Bargain Book about fun, vintage clothes

I found Alligators, Old Mink and New Money on the $4.99 table at Chapters just after Christmas. With a four-year-old tugging at my arm, I didn't look closely and thought it was fiction. Turns out, it's about the adventures of a vintage clothes store owner that lives in Brooklyn. She's a former model and has some funny stories, great descriptions of clothes and adventures at flea market. She also writes with a healthy respect for her parents and family and their influence on her bargain finds. I suppose reading it helped me zone in on two consignment stores while we were in Vancouver. I LOVED Turnabout on Broadway St in Vancouver's Kitsilano. Now, I'd packed an empty extra bag because I knew I'd stock up on books at Elaine's Vine and Fig Tree Books. Which I did. But there was room for 'new' clothes as well. A pair of pants, some sweaters, a pantsuit. Also a very long black silk skirt with decorative bordered hem. It's too long for me but at $12 I knew it was worth buying and revamping. Just finished washing it before I begin some work on it.