What proper fashion girl doesn’t have bags of old clothes laying in her closets, hallway and car trunk just waiting to be sold or donated? (This fashion girl counts her parents house, a Culver City storage locker and un-used kitchen cabinets as clothing, uh, storage, too.)

Elizabeth Kott, Rachel Zoe’s former manager of marketing and digital content, knows that there are plenty of stylish hoarders to be found. And Closet Rich, her just-launched website, proves it.

The site is designed to turn the standard consignment shop business model on its head, with Kott personally visiting the closets of clients (complimentary, we might add) to peruse their wardrobes for sellable gear. Garb that happens to have a special somethin’ somethin’ — say a designer label, on-trend look or vintage birthday — gets photographed for sale on the website, with clients getting a 50 percent cut when the piece sells.

Items that aren’t exactly right for Kott’s clotheshorse customer base get donated to the Hollywood chapter of Dress for Success, an organization that helps outfit underprivileged women as they embark on careers. And of course, if there’s stuff that clients don’t want to part with, Kott will offer her expert opinion on the art of altering, tailoring and making wardrobes feel current.

“I’m a therapist for their closets,” she joked on the phone earlier today.

Kott began the business after an epiphany had while helping her grandmother move earlier this year. “Your stuff owns you. And there’s a clarity of mind that comes from making room to only have what you need.”

Her new venture is bringing zen to some seriously stylish closets, including that of Kristen Reiter, a close friend who co-authors the way popular blog BleachBlack and is the action sports design director at Nike. According to Closet Rich’s Posterous blog, an Emporio Armani blouse from Reiter’s closet is available now for pre-order. Reiter is also a creative consultant for the site and served as its first model.

Pieces currently yours for the taking include a new pair of Lanvin sunglasses ($75), Derek Lam wood-and-leather T-strap heels ($50) and a cashmere Alexander Wang tank dress ($150), with a smattering of low-key vintage bags from Gucci, Fendi and Neiman Marcus thrown in. The site boasts eight pages of merchandise at the moment, with 140 reserve pieces being rotated in every week. And Kott is in the process of taking on new clients to ensure a constant stream of fresh meat.

“When you like clothes, all of your money is in your closet and no where else. Thats’s where your investment is, and everything else falls to the wayside,” Kott says, hitting the major twenty-something female money woe nail right on the head. “I really want to help my clients make as much of a profit as they can.”

closetrich.com 

Photo: Kott, right, and Reiter during their Closet Rich photo shoot. Reiter is sporting a pretty redonk pleated dress by Michon Schur, for sale on the site at$70. 

Astrology Zone scribe Susan Miller — aka the queen of all things future — is making a local appearance on August 12, when she will help daughter Chrissie celebrate Arts & Leisure, her art-filled pop-up shop that opens at Space 15 Twenty on August 6.

The month-long shop is a venture between the younger Miller, who designs rad NY-based line Sophomore, and Erin Kruase, the Director of artist Donald Baechler’s New York studio.

Shoppers will find largely NY-designed gear from various creative mediums including fashion and art, with underground-y, Lower East Side-esque designers Daryl K, Tara Subkoff, Lindsay Thornburg, Three as Four and Rebecca Schiffman among the dozens in the mix (Proenza Schouler, Vena Cava and, of course, Sophomore will be carried, too). From the art world side, pop-up patrons can expect pieces from heavy hitting contemporary creators including Harmony Korine, Nate Lowman, Richard Prince, Ross Bleckner, Terry Richardson and Julia Chiang. Not to mention a newsstand worth of envelope-pushing ‘zines from the likes of Skint, Dossier and Medium Rare.

The shop runs through August 28. But on Friday the 12th, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Susan will celebrate the pop-up at a party thrown in her honor.

We personally plan on asking her when the stars say we will be able to afford the Proenza Schouler goods carried there.

And for those who have yet to read Miller’s August forecast, take heed: Mercury is retrograde. Don’t sign any contracts.

1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. arts-leisure.com

Photo: Mama and daughter Miller at a Space 15 Twenty appearance in 2009.  

We’re longtime fans of Beckley, the well-edited Melrose Avenue boutique where Elizabeth and James jersey dresses peacefully co-exist with billowy Chris Benz blazers and colorful statement rings by Erickson Beamon (a 2nd location recently opened at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas).

And for fall, owner Melissa Richardson Akkaway is launching her very first namesake line, Beckley by Melissa. The collection features a bevy of basic, interchangeable pieces that have luxury materials, detailing and tailoring in mind — think leather leggings, chiffon bow dresses that double as an oversized blouse and chiffon tops that could work with skirts, trousers or denim with ease.

The whole “casual L.A. basics” thing can sometimes be a bit boring. But Akkaway has done it in a way that steps it up, creating pieces that feel fresher and more refined than most. And who isn’t already craving a killer pair of leather leggings to round out their fall wardrobe (it’s a major item on our personal wish list, for sure).

These are a few of our favorite shots from the Beckley by Melissa fall 2011 look book:

8620 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. 310-652-3500. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m. beckleyboutique.com

Scout, Joey Grana’s avante garde-meets-Cali-casual boutique in Hollywood, has finally gone digital with an e-commerce shop full of his coveted private label T-shirts, bold copper jewels and pieces from always eye-opening designers Margiela and Demeulemeester.

