LA HIPSTERS BORROW A CLUE FROM CAMERON SILVER'S DECADES GALLERY
BY LAURIE PIKE

As soon as word got out that Decades Gallery would spotlight old-school Paris-Based designer Loris Azzaro in its inaugural show, several New York-based fashion designers scrambled for an advance peek at the obscure créateur's work. Maybe they'd spotted Nicole Kidman wearing one of his creations (picked up at Decades) to the Moulin Rouge premiere. Or maybe they simply knew Decades' reputation for fashion clairvoyance. Either way, they clearly knew that the retrospective would establish Azzaro as a renewed fashion force.

Such is the king-making power of Cameron Silver. As owner of the designer vintage boutique, Decades, and contemporary designer re-sale shop, Decades-two, Silver has earned a reputation as fashion's Columbo, turning up forgotten talents such as Rudi Gernreich or Ossie Clark. With the recent opening of Decades Gallery, adjacent to his West Hollywood stores, Silver adds "fashion curator" to his resume.

"The choices I'm making for the gallery are based on under-appreciated designers," says Silver. "Like my upcoming show in January for Koos Van Den Akker. A lot of people just know him for the clothes he sells on QVC, but his couture house is still going strong on Madison Avenue - and his patchwork designs are a major influence in fashion now."
"Cameron is a genius," says Arianne Phillips, stylist for Madonna, costume designer for films, and just one of Decades' high profile customers. "He can recontextualize design from the past and make it relevant." It was at Decades that she bought the vintage western suit by Nudie that germinated Madonna's rhinestone cowgirl look.
"When I opened, no one was doing a store with the philosophy of vintage looking modern," Silver says. That's why celebs like Gina Gershon, Courtney Love, and Renee Zellweger can outfit themselves there without looking like they raided a thrift store. Costume designers for modern-day films like Fight Club, Glitter, and Guy Ritchie's upcoming make of Swept Away (set to star Madonna) have all used Decades as a resource.
It was Silver's pared-down selection and lavishly relaxed atmosphere that carved out the Decades niche in LA's competitive designer vintage market. Thea Porters, Zandra Rhodeses, and Halstons hang accessibly on racks; pristine Kelly bags and Gucci shoes sit within arm's reach on shelves. Clients kick off their shoes, lounge on the sofa and sip retro Tabs offered by the staff.
Silver's Midas touch originated in fairly regal surroundings. He grew up in Beverly Hills with clotheshorse parents, exposed early on to couture. Studying theatre at UCLA gave him a historic perspective on stage costuming. But it was his first career, as a cabaret singer, that nurtured the personality so perfect for fashion's fickle femmes. "He's an entertainer," says photographer Lisa Eisner. "His charm gets people to sell him amazing pieces. And at his store, there's never any pressure to buy."
Silver gave up singing in 1997 to open Decades on Melrose Avenue. "The novelty of being a demi-cult figure quickly dissipated," Silver says with a laugh. "But it segued into my current incarnation because it was about recycling old songs and putting them into a modern context-with an edge." Silver's playfulness has made him a favorite among high-strung fashionistas. When he's not making prank phone calls to top editors, he's regaling customers with stories about his own ill-conceived fashion moments (such as his brief fling with $800 hair extensions)
"He embraces the out-there," says Eisner. "I can always get the gaudy things from him that I need, the distasteful stuff that I adore." Silver is as much an archaeologist as he is a kingmaker-and anything but a snob. "A lot of Decades' success is about accessibility," he says. "When I buy funky pieces, we have to get people to understand them first if they're ever going to buy them."