Why are you shopping: Value or purely style? To wear or to collect? Before you step into a thrift/second hand/vintage store, you have to know what kind of shopping trip this will be: ask yourself if you are shopping for value or purely style. Why is this important? If you are shopping as a collector for items that retain value over time, alterations might be a problem. Many vintage items have been previously altered and this diminishes their value. However, if you are just shopping to add to your wardrobe, use the don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover rule. In this case, don’t judge a garment by it’s price! You might be surprised how many amazing things can be found in the dollar bin.

There are certain precious items (a lace dress from the 1930’s or white leather gloves) that physically degrade so it isn’t an issue of loosing value over time. Those types of items, you buy to collect but you wear on rare occasions. Collecting clothing is NOT like collecting stamps. No matter how great of a collector’s item is in front of my advice is that you DO NOT buy it unless you can think of at least one occasion that you would love to wear that item.

Who do you shop with? Who you shop with should depend on what kind of shopping you plan to do. Decide: alone or with a friend? Are you going to a Goodwill, planning to dig through bin after bin until you find the perfect silk harem pants? Don’t bring a friend unless that friend shares your passion for vintage. There is nothing worse than being in an amazing store with a bored friend who want to leave. Bring someone who loves to dig!

Sometimes, we come upon items we think we MUST have and yet can’t quite afford. If you are going to make the purchase that will make you count your pennies for the next month, put the item on hold and come back with a close friend. An acquaintance might not be comfortable telling you the truth about how you look. Bring someone who is so close to you so that they will be honest even if it isn’t what you want to hear.

Maintain, Maintain, Maintain -The nature of vintage items is to be precious. Even the item is just a Liz Claiborne dress from the 1980’s there is still a huge chance that you will never be able to buy that type/cut/material all in one place ever again. Therefore, we value vintage and second hand items much more than the price they are actually worth. If that Liz Claiborne dress cost you $7 (especially if it cost $7!) in fashionista terms it is priceless. Thus, you must be prepared to invest some cash into your thrifted finds: alter, clean and reinforce or refurbish your items. I really can’t stress enough how important this is!

By reinforcing leather piping or straps or by altering to your shape you are adding years to the life of that item. And when you consider the time and effort it took to find some of your vintage items, don’t you want to have those items for a long, long time? The better you maintain your vintage, the longer it will last.

Do you hunt for accessories? Everyone has one of those days when they can’t find a single thing that looks good on them. Don’t walk out upset and empty handed! Head for the accessory counter. Maybe this time, the baubles available at vintage stores can make your day.

Looking to gift a picky person something special? Pins, necklaces and leather goods might be a good place to check for presents if you have a difficult time finding the perfect gift elsewhere. Think of the wealth of gifts that can be found at a vintage store: furs, hats, amazing scarves or gloves are treasures that often make great gifts.

Find a Friend! No question is a stupid question: this is a good rule to follow in a vintage store. You never know who works there. If you encounter a teen that doesn’t know much or someone that can’t be bothered to talk to you, move on. But if you find a knowledgeable sales clerk at a vintage store, consider yourself LUCKY and ask questions. I recommend returning to that store regularly to shop and even asking that sales clerk to keep their eye out for the type of garment you are searching for. Leave your phone number and ask them to keep you informed of new stock or special pieces. Even though I go to Salvation Army and other second hand stores, I adore Ahab Bowen and Dolly Phyton

Don’t forget the fleas! Hunting for vintage often requires a pretty hefty time commitment. Make a day of it and go on a flea market crawl! If you live in NYC, check out Brooklyn Flea, a Sunday flea market run by Etsy. Natalya once took me there and the goods were amazing. From beautiful furniture to a vendor that specialized in really amazing, super old vintage Coach bags.