But the real draw here is a heart-racing selection of vintage duds (Grana is one of the founders of A Current Affair vintage marketplace, after all) — including a Comme de Garcons rag knit tank from the ’80s ($228), Roberto Fabris’ polka dot leather cropped jacket ($148) and a cream-colored, crocheted maxi skirt from the 1940s ($98). Grana has also stocked his virtual shop with a hearty selection of the easy, breezy Moroccan striped tunics, tops and dresses that Angeleno’s seem to be flocking toward at the moment, and we’re most definitely into an orange and black oversized tunic that could very well be a summer evening staple.

Best of all, shipping is free to anywhere in the world. So even if you happen to live in the vicinity of Scout’s brick-and-mortar outpost in the heart of Hollywood, you can avoid feeding the meter and take to the Internet for your fix.

SCOUTla.net

Photo: A 1960s rust suede tunic, $148. Holy hippie, Batman!

Yesterday, Vogue’s Lawren Howell and Barneys creative director Amanda Brooks hosted an in-store luncheon to celebrate Goyard’s new outpost within the luxury retailer’s Beverly Hills location.

And while the likes of Janie Bryant, Jeanne Yang, Juan Carlos Obando and actresses Erika Christensen and Abigail Spencer nibbled on tuna nicoise and French macarons, we simply stared at Goyard steamer trunks and drooled.

Nevermind the fact that we’d have to become street walkers to afford such a regal piece of luggage (or the airfare to any exotic locale worth taking it). But our initials unfortunately spell the word EEW, making a monogrammed Goyard piece a thing of fantasy in our life for more reason than one.

Luckily, during an after-lunch accessory department perusal, we were made to feel better about our financial situation by none other than Rodarte designer Laura Mulleavy, who also attended the luncheon and, just like us, asked a Barneys employee to validate her self-parking ticket.

Now if we could only find something to make us feel better about the fact that our initials are awful, we’ll be golden.

Photo: Vogue West Coast editor Lisa Love and Jacqui Getty — both lucky enough to own monogramed bags that don’t spell an expression of disgust. (Donato Sardella/Wireimage)

One of our life goals is to one day be captured on the Jumbotron at a sporting event (some people want to go to the moon, we just want 40,000 people to see us stuffing our face while seat-dancing at Staples. We dream big, no doubt). Since we don’t know who to bribe to make that happen, we’ll focus on what we can do — which is show off our outfits to shoppers at 69 Metropark stores across the country.

The SoCal-based retail chain has partnered up with Pose, the groovy Santa Monica-headquartered shopping app we’ve mentioned before, on a three week-long contest that starts today.

Just download the free app at Pose.com, hit up any Metropark location and snap pics of your favorite in-store products, pieces and dressing room-discoveries. Your “poses” will then be displayed on those large and in-charge Plasma screens that grace Metropark stores nationwide, showing fellow consumers your stellar sense of style. Once you share your looks on Facebook or Twitter with the #MetroparkUSA hashtag, you’ll be entered to win one of six $200 gift certificates, which will be awareded to two random Posers each week.

We once happened upon some unexpectedly cool merch on a Metropark clearance rack — including a rugged, skinny leather belt for a measly ten spot. So don’t be afraid to do some digging next time you’re at the mall and show those treasures off to the masses.

We know, it isn’t exactly the Kiss Cam. But it’ll do.

Download the app here.

Looks like there’s a flurry of activity on Rodeo Drive, with a handful of retailers swapping spaces and some new folks setting up shop. Lets examine, shall we?

— French label Barbara Bui will open its first West Coast outpost on the street next to DeBeers, the company’s second U.S. store.

— Valentino is pulling up stakes from its current Rodeo location and will open a new store down the street, right next to Dolce & Gabbana.

— Luxury linen maker Frette is swapping its current spot for one down the street, next to Lacoste (they’re welcome to throw down roots in our bedroom if they wish, as well).

And in other retail real estate news, the Malibu Lumberyard is rumored to be in the final stages of being sold to Blatteis & Schnur Inc., a Century City real estate group that already owns property on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. The deal is said to be closing by early next week.

No woman’s body can actually escape the holidays unscathed. But wherever you are on the road to recovery, you deserve a pair of jeans that makes your body look flawless.

From Friday, January 21 to Sunday, January 23, Lucky Brand Jeans in Century City is lending a hand with “Find Your Perfect Fit,” an open-to-the-public shopping event.

Denim specialists will be on hand to handle all your questions and quarries about buying the most flattering jeans and will help you select the perfect pair for your body type. Another perk: the store will tailor your new jeans to their proper length. Lucky Brand isn’t the trendiest denim line on the market, but they are an old standby. And at a modest price point of between $80 and $150, they’re a great buy.

Lucky Brand Jeans at Westfield Century City. Friday & Saturday, 10am – 9pm, Sunday, 12 – 7pm. 310.201.0469. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles.

Last March, we told you all about Kitty’s Secret Shop, the completely under-the-radar vintage shop held in owner Kitty Jensen’s Los Feliz apartment. And starting Saturday, Jensen will be taking her retail-cum-homestead to a pop-up shop at Hollywood’s Space 15 Twenty compound.

Jensen, a former stylist, is a vintage ninja whose stellar eye attracts the likes of supermodel Frankie Rayder. So it’s safe to assume that her selection of pop-up shop pieces, which won’t exceed $150, will be worth checking out.

The shop runs through the end of the month. But on Saturday, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., a grand opening party will feature musical performances by Mirah, Becky Stark, The Finches and Anna Oxygen (Space 15 Twenty always knows how to throw  good party).
Space 15 Twenty. 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. space15twenty.com

Photo: Model Frankie Rayder, left, with her daughter Sunny Bebop Balzary and Clara Balzary at Kitty’s Secret Shop. Photo courtesy of Kitty Jensen.