Alligators, Old Mink & New Money: One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing – A Fashion Memoir of Memory, Style, and the Mother-Daughter Bond

by Alison Houtte, Melissa Houtte

Alligators, Old Mink & New Money is a celebration of the clothes that capture our memories and imaginations, that leave their indelible stamp on each of our lives. Alison Houtte—a former fashion model who runs the beloved Brooklyn, New York, boutique Hooti Couture—knows that every article of vintage clothing has a story behind it, and she uses these items as a springboard to explore such universal topics as relationships, self-image, the bond between mothers and daughters, and that elusive thing called style. Whether you're a flea market veteran who savors the thrill of the hunt, a couture shopper with a Vogue budget, or are simply drawn to the de rigueur world of vintage, Alligators, Old Mink & New Money offers a shopping adventure—through auctions, estate sales, flea markets, and clothing racks all over the world—to be savored, and inspired by!

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, Memoir, Biography Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2005

Reviews

[Wendy Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alligators, Old Mink & New Money
By Alison Houtte & Melissa Houtte

All avid readers delight in good books, but to unexpectedly discover a gem when you’re not expecting to is a special treat. I was doing fashion research; yes there is such a thing, and this book I had selected for research turned out to be a delightful read.

This memoir begins with the author’s life growing up in Miami. Alison is co-author of her memoir with her sister, who is a journalist. Highlighted from the start is the embarrassment her mother was to Alison and her siblings, because of how her mother dressed. She dressed in vintage, shopping at Goodwill and church rummage sales. The family experiences are precious and full of good natured humor. As her adult life progresses, Alison ends up embracing vintage and even owning her own, famous shop in Brooklyn. Don’t you just love irony? Alison’s life takes such interesting turns from Miami to Brooklyn.

As she grows up in Miami, she is able to do some modeling. That leads to a surprising opportunity to live and model in Paris. The descriptions of her life in Miami are vibrant, and her descriptions of the modeling life in Paris and later in Europe are exciting and fascinating. The humor intertwined in her reflections on her family life in Miami continues throughout this book of her life’s adventures.

After the runway and fashion magazines in Paris, becoming owner of a vintage shop, Hooti Couture aka Hooti’s, in Brooklyn is an intriguing turn of events. Reading about her evolution as a small business owner is compelling. And how her knowledge of her product, vintage, grows! She sums up her business philosophy so well, “I’m a little secondhand shop in Brooklyn, but I cater to each client like she’s in Bergdorf’s. I think the success has come with the service and price points. It’s great, fun stuff in a fun environment and we get new merchandise weekly. I buy with love, what I love.” And don’t let this quote mislead you, she did carry men’s vintage as well and had some very loyal male customers.

Getting back to fashion research, there is plenty of good advice, solid designer knowledge, and interesting history for fashion lovers, flea marketers, and thrift store addicts. If you haven’t explored vintage before, this book will open a whole new world to you. If you are already a vintage fan, you’ll learn even more.

Alison has an eye for style and a keen sense of value, and many tips to pass along. Her business philosophy is simple, “keep it fresh, cheap and chic!”

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who enjoys fashion, clothes and style will love this memoir from Alison Houtte. Alison owns a vintage clothes shop in Brooklyn and had a succesful modelling career before that.

From the first chapter I was hooked by Alison's writing style and her personality really comes through well. Each chapter starts with one of her personal anecdotes - about one of her pieces - clothing or accessory that she has found along her travels and either worn herself or sold to a delighted customer in her shop.

Alison writes about her female family members who instilled their love of fine clothes and fashion into her - especially her Mother and her Grandmother. She tells all about her modelling days in Europe and America and how she decided to start her own vintage clothing business, which eventually became the shop 'Hooti'

Alison writes a great story with humour and compassion. Although clothes are the main highlight, she includes stories about her customers, her neighbours, friends and family.

I really enjoyed this book - it's a real find and it made me want to start doing vintage straight away.

Readers should be warned however, that Alison does wear and sell real fur and alligator and crocodile skin handbags.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Sue Barth for recommending this book to me. It is a non-fictional account of a vintage clothing store in Brooklyn. (Sadly, it closed three years ago.) Sue recommended it to me because of my eclectic fashion sense (how sweet). The stories are about having your personal style and owning it. Loving old things and loving new things and mixing them together means you will never see someone wearing the same thing as you! There is also the point of getting to know people well--learning who they are, where they come from, what they like so as to better serve them. I follow this philosophy as a librarian in purveying books and information! This book dovetailed nicely with the fictional STILL ME by JOJO MOYES that I was reading--the main character enjoys a particular vintage shop in New York, Perhaps it was modeled after the one in this book!

