What Goes Around Comes Around co-founder Gerard Maione in his LA store
So where does Nicole Richie pick up a 60’s London style Ossie Clark jacket? Or where Victoria and David Beckham purchase sexy Alaia’s for her and great jeans & tee’s for him? Or have you ever wondered where rocker Lenny Kravitz gets those unique, over the top leather pieces he likes to sport on stage? Or how about the legendary Bruce Springsteen and his love for one of a kind cowboys boots? I will let you in on a little secret-they are heading over to vintage mecca What Goes Around Comes Around for their favorite classic antique gear. Based in NYC and now with an LA outpost in a hidden gem of a hipster strip mall off of Cahuenga, I hit up the launch of their version of a vintage swap meet in LA last night (they already had great success with the last one in NYC a month ago). What is so cool about this concept is that it is of no cost to the customer-they just bring in 1-3 vintage pieces to swap for other finds of equal value. Fashion conscious shoppers decked in their best vintage from lacy tops to pill box hats to fringe vests perused the racks of punk 80’s vintage with a Victorian aspect while sipping Rose’s Mojitos Cocktails. The event was also hosted by celebrity stylist Britt Bardot (think the knockout Red Carpet stylings of her clients Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson) and rocked the house with a live high energy performance (her first public one in LA) by East Village NYC pop alternative rocker Reni Lane who eagerly told me she wanted “to swap my whole wardrobe for the store” right before she belted out her new single on i tunes, “Place for Us.”
Bartender serving up Rose's Mojito Cocktails to a thirsty shopper
Look for WGACA at STYLE360 during New York Fashion Week in September where they will be showcasing their fall deliveries with a fashion instillation and they are also planning the launch of their “store within a store” in Japan on September the 5th. There, they will be sharing space with another famous shopping destination-Kitson. With all of these wonderful things happening and a strong celebrity following, you might expect some snobbishness and an air of elitism among the staff like in so may other well known celebrity loving shops, right? Well don’t bet on it, as co-founder Gerard Maione assured me last night, “people are people and all are treated equally” as soon as they walk through the doors of his store. So it doesn’t matter if you are an Olsen twin, Joe Schmo, or Jane Doe, it is all about karma and “good energy.” After all, what goes around comes around, right?
The Vintage Swap in action
Check back next Wednesday for my one on one interview with stylist to the stars Britt Bardot who chats with me about her must haves for fall, Kate Hudson, and being a self-proclaimed “vintage whore!”
[…] recently got a chance to catch up with stylist to the stars, Britt Bardot, at the What Goes Around Comes Around launch of their LA vintage swap meet. No doubt you would recognize Britt’s work as it is has graced the bodies of several […]