Hunting for deals is one of my favorite things to do when it comes to buying clothes. I think it’s absurd to spend $800+ for a pair of trousers or walk around with tons of designer logos on you at any given time. I think style is something that comes with confidence in who you are, rather than the need to project figures of a price tag onto others just so you can get a hit of validation from people who ultimately don’t care. I feel so deeply about this, about people living above their means just to fit in or feel good about themselves that I even faced one of my biggest fears and recorded a video about it. I’m kicking off my YouTube channel with a video of how I search for deals on pieces that suit my personal style. Moreover, I even talk about how you can make a buck or two while shopping. For instance, These Helmut Lang jeans retailed for $345 and I paid $105. The Marc Jacobs x Magda Archer sweatpants retailed for $195, I got them for $100. The Helmut Lang fleece joggers retailed for $200 and I got them for $50. The Nike x Martine Rose sneakers are selling for around $180, I got them at the outlet for $40. All of which I could easily sell and make a 200% return on my investment. Granted, if you have disposable income and collect clothes as one might acquire works of art, for the beauty and process of the creation, then so be it. Everyone deserves to collect what makes them happy. This is more geared for those who go broke just to keep up with the Joneses. And I say this from the perspective of someone who was once participating in that never-ending race.  

P.s. I can’t believe I fit into a size 28 pant now!

-Danny

A lot of people have been asking me about my new vlogging camera and the accessories that I added to it. I filmed an unboxing of the packages the day I received them so you can have a better look at the camera and what comes inside. If you’re interested or thinking about getting the ZV-1 you can watch the video and don’t forget to subscribe as I’m going to do an in-depth review and let you know if this little shooter is worth the price tag.

-Danny

I don’t know what was a better deal, the vintage Adidas wooden tennis racket for a $1, or the brand new Nikon SB-910 Speedlight for $30. Either way I had another great time hitting the flea market and spent about $50 in total. 

-Danny

I have this spot that I try to go to weekly because it never fails me. I always seem to find great stuff (a lot of designer) for insane prices. And since I go there so much, they usually give me a discount which is always appreciated. The workers have cool style and the store is always clean. There really isn’t much more that I could ask for but out of no where I was finding tons of pieces brand new with tags. I’m assuming Neiman Marcus donated old inventory or someone downsized their closet but whatever the case, it was a great thrifting day.

-Danny

I was in a bind and needed to source a 107” backdrop so I could start shooting Youtube content. The 53” paper roll that I use for product shots wasn’t cutting it and I needed to figure out where I could get a neutral grey seamless without having to order one online and wait for delivery or drive all the way to Samy’s in WeHo. I remembered there was a local camera store that I bought my first camera at twelve years ago. I wondered if they were still business so I did a quick google search and gave them a call. What do you know, they answered. I couldn’t believe it and even more of a miracle, they had the color and size that I was looking for. A huge thank you to Hooper Camera in Thousand Oaks and to the super nice dudes that took care of me. They even gave me a great price and put the backdrop in the car for me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any more studio goods online. The fact that this place is still in business during the era of overnight delivery is a testament to how much the community still wants to touch and see and play with items in person. Especially when photography is such a huge part of our lives. And for all of my local analog shooters, they sell film cameras, all types of films and even offer a processing and developing service. 

-Danny

The flea market wasn’t as packed with vendors this time around but I did manage to stop by a few booths and find a couple of gems. My camera guy was kind enough to put aside a box of stuff for me to look through when I got there. I grabbed some cameras from him then stumbled upon a super sick pair of vintage Bollé® shades a few booths over. The seller was asking $15 for these neon relics from the 1980’s. I offered him $5 but he declined. I walked away and then ten minutes later went back and offered him $7 after I seen him make a sale. Knowing my chances were good while he was on a sellers high, he said, “you’re killing me” as he took my money. Score! All in all I spent around $50  for everything but had a great time haggling with the usual suspects. It’s kind of funny how we are getting on a first name basis.  

-DannyFlea

If you remember my blog post from July, I talked about how I took my first pottery class and was excited to go back to glaze what I made. I finally went a couple of weeks ago for the glazing process. It was cool and scary at the same time because with certain colors you never know how the pigments are going to react in the kiln. After a couple more weeks of waiting, the good people over at Firestick Pottery called and said the pieces were ready to pick up. So, here they are. My first handmade pottery pieces that I could not be happier with. The process and the experience was amazing. Seeing the transformation from raw overlooked materials to objects that can be used in a daily application is truly inspiring. The wheels start turning dreaming up what I’ll make next every time I put my jewelry in my artisan dish.

-Danny

We took a mini road trip over the weekend to the Palm Springs adjacent Desert Hills premium shopping outlets, or simply better known as Cabazon. I haven’t been there in my adult years but always hear about the infamous Gucci outlet. Unlike the Camarillo outlet counterpart where you can only find 10-15 past season products in the store on a good day, here you can find a full selection of complete seasons at a crazy discounted price. Sounded too good to be true so I had to check it out for myself. Without doing any research upon our arrival I was mostly excited to hit the double ‘G’ adorned store but then walking through the layout I discovered that this outlet has EVERYTHING. Pretty much any high-end designer has a store there and even those somewhat under-the-radar brands such as James perse (who I aesthetically love) is nestled right next to Sandro. I couldn’t believe it. Then walking up to the Gooch my eyes shifted to the logo beside it that read, Saint Laurent. I didn’t even have to bother, I knew exactly where I was going first and I’m sure glad I did. Walking in, the sweetest girl, Ashley, took care of me and helped me find my new favorite pants. These striped wool pajama vibe lightweight jogger trouser things (originally $1,290 down to $350) were a must and the last pair in stock. Ashley got me a few pairs of denim that didn’t fit quite right so she went back to see what her little magical hands could find and appeared with the last pair of faded black DO2’s in a size 30 (Originally $750 down to $200). I tried them on and told Ashley that if we weren’t amidst a pandemic I would hug her. She told me to save it and that she’ll collect when it’s over. We hit a few others stores where my card took a beating but we ironically never even ended up going into Gucci. It’s okay, I think this is going to a be a frequent adventure.

-Danny 

My package from Adorama got delivered this morning and boy oh boy am I excited to start creating with the Sony ZV-1. I just took it for a little spin and I’m already in love with it for those good, but not quite cinematic, but still really good videos. I think the only thing I’m going to change out is the mini Rode mic and get their wireless GO version as the wind muff is a bit much for my liking. Plus it’s a little flimsy and I just want to be able to throw this setup in a bag and head out the door. 

-Danny

I didn’t get a chance to thrift last week so I decided to hit my favorite flea market on Sunday. With how crazy things are right now I try to be in and out super fast and only stop by the sellers that I’ve been building relationships with to avoid walking through the crowds. Overall I think it was a success considering I only spent maybe an hour there and about $60 in total. A lot of people always ask me how I go about finding things of value to sell, what to look for, where to go and most importantly.. how to photograph the products so they’re sure to sell for top dollar. I decided to order a vlogging camera so I can start bringing you with me to show you how I do it and what has always worked for me.

-Danny