"IF SOMETHING'S BEEN GOOD FOR 30 YEARS," says Cameron Silver, "it just gets better." The 29-year-old retailer is not talking about a bottle of bordeaux. He's discussing vintage Pucci and Gucci, Courregès and Beene, Norell and Missoni. In fact, for little more than a year since launching Decades, his '60s and '70s couture clothing boutique for men and women, he's thought of little else. "I have clients who call in the middle of the night saying, 'I need an outfit!'" declares Silver. "I have people who fight over stuff, mothers who won't tell their daughters about stuff."

An L.A. native and former cabaret singer, Silver had a fascination for clothing with a history long before he opened his Melrose shop. "I've always loved Halston and Rudi Gernreich because they're modernists," he notes. "There is nothing new to do in fashion until you're doing something like walking on the moon. It's all been done before." Silver's retro duds are not your typical thrift-shop fare; his worn-before Chloè gowns and Kelly bags by Hermès fetch thousands of dollars from a clientele that includes actresses (Cameron Diaz), designers (Tom Ford) and style-setters (Lisa Eisner). "It's very social," he admits. "Gina Gershon can call me and say, 'Let's go shoe shopping!'"

Silver scours estate sales, handpicks from private collections and is in constant touch with dealers. He also travels to Europe to stay on top of current trends, which, he claims, "totally parallel" what sells in vintage. "In a way, you have to be a futurist to deal in vintage clothing," he says. Of course, working with old clothes has its snags. During the last awards season, for example, he ran out of gowns.

Nevertheless, business is so good that Silver plans to open a second L.A. boutique within the next year. High-end old clothes, he believes, are the wave of what's to come. "I think we're going to see stores like Bergdorf Goodman do in-store vintage boutiques. It's inevitable because it's profitable." -J.W.