consumer about the sustainable nature of shopping vintage. ARC does not have a studio policy, but sells both retail and wholesale (with a minimum buy of $200). @americanrecycledclo americanrecycledclothing.com Shop Vintage for unique style and a sustainable future BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA TIMELESS VIXEN Beginning in 2002, Timeless Vixen owner Lauren Lepire grew an online hobby into the one-stop shop for museum-quality couture and pristine one-of-a-kind pieces that it is today. A graduate of the USC Theatre Arts Department, she has great love and understand- ing of fashion, eras, and character development through costume. Lepire specializes in rare, antique, and designer vintage, including Victorian, art deco, New Look, mod, and 1970s boho chic. She has a personal love for design- ers like Ossie Clark, Biba, Thea Porter, Schiaparelli, Chanel, and Christian Dior, and also stocks iconic modern pieces. A private appointment isn't necessary, though one can be made to pull from the vast private archives. Timeless Vixen is happy to pro- vide costume designers with a two-day pull for fittings, with a 20% restock fee, which is applied to anything purchased. @TimelessVixen TimelessVixen.com BURBANK, CALIFORNIA PLAYCLOTHES Wanda Soileau, owner of Playclothes, confesses, "I love vintage. All things old. Their stories, designs, history, workmanship, everything." Playclothes began circa 1983, when Soileau met a vintage store owner in Ravenna, Ohio. He was having problems selling locally, so he sent Soileau home to Los Angeles with a few boxes to sell. Suffice to say, she sold everything and has been thriving ever since. Soileau began solely with clothing, then successfully expanded to include furnishings and home goods. She had several retail loca- tions over the years before opening her present shop in Burbank, stocked with vintage goodies from the 1910s through the 1990s, with the majority of her inventory from the 1940s on. Playclothes' abundant stock includes men's, women's, and children's togs, as well as hats, shoes, accessories and more! @playclothesvintage playclothesvintage.com Vintage is where the magic happens with authenticity and origi- nality. And with our climate in crisis, sustainability is the loudest conversation in fashion right now. Vintage shopping is a great way to recycle, reuse, and renew. Guild members have shared some of their favorite sources (below) which, despite present circumstances, are keeping their brick and mortar shops open for us or are avail- able through their websites or social media. (NOTE: This is the first part of a two-part column. Stay tuned for the Summer issue for more vintage listings). Compiled and written by: Bonnie Nipar, bnipar@cdgia.com Stacy Ellen Rich, lastace@mac.com