[Marian M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story of a vintage clothing store

I love vintage clothes, so this book by vintage shop owner Alison Houtte was an inside look into her business. Lots of anecdotes about the store, the merchandise and the shoppers.

[Wendi WDM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't particularly good either. From amazon.com: From Publishers Weekly: For fashion lovers, flea market fanatics and thrift store junkies, this book is the perfect find. Former fashion model Alison Houtte, with the help of her sister, journalist Melissa Houtte, offers an enthusiastic memoir of her family's obsession with fashion, her early days as a model and her second career as owner of Hooti Couture, a Brooklyn boutique specializing in vintage clothing. Houtte's chatty manner and anecdotal storytelling style give the book a quick pace, as she visits country auctions and estate sales looking for the perfect items for her loyal and eclectic clientele.

That part of the book is fun, and truly enthusiastic. It is a fun book to read through and read her adventures. The only problem I had with the book was the weird intertwining of her "intimate" life. Bizarre and random and unnecessary mentions about bad relationships and crazy model behavior, except that she doesn't go into enough detail. It's kind of like this: vintage, Chanel, vintage, modeling days, vintage, vintage, bad boyfriend experience, vintage, vintage, bad choices as a model, vintage, vintage, vintage...

I just kind of wished she had kept just to the tale of being a vintage clothing owner and her adventures as such. She could have mentioned that she was a model once and that would have been fine. She even makes weird mentions about people staring at her for being a former model, or that a former boyfriend just wanted her because she was a model. We don't care. We're reading this book because we want to know more about vintage fashion and being a vintage clothing shop owner!! It kind of felt like name dropping or something, just awkward and weird.

It was fun to read about her personal history with fashion. To me the most fun part was reading about her family history with fashion. And her trips to flea markets and thrift shops, and the really awesome finds she'd stumble upon. That was always cool.

But overall it was a kind of awkward book. Even with her journalist sister helping her write it, it was still awkward writing. meh...if you like fashion or vintage fashion you might enjoy it. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, just that at times it was really awkward.

[Laurel Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for new and experienced vintage shoppers. Author and former model has a unique perspective on fashion, and she explains her evolution with family and industry stories that are incredibly engaging.
"...any one outfit has the potential to be a time-travel machine. I don't want to live in the past, but I don't mind taking on the present swathed in another decade's finery when the mood strikes."

[R.B. Lemberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old things, tend to like people who love old things, and enjoy reading about both, so this was up my alley.

[Yrinsyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I enjoyed reading about Houtte's early life and her adventures in vintage clothing land. I was describing the book to my Mum and she asked 'what is the title?' and I said 'Alligators, Old Milk.. I mean Mink, and New Money' (who would read a book about old milk? LOL Anyway, it was entertaining with a chatty tone. The only thing that didn't translate is the imperial measurements (square foot etc) so I couldn't visualise the space at Hootie. Hootie is closed now, but when my husband and I were in Brooklyn (more than 10 years ago now), we didn't stop by. Brooklyn is a huge area! We did visit Prospect Park though, to see a historic house (but it was closed). So close and yet so far! I was a bit miffed that Houtte didn't give the illustrator credit on the front page, but in the acknowledgements. I thought that was a bit mean. Overall though, a fun read.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of nice descriptions of vintage clothing,mostly from 30s thru 70s; how she found it, sold it, wore it-all very lovingly presented. Alas no photos! There were a few line drawings that conveyed the essence of the clothing and accessories but I wanted to see more. I was thrilled to see mention of one 50s find that came from a RI store called McCarthy's where I often shopped before it went out of business. Part of the book described her childhood and how the author became a fashion model before opening her vintage boutique. That was also interesting. An appendix gives hints for vintage clothing shoppers from buying strategies to cleaning and repair hints. Brief bibliog. of books on buying & identifying wearable vintage. Too bad the Brooklyn shop closed down in 2015.

