What's old is new again.

"I think, today, it's so much about individualism and customization and having things that nobody else can have," says Jane Buckingham, trend correspondent for style. network. "What vintage offers is something that other people don't have."

But, for Hollywood celebrities who have access to the most exclusive designers and clothing, the question is: What exactly is alluring about the past?

"It's very evident the value for a Hollywood personality to separate themselves and be a trendsetter," says Cameron Silver, proprietor of Decades, a cozy L.A.-based vintage store that promotes a hearty dose of "hanging out" while shopping. "Vintage became more and more of a draw to celebrate the personality wearing the clothing as opposed to being an advertisements for the designer," Silver concludes.

While some celebrities such as Penelope Cruz-who often drapes herself in Ralph Lauren and appears in his ads - choose to be loyal to designers, others are vintage enthusiasts, swaying toward it for high-profile events as well as incorporating it into their everyday wear. Young talents such as Winona Ryder and Chloë Sevigny pop up frequently as longtime wearers, while such stars as Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger often don the vintage banner. The most recent coup was the black-and-white gown Julia Roberts chose from Valentino's vaults, which made its way onto Oscar's stage this year for her Best Actress acceptance speech.

We all know the drill: Designers clamor months in advance to dress A-list talent for the events that fill the Hollywood calendar.

 
Having a Julia Roberts or a Jennifer Lopez wear your gown at the Oscars - which is an internationally televised event - is a priceless marketing tool for even the most popular design houses. More dramatically, however, a celebrity can single-handedly spark high-profile interest in a house that has existed quietly in the shadows.
For the New York premiere of "Moulin Rouge," star Nicole Kidman wore a white vintage Loris Azzaro dress, which she found at Decades. "He's a Paris haute-couture designer," Silver says, "and I became familiar with his house because [she] had bought the vintage Azzaro from us." After seeing the photo of Kidman in their piece splashed all over magazine pages, Azzaro's people called Silver, ecstatic over the the newfound attention, and Silver gained access to their archives. This November, Decades, which has also se up shop in Barneys New York, will open a gallery at its L.A. location to promote the work of individual designers with large collections - and Azzaro will be the first showcased.