AdDress Remembers When Vintage Was Dirty Word
Maureen Clavin
Maureen Clavin knew high end vintage retail back when it was called“resale.” Some of those memories were on display on June 23, when she threw a party for the 25th anniversary of her AdDress Boutique on 1116 Wilshire Blvd., in Santa Monica, Calif.
The shop sells gowns and designer clothes from the world’s iconic fashion houses, many of these pieces only worn once. In the past decade, high end vintage has become a celebrated obsession for the style savvy, but Clavin remembers when people did not want to be seen going into a resale shop.
When she opened her first store in 1963, it was located in Inglewood, Calif., a client sniffed at Clavin placing a guest book at her high end resale shop. “Honey, no one is going to sign your guestbook,” the client said.
America has changed a lot since the Kennedy era. Since then, Hollywood stars from Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Sally Fields and celebs such as Kim Kardashian have proudly put their name on the clothes they placed at AdDress. Women with bank accounts large and small shop at the Santa Monica store.
A key reason to shop there is that a portion of sales goes to Best Friends Animal Society, a non-profit for abused and abandoned animals. The deals are important too. They are the key to AdDress’ longevity. “People are price conscious. They want good deals now more than ever,” Clavin said.
AdDress Boutique exterior
