What Goes Around...

From 1980s Thierry Mugler to ’90s Alexander McQueen, vintage designer-wear is about sustainability, individuality, and collectability. However, competition is fierce for historically interesting fashion moments, and the big Parisian Houses, from Chanel to Saint Laurent, as well as museums, are steely about their archives. More than ever, these big hitters are also sourcing pieces from past collections to add to their annals for posterity and research. Auctions have become the new shopping malls, where experts congregate or dial in by phone to place bids on some of the rarest finds.

Details of knowledgeable vintage dealers are gold-dust for private collectors, connoisseurs and designers who need inspiration. Contacts are keenly cultivated for insider transactions. As for celebrities, wearing vintage offers some independence from a fashion system that relies heavily on buying personalities to wear looks on the red carpet.

opposite: 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards, 2018.