I am a lucky girl. i have this amazing grandmother. she has a true passion for fashion, fashion that has a story, makes a memory, and provides a speciality feeling. she is my reason for what i do daily. every once and a while my sister and i venture into her closet (its a room not a closet, its about the size of my apartment). so you can only imagine the fun we have in there picking out things that we love, placing piles of jewelry on ourselves, wrapping scarves around our neck, pulling the clear drawers open with her beautiful manolo blahniks, and grabbing clutches from their protective cloths and drooling over the vintage, the new, the old, the unique. sometimes we get to walk away with a little precious gift and usually its either because my sister has begged for an item because we are just flabbergasted by the complete awesomeness or she has a story behind the item, doesn't wear it enough to make it as special as it really is, and we walk away with something new.
years ago my sister brought home this gorgeous vintage Gucci tote, that was barely holding together by the handles. every single use was a delicate and scary moment, because these handles could break at any point. well they broke, and this poor bag sat in the closet with broken handles, for almost a year.
so one day, while at my parents house, i was helping my parents clean out some closets, and i saw vintage Gucci. so sad in the closet and untouched, it was kind of ironic, because i was wanting something new to freshen up my wardrobe but really didn't have the money to splurge on something special. so i took this bag home with me and decided i would take it to Dino's (Dino's is similar to God, they fix shoes, bags, belts, leather accessories, but they do it to the extreme and at a very reasonable price). Dino's is in Highland Park Village next to MiCocina and Anthropoligie, and I recommend that every goes there to save their shoes and handbags.
I handed my bag to the man at the cashier (in my mind I believe he was Dino, because he seemed so sincere, serious, and passionate about what i was about to hand him). So "Dino" took the bag and asked it's story and as I told this story, this bag felt even more special then just a sweet present from my grandmother's closet. this bag had traveled with her, and been more places i probably had. "Dino" said "I can defiantly fix these handles, and if you would like I could clean up some of the stitching, and make this look brand new." My eyes lit up with hope and excitement.
Ten days later I went to Dino's and picked up my vintage Gucci, and with more happiness then I could imagine, I paid only $80 for new leather handles, re-stitching, and a little bit of polish; the best $80 I have ever spent. I had tears in my eyes as I walked to my car with my " new purchase"
