My Vintage Exploration in "LA LA" Land

Going to Los Angeles to build your brand on a budget can be rather an interesting venture into the unknown. About a month ago, I was invited by a fellow colleague Lotta Yanong of DeluxeRedux.com (vintage blogger extraordanaire), to see the famous collection of 55 thousand dresses owned by Paul Brockman. There was an buying opportunity to add some of these amazing vintage dresses ranging from the 1940s to late 1990's.

I pounced at the opportunity, as this would be a great way to add some diversity to the store collection and I wanted to search several thrift stores at the opportunity of finding some rare

Although this opportunity was a great one, as a business owner I had to think about how this trip could be pulled off successfully on a budget. Just like every other aspect of my life as a entrepreneur, I had to think how could I get the best results with the least amount of money.

To my surprise, the ticket to Los Angeles was not crazy, expensive. Flying Southwest is a great, economical airline that has decent customer service and one of the few airlines that still have somewhat comfortable seating. I also like the fact you can choose who you want to sit next to. A few months prior I had flown Spirit Airlines for the nearly the same price and felt like I was traveling on a air bus. When booking, I found out a great tip to save on the cost of the tickets is to start your search on Tuesday evenings. Airlines traditionally release their lowest pricing on Tuesday nights.

Flying over the Grand Canyon, AZ

 If you are planning on renting a car, make sure to package it with your airplane ticket to save on cost. Generally, airlines will give you a discount if you book your hotel, car and ticket together. Southwest.com offers great deals now on hotels and car rentals.

Traveling with another professional you can also save a lot on costs by splitting the cost of a hotel room and car to get around town. As long as your itineraries can be coordinated this is the best first step to saving cash.

The hotel, Crown Plaza LAX, was modern, inexpensive and clean. Staying by the airport can be a much more economical solution when visiting big cities. I was not there to vacation and sit by a pool and drink martinis. I was there to work. And most hotels by airports cater to the worn and weary business people. You get more for your money and lots of nice amenities that you might not find in a regular, trendier hotel in downtown.

Crown Plaza Hotel LAX

A pearl of wisdom through this experience is making sure that there is some type of parking that is included with the hotel. If it is not, make sure to ask your hotel concierge if they validate or discount the parking feel. They want return business, so more than likely they will do this deduction for you.

Once we were settled in, it was go time. We had to make every minute matter while we were there. We jumped into our rental car and headed out to Paul Brockman’s warehouse to see the goods.  When we arrived, I was delighted to meet Paul and his publicist Elodia Corona, as they were very patient with our tardiness to due to the fact we were not used to “LA traffic.”

In front of the 55,000 Dresses Warehouse

What we say inside was almost overwhelming. Never in one place had I seen so many vintage dresses from so many eras. I did not know even where to start. Lotta from DeluxRedux.com started going into interview mode while I took many pictures of the fashion history that was around me. Every color, size, style and make from the last 60 years was stored into this space. What made this whole experience even more fascinating was that Paul had bought this collection through the years for his beloved wife. All these dresses were for a woman he loves. He had to make sure that when they went dancing, she had something new and beautiful to wear.

Paul displaying the Lucille Ball dress

As I sifted through the colorful racks of clothing, it was difficult to decide what types of items to choose. There were in lots of ten and bagged up to protect them from dust and environmental damage. I went for a group of dresses that had bright colorful prints that were reminiscent of one of my favorite vintage designers, Pucci. The second batch was found about a half hour later and had a grouping of shorter, 1950's frocks that looked like something Lucille Ball would of worn during one of her I Love Lucy episodes. 

It was wonderful meeting his beloved wife Margot, and being invited to their home. Listening to their love story of how they met on a dance floor would make anyone a believer that true love does still exist.

Photos encapsulating the love store of Paul and Margot

He had bought her these dresses that had turned into a collection because he never wanted her to wear the same dress twice. Margot and Elodia (their PR relations expert for 55,000 dresses were kind enough to share some photos with me of their history together.

One of the very colorful racks in the warehouse. I had spotted one of my lots on this rack.

One section of the 55,000 Dresses Collection

That was when Paul had mentioned he had a dress of Lucille Ball when they were filming an I Love Lucy episode. Growing up watching her TV show I was super excited to see this dress. I could not believe how tiny she was. The dress was lovely and I was grateful to see such a great fashion artifact. 

Paul displaying Lucille Ball's dress

This was a great win to grab 20 gorgeous dresses for $10 a piece. And to be accompanied by such charming guests made the experience even more memorable. With our demanding schedules and hungry stomachs, Elodia had suggested the food truck that was by the warehouse. Eating at a food truck great economical and quick way to grab a meal and support a small local business. Food trucks are big in LA and I wanted to try an authentic Mexican one. It certainly hit the spot so we could further move on and score some more deals.

Lotta and I at the Standard Hollywood

That evening, I had planned a mixer at the Standard Hotel inWest Hollywood to potentially hire Brand Ambassadors in Los Angeles. A great way to conduct business and save a few dollars is to call ahead to a boutique hotel and see if you can use their grounds to meet up with a few colleagues. The Standard Hotel would allow you to meet up with guests as long as there was food or drinks ordered. This was a great plan because it allowed you to have a mixer in a trendy, high-end type of setting without spending a ton of money to rent or utilize a space.

Mmmmmmn.... In and Out Burger

Eating in Los Angeles can be somewhat pricy. Since we were on a budget, we wanted to check out the local fast food chains. Yes, I said it, fried and sumptuous comfort foods. We tried In and Out Burger, and now I thoroughly understand why Californians enjoy this chain.  



On our last night out when we met with fellow associates and friends at Church Key to hope for a glimpse of a celebrity sighting. There were a lot of beautiful people there to people watch, unfortunately most of the celebrities were attending the Oscars.

Hanging out at the Church Key

The next day I was excited to see what LA had to offer as far as finding hidden treasures in thrift stores. I love to hunt for a great deal and the more rare it was, gave me that familiar rush that most people who thrift can relate to. After spending some time doing research on all of the top thrift stores, I started my journey of sifting through unwanted fashion castaways. Come to find out, LA is definitely a thrift mecca. In the land of everyone wanting the shiny and new, vintage and designer pieces are donated away without a second thought. In my short visit I found a gorgeous 1940's bathing suit, a mink capelet, an Alberto Ferreri coat, Sonia Rykiel sweater, a Korean velvet 1980's jacket and a vintage 1970's nubuck coat

A vintage 1950's mink stole I scored for pennies

The most appealing thing about these stores was the prices. In my quick thrill seeking hunt, I found some really amazing designer and vintage pieces that I know would pull results – the trip paid off and then the profit.

As a new business traveler I learned through this trip is to be prepared for glitches. Hang-ups will be out of your control and might make you late for an appointment. In heavily traveled cities and airports double the time you might think it takes to grab your baggage, rent a car and get to the destination you need to be. There are always little incidences that are going to hold you up. Be prepared.


As I now am pricing my wonderful finds from Los Angeles, I am already planning the next buying trip for my business. When you love what you do, you figure out a way to stretch a budget, the rest comes naturally.  

Paul Brockman's collection is for sale. To find out more information go to 55thousanddresses.com. To watch this wonderful love story and see Paul's carefully, curated , vintage collection make sure to see the soon to be released documentary The Man Behind 55,000 dresses.