[Pat Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like fashion, you will find this an enjoyable read. While I don't shop vintage a great deal, I have shopped vintage and thrift stores and have some wonderful finds. The author's experience as a businesswoman and shop owner is revealing and interesting - she is a hard worker. You will learn of her background and about her store and brand and the move from one location to another. Descriptions of her buying trips to Miami, her hometown, and to Pennsylvania give you a good idea of the hard work that goes into stocking a shop. I loved her descriptions of memorable pieces - how she found them, if she kept them for herself or not, and their sales. Overall, this is an interesting read.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should be all over a memoir by a woman who ran a vintage clothing store, but that aspect was never as fully explored as I would like. Still, Alison Houtte has lived an interesting life, and some of her stories were charming.
But there was a lot of filler into the book as well- do we need to hear about her quest for car parts, or negotiating her rent?
So, mixed feelings. Its not that I would not recommend it, but I am not sure who I would recommend it to.

[CP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward account (and a quick read) by a vintage clothing enthusiast/former model. Enjoyable as it captures the fun of the treasure hunt as well as the history and memories people associate with their clothes.

[Mizloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, entertaining read. part memoir and - larger part - a long advert for her consignment shop. An undemanding book for a lazy afternoon, or in my case de-stressing from a killer day.

[Pamela Denlinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting

The author’s personal reminiscences were the best part. Wanted more of these and stories about customers. Couldn’t get a close feeling of the author.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject

Entertaining read especially if you love to wear clothes that reflect your personality! Would love to visit the store on my next trip to NYC

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Houtte is a model who then opened a vintage clothing store, so this is a light memoir about both of those careers, all centered on fashion. The illustrations are lovely.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, easy read.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read for anyone who loves the thrill of the hunt for vintage treasures.

[Susan White-Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I know the area a bit, and I have worked in a thrift store, and of course it covers my time frame, so it was good.

[Tulasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!!! If anyone is looking for a good book to read, this is definitely it. I couldn’t stop once I started!

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the world of running your own vintage clothing store near New York City, Written by a former model.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun but flow was off

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful little read, very fun if you like thrifting or vintage shopping

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took this book out of the library predicting (because of the foofy title and cute, trendy cover illustration) that it would be barely-readable fluff. But I was determined to give it a try because I'm a vintage clothing fanatic.

In some respects, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's very readable, especially toward the beginning, when the author is talking about her family's history of spending money only on "good" things, even if they were secondhand. Also interesting is the story of how the author became a model. These two threads of the author's past are woven into explanations of her love of vintage clothing and "good" clothing.

Once the book gets into the story of how the author opened and maintained her vintage clothing shop, things get less interesting. At that point, the book seems to become little more than a veiled advertisement for the shop. It's clever advertising, but it wasn't long before I felt taken advantage of.

I liked the book for its lack of snobbery. The author insists that she is not a "collector" of vintage clothing, and has little interest in "museum-quality" pieces. This keeps the book open to as wide an audience as possible. I know quite a bit about how to buy, clean, and wear vintage clothing, but I definitely learned a few things while reading this book. I'm sure a vintage novice will take away lots of good information without feeling overwhelmed or talked-down to. It's clear that the author loves vintage clothing, and wants to share that passion with the reader. It also helps that there's a short, well-organized "how-to" section in the back, to assist newcomers with their first forays into the world of vintage clothing.

I also liked seeing familiar situations and types of people throughout the book -- the "early birds" who always want to be the first ones into an auction or shop, the indecisive shopper who loses out on a great find, the overly-agressive formerly-indecisive shopper who stalks the buyer of that great find & offers her more & more money for it, the great find that you have to pass up because it's too much money, or the condition isn't very good, or it doesn't fit.

All of this and more will seem very familiar to lovers of vintage and savvy shoppers of all kinds. I wish there had been even more of that sort of stuff in the book, along with more stuff tying the author's love of vintage back to her days as a model and/or her family stories. Most of the really resonant stuff is in the beginning of the book, whereas the second half is mainly stories about her customers at the shop. Again, great, unique publicity for her shop, but I did feel a little tired of getting an implicit sales pitch while I was reading.

