With countless brands now showing resort collections, what was once a fashion afterthought is increasingly becoming just as vital as the spring and fall shows. Resort clothes, which are usually delivered to stores from October to February, are now meant for far more than vacation or holiday packing for an exotic locale. As Cathy Horyn put it in her recent New York Times article, “resort has become a huge commercial entity," a claim that’s hard to dispute. read more

Billy Reid, who was recently awarded the 2010 GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designer in America and who describes his forthcoming fall collection as “Southern preppy meets workwear junkie meets East Village folk,” is devoted to “well-made pieces that look better with age…from a turn of the century antique lamp to a wax cotton hunting jacket.” read more

Doug Crowell, owner of Brooklyn eatery Buttermilk Channel, is an avid collector of historic menus. "I have hundreds of them in books and archival boxes," he says. read more

“I’m not a collector; I’m more of a hoarder. I go on kicks,” says Erdem Moralioglu, the recent winner of the British Fashion Council/Vogue Design Fashion Fund prize, when asked to define his collecting style. “You want the complete set—it’s an insatiable kind of thing.” read more

In Japan, Buddha's birthday is observed every year on April 8th. On this day, called the Hanamatsuri, or "Flower Festival," people bring fresh flowers to temples in remembrance of Buddha's birth in a grove of blossoming trees. A search for "Buddha" on eBay yields over 38,000 listings. And while there is plenty of kitsch to be had, we feel that Buddha deserves better. So we sought out items befitting of the man and the teachings that have influenced so many for so many centuries. read more

Fifteen or so years ago, Mickey Boardman, the Creative Director of Paper magazine and a fashion front-row fixture who favors lime green Lacoste polo shirts topped with a bejeweled necklace and a glitter cardigan, fell in love with a woman. She was Queen Marie of Romania, and Boardman became besotted when he read her biography, The Last Romantic, by Hanna Pekula. And thus began a sprawling collection of royalty books and memorabilia. read more

These obscure collectibles are garnering plenty of attention on eBay. read more

Superstar handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff turns to eBay when imagining her collections. "The vintage selection is unparalleled, and even if I lose the bid, then I still have images to inspire me. What inspires me are vintage clothes, old hardware, and details that I find sometimes in jewelry, like a stud or stone," says Minkoff, who shared her eBay shopping list with us. read more

Stuck in Palm Beach because of a weather emergency, the irrepressible Simon Doonan, the Creative Director of Barneys, and his life partner, the quirky potter-slash-entrepreneur Jonathan Adler, get on the phone to gab with Lynn Yaeger about collecting. read more

While jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane's current designs are sold at the finest department stores and boutiques, his past-season and vintage pieces are coveted collectibles on eBay. An avid collector—“I collect everything from vintage kimonos to Russian dolls to antique princely robes from India to antique furniture,” he says—Lane chose items on eBay that reflect his personal passions as well as the inspirations for his designs. read more