Wearing: vintage Mongolian fur jacket, vintage necklaces, J-brand jean, AA tee, F21 bag and YSL tribute pumps

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope that helps and if you have any other questions, just leave them in the comments and they will be addressed as soon I can do it. Hope you all are having a good week. xoxo Nini

I was in the middle of writing an entry about wardrobe management when reader Matty wrote me this letter:

Dear Nini,

Matty

Thanks for writing in Matty! To begin with, a well organized closet will help you get dressed easier and faster every morning. It is much easier to get to work on time without having to spend 30 minutes looking for your favorite strapless bra all the while having no clue where you put it. Saving yourself time in the morning is a great way to minimize stress and just walking into a clean closet every morning can often be a great way to reinforce a commitment to keeping your life in order in general. Little things count!

I’m not an expert at organizing wardrobes but I have figured out the best system for me personally. I believe that all wardrobes are different, just like all of our personalities and styles, and each fashionista has to find what works for her. My requirements are pretty simple. Basically, it comes down to two things: I have to know where all of my things are and I have to be able to find what I need fast. My closet is organized enough for me to see everything I own and I can get dressed in less than 3 minutes in the morning. The first step in organizing a closet is understanding your requirements and needs. Organize your closet according to the way you organize your life.

The second step to organizing a closet is actually a pretty good way to save your self some money in the long run. When you buy a nice dress, keep the garment bag it came in and use them for storage. I keep all my leather and nice dresses in garment bags so that my garments are protected. The better the care you take of your items, the longer they will last.

Once you know what you need and have figured out what clothing needs to be in garment bags, organize your closet into groups. Some people like to organize their closet by color. Again, everyone has a different way of getting dressed in the morning. Some people start by knowing what colors they want to wear. For me, organizing my closet best suits my needs when I organize by type so I sort my closet into groups of like items, not into groups of like colors. I put all my pants together, then skirts, shirts, dresses, etc… If you have the time, you can first sort the items by type and then sort those groups by color.

For all handbags, I like to put them back into the dust bags when I am not using them. But I’m not much of a handbag person so I don’t have too many to worry about

For shoes (speaking of needs and priorities!), I like to display them so each pair is easy to see when I get dressed in the morning. If you don’t have enough room to display your shoes, you can stack them up, keeping them in the original box. The best thing to do in that case is to take a photo of each pair of shoes and to tape it or staple it outside of the shoe box. If you don’t want to go through the trouble, you can always go to the Container Store where they sell plastic shoe boxes that are clear and great for storage.

These are the tips based on my closet and I hope they help you!
Good luck Matty and I hope NiniStyle readers will enjoy this xoxo Nini

All of us have clothing that we need. Every  time I’m out shopping if I see something I like I always make sure the item I’m taking home will go with the rest of my wardrobe. I  like things that are structured, versatile & effortless. Sometimes I do go out side of the box & try something different but I’ll still make  sure that item I’m taking home will not give me a headache every time  I wear it. It’s important to know your style, but if you don’t it’s okay too. I’m here to help you! If you ever have any questions about  style dilemmas please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email & I will be glad to help you. Everyone has to get started somewhere.  Wardrobe essentials is a great place to start. Every
closet has a foundation & today I would like to share with you what I consider the top 10 essentials.

1. A simple black dress that fits you like a dream. You know you can count on it whether you are on a hot date or just out to dinner with your girl friends. My Rick Owens dress is a great example.

Rick Owens dress

2. A nice skirt. I recommend going with a well made, black, high-waisted or regular pencil skirt (depending on the shape of your body) that you can wear with a button down top for a job interview or wear with a ruffled halter top for when you go out.

Vintage Chanel skirt

3. Two pairs of jeans: Many clients have told me they want a pair of jeans that fit nicely and have a versatile length. Jeans need to be compatible with both high heels for night time and flats for
day time. My suggestion for you is to own two pairs of jeans. One should be stretchy and  comfortable to wear for running around with flats and the other should be fitted so that you can keep the length
long to wear with heels. That way you can have a favorite pair of
jeans to be comfortable in while running
errands on a hot day and have another pair tucked away for an occasion
that requires heels.