[Bethany Heron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up in a vintage store about 5 years ago and only got round to reading it a few days ago as I thought it might help with my dissertation (which is about clothing from the 1960s) I actually managed to read this in about 2 days as the writing style is very easy and casual. Although I was disappointed with the content. As I am very interested in vintage fashion I thought this would be a great insight into the world of vintage stores but the content is completely erratic. The first half of the book was so dull I very nearly stopped reading it completely: the author mainly talks about her childhood and modelling career which in hindsight seems a bit irrelevant except for certain parts where she mentions going to jumble sales with her mother and then later in Paris. The second half of the book focuses on the author opening her own vintage store. This part was moderately interesting but overall I feel like the book had no clear message or focus except from the author rambling on about her own life. The book seemingly jumps from one pointless encounter or experience to another with no real storyline or focus. But the three things that annoyed me most about this book were 1) the authors infuriating references to her 'bad luck with men' which were beyond irrelevant, like she was trying to imitate Carrie Bradshaw, and even references the character at one point in the book 2) the patronising way the author explains certain things or phrases, for example "that's what we would call it in the fashion industry" and 3) the authors evident lack of knowledge about fashion or designers despite being a model and "loving" vintage. I would not recommend this book.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book that I would have ordinarily read, however it was on book a day calendar and sounded interesting! It was.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, rounding up to 4

I'm not sure why I picked up this book. But, it was in Scribd, and I do have a subscription, so I thought I'd take a chance on it.

At first, I thought this book was going to be about Allison's modelling career, but turns out, it's about running a vintage shop. Allison's shop Hooti Couture sounds fun, even though I don't generally have luck with vintage and/or second hand clothes. I look awful in them. Must be my lack of fashion sense.

Each chapter of this book starts with a small vignette, and then it enters the real topic. It could be about the shop, about a certain aspect of vintage selling, a great find, anything. It's roughly chronologically arranged, but it feels more like a series of snapshots rather than an autobiography of a store.

I quite enjoyed this book. The author sounds like a really fun person, and I'd love to meet her someday. The only thing I wish the book has is more photos. She describes all these outfits, and it makes me want to see them.

Hmm... this review is short even by my standards. I suppose it does sum up this book - it's a light and fluffy read. You won't learn any deep business or fashion principles, but it is a good distraction if you need one.

This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Nookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir is not so much on substance but her stories are fun to read. Holds a greater appeal for the book loving fashionistas, flea market fanatics and thrift store junkies. But most unfortunately, the tips and guide provided are only applicable for the Americans. At the beginning of the book, Houtte, a former model, wrote about how her mother influenced her fashion style as well as love for vintage clothes. Knowing that a modelling career would not last long, Houtte decided to open a store selling vintage items in Brooklyn, New York. Most of the book centered around her shopping and discovery of old clothes that people deemed as unvaluable. She also talked about how she developed relationships with her customers as well as learning the business of selling to people. The other thing which I do not agree is her sentiments about selling, buying and wearing vintage fur coats and alligator skin bags. Seriously, how anyone can wear FUR with a clear conscience is beyond me! Anyway, what I like best is the way an article of clothing could lead to a lesson in life, and a sometimes quite funny anecdote. Her emphasis on personal style and emotional ties to clothing is what makes this book interesting.

[Sheral · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It felt like sitting around chatting and laughing about all my great finds with a friend. It brought back memories of all the flea markets and vintage stores I used to go to. I ended the book thinking I wanted to own a vintage clothing store, but not really. She enjoys what she is doing and has a store that is successful. Not many people can say that. Mostly we set around wishing we could or would do something that we truly liked and get paid doing it.
If you want a nice little book that will take you down a different path, and give you a few laughs, for a little of your time then this books hits the mark. Its cute, its different, and it will take you back to a time when you found that really cool item that brings back memories to this day.
I think of this book as a 'take a break book' not a lot of time invested but it still touches you.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm belatedly taking my style side for jaunts around the fashion world and a book like this makes my brief but interesting trips worthwhile. I have always loved vintage clothing and living in San Francisco amidst all the vintage stores and shopping with a very stylish best friend was some of the best days of my twenty-something life. That's what this book reminded me of. Alison Houtte is gorgeous (just like my best friend) and her memoir styled guide for all things vintage was an amazing read. It made me want to dash out and find my first alligator purse...almost. She made everything sound so luxurious and decadent, and even tales from the business side of it made an impact. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fashion, even if you don't really appreciate vintage. You will after this offering from Ms. Houtte!