By L. G. McCord
On April 26, SCAD Atlanta had the pleasure of hosting the ever-so-striking “King of Vintage,” Cameron Silver, on his first trip to Atlanta. Priding himself on never being the “Prince of Vintage” or the “Queen of Vintage,” Silver was bred to become the king he is today. Born and raised in Beverly Hills, he referred to himself as a “Beverly Hills brat.” Silver is the only child of parents who immersed him in an abundance of luxury fashion and goods from an early age; he also was exposed to travel and a myriad of different cultures. Silver attended college at UCLA where he gained his knowledge of fabrics.
Before Silver was sixteen he was an educated shopper of such fashion forward stores as Maxfield’s and Theodore’s and began his retail career at Fred Segal. Since 1997, upon opening the doors of his store Decades, Silver created a 21 century phenomenon by single-handedly changing the way women view, shop and wear vintage couture.
Silver stood before the audience donning a recently purchased tie from SHOPscad. The tie was originally purchased from Sears, then screen-printed by SCAD professor Denise Falk, who teaches painting in Savannah. Silver’s speech was accompanied by five garments from his archives. On display was one garment from each decade to show the significant style and structure of fashion from 1940 until 1980. The passion that Silver has for his vintage was clear when he spoke about each piece, so strong that, at one point, one may have thought he was speaking about a loved one. His matter-of-fact character then let the audience know, jokingly, that he does not wear any of the vintage couture.
Silver expressed the passion behind his own thoughts on personal style. He started by saying that people dress with emotion, whether selecting an outfit in a closet full of the best garments or picking a white t-shirt out of a pile full of dirty laundry. Silver asserted that he does not wear or buy anything basic, and he believes neither should anyone. “We all dress in drag,” he said. Silver explained how the outfits that people put together everyday are their own form of drag.
Silver also emphasized the importance of knowing his customer. Decades sells to “owners not loaners, real people with real money.” The age range of his female consumers is between 40 and 65 years. When asked about different Japanese designers and if they were carried in his store, he explained that Japanese fashion is composed of a more intellectual design: Not what his customer is looking for. His customers come to him for garments with more sex appeal. Making the audience smile, Silver also quipped that having a good tailor is more important than having a good therapist.
Silver further emphasized vintage fashion. When a woman is seen on the red carpet wearing vintage, the attention is focused on her. Silver observed that the women dressed in popular designers lose attention. Viewers and critics become distracted and focus on the designer and the stylist team rather than the woman wearing the garment.
He also admited one of his major flaws: He has an issue with saying no. Silver’s attitude is to do everything while he still can, observing that “you never know where you will be in ten years.” Silver credited part of his personal success to his self-educated disciplines, stating, “I’ve read every fashion book.” His self education has helped him achieve success in the development and longevity of Decades.
He explained the thoughts behind the development of his store, Decades. His buying process begins when he takes a garment and defines “what is modern about this garment.” Decades also has been operating successfully without a publicist or manager since its creation. Silver claimed that his success is due to his personal touch with customers and returning his gratitude with hand-written thank you notes. Another apparent achieverment is Silver’s ownership of the landmark. When he selected the location, he originally leased the space; now, he is the proud owner of the building. Silver has a strong grasp on the business behind fashion. He boasted about how everything is for sale. He has no emotional attachment to his pieces.
His advice to students on obtaining their dream jobs was to create it. Silver spoke of his experience as a creative consultant, hired by established fashion houses. He advised audience members to keep themselves and their styles interesting, be willing to do something that is not facilitating, build a good reputation and add personal touch and interaction with clients. Silver, once again, stressed the importance of hand-written thank you notes.
Decades’ new ambition is an online blog that posts new garments daily as a step forward in the future of fashion. The items are posted without prices so as not to compete with other vintage stores or compromise pricing points. Silver encouraged e-commerce interaction with retailers, via e-mail and phone calls, to build personal and long-lasting relationships.
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