Forever 21 jean

4. A great black transparent blouse that you can wear with a delicateblack bra inside or with a camisole for a more conservative occasion.

AA mesh top

5. A great blazer that you can wear to work for day-time or over a sexy black dress for night-time.

Dolce & Gabbana transparent jacket

6. A black lightweight silk/cashmere draped cardigan. I take my long Theory cardigan with me everywhere. I like
the  cardigan just a tap above the knee & I love to wear it with a fitted  short black dress inside.

Theory silk/cashmere cardigan

7. A great pair of black heels that you can wear for day or night. As you all can see that I wear my YSL tribute all the time

YSL tribute pumps

8. An oversize piece of jewlery that is timeless, something that fits your personallity. For me is my Fallon necklace that I can count on for every ocassion.

Fallon necklace

9. A nice pair of black pants. It can be a cigarette leg or a wide leg trouser that you can wear with everything in your closet.

Ann Demeulemeester pant

10. Last but not least is a MUST HAVE in every woman closet: a sexy
bra that fits well. It’s important to wear bras that fit you
properly so your clothes will lay better on you. Dress for success!!!

La Perla bra

Have a nice day everyone !!!! xoxo Nini Nguyen

I love the look of dark, mysterious photography. There is something about mysteriousness that get people get hooked in many different ways. The dark scenes create a sexy illusion that you can’t get enough of. The key to get the photos to turn out well is to have on something with harder edges or structured body with a touch of sexiness. You don’t want to wear anything girlie when you’re trying to capture these shots.

NiniTips: How I Shop
How many of you open your closet every morning and say to yourself ?I have nothing to wear”? But since you have a closet full of merchandise, how can that really be? I say that sometimes. When you really think about it though, is it really about not having anything or is it about now having anything new? Sometimes, it just feels good to wear a new item. Right now is not a time very many people can afford to get new items all the time. I am a perfect example. I?m in savings mode! My strategy to help me control my money is simple: if I can’t afford the item, I willl not buy it. That is the number one most important rule of saving for me. Also I ask myself tons of questions. Do I need this? Will it make 10 outfits I already own look better? If the above can be answered with a NO, then you should skip on the item to help you save money. We all are on the constant search for new things to wear but remember to do what’s best for you, know who you are and know what your priorities are. I hope you enjoy the photos that Loc took and thank you for visiting my blog. Have a lovely day!!! xoxoxo Nini Nguyen

Wearing: Fendi leather skirt, Bcbg Max Azria ruffle sweater ( The sweater is like 5 years old ) YSL tribute pumps and Forever 21 silver cuffs.

Photos by Loc Truong

Today is our nine year anniversary! We had planned to go to Austin to celebrate the special day but at the last minute Loc couldn’t make up his mind, so we decided to stay in town to celebrate . Loc treated us with a fabulous massage at the Crescent Hotel. The hotel is world famous for it’s service. We had a wonderful lunch and spent some time in the West Village. Afterwards, we had an amazing dinner at Al Biernat. Loc is an extraordinary boyfriend and I’m so glad to have him in my life. Wearing: Erdem skirt bought at Barneys New York a while back, F21 tank, Fallon necklace, YSL tribute pumps, Comme des Garcons collar, and vintage clutch

NiniTip: As I mentioned before that when you wear something volume on the bottom make sure to keep the top simple for a nice balance. I’m wearing the Comme Des Garcons collar that I bought at the CDG store in NYC. This silver collar is amazing. It’s shiny and of course it’s not something that you wear for everyday, but it well represents my personality so I would wear it everyday. Even though sometimes it is smarter to stay away from shiney, scatchy things, if the item you are considering buying or not something that well represents your personality and you know you’ll wear it for the rest of your life, then go for it!

Have a nice day everyone !! xoxo Nini