Two Saturdays ago, I woke up at 7:40am when I heard a knock on my front door. I peeked through the blinds and saw an LAPD officer.

Uh-oh.

My heart started pounding because police officers never knock on doors to deliver good news like winning the lottery.

In this case, they were checking to see if I had noticed anything missing or had seen or heard anything suspicious the night before. It turns out that my next-door neighbors living in the house attached to mine had been robbed overnight.

“What time did it happen?” I asked.

“Well, they went to bed about 11:30 or so…” he started to reply.

“Wait! They were home?!?!”

Yes! They were fast asleep in their bedroom while their home was invaded and their electronics and wallets stolen.  Neither they nor their dog nor their parrot –  who squawks non-stop all day long — heard a thing.

Even more surprising was that they have an alarm system. But the thieves found an unarmed window and let themselves in.

As you can imagine, this immediately put me on high alert and the last two weeks have seen all kinds of improvements to my own security like padlocks for my garden gates, additional outdoor dawn-to-dusk lighting, a new security system, timers for lights, and blinds for all the windows.

Perhaps because crime and security has really been on my mind, I was particularly affected this morning when I read the Canon4Kids ad on the back page of USA Today.

It had pictures of 32 missing children and reminded me that more than 2,000 children are reported missing in the United States every day. Two thousand children per day!!!

My heart breaks thinking of these children and their families. Even more shocking is that, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the majority of these children aren’t taken by strangers but are taken by people they know.

So if you have children, I strongly encourage you to visit www.missingkids.com for information and resources on how best to protect them.

If you’re still teaching your kids the old-fashioned “stranger-danger” message that NCMEC deems ineffective, you need to learn how to deliver more relevant, age-appropriate messages that will empower and protect your children in potentially dangerous situations.

As my neighbors recently discovered, after you or your family is the victim of a crime it’s too late to prevent it.

So please don’t put off having another chat with your kids. Do it today. Yes, your pre-teen may roll her eyes and cry out “Mommmmmm” but that annoying conversation may someday save her life.

And be sure to do a quick security assessment of your own living quarters pronto.

Everything I recently did to better protect myself were all things that I should have done four years ago when I moved into my home.

How, I wonder, did I let them keep getting pushed off?

How did I find the time and money to get my hair done, go to Pilates, buy gifts for family and friends and yet not find the time and money to do these critical things for my own safety?

How? Because we never think it will happen to us.

Oh, if only it was as easy to protect ourselves from crime as it is to protect ourselves from the weather!

Today’s VPOD features a fabulous vintage 1960s leather coat that will keep all the nasty elements at bay.

It’s a safe and secure fashion choice for a Vintage Crusader.

Available at Rock and Roll Vintage.

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GET READY, GET SET, BID!!!

CLICK IMAGE TO GO TO EBAY AUCTION

Vintage 1990s Chanel Silk Blouse (claireinc*) | Vintage YSL Bracelet (mrbmax) | Vintage Evening Dress and Coat Set (efind894) | Vintage 1970s Goddess Maxi Dress (sistersoftheblackmoon) | Vintage 1950s Satin Party Skirt (pmainstudio) | Vintage 1960s Adele Simpson Kilim Coat (promking59) | Vintage 1938 Geissman for Coro Brooch (kaysglitz) | Vintage Ossie Clark for Radley Maxi Dress (sunny1968_0) | Vintage 1960s Ann Barron Cocktail Dress (afro*chic) | Vintage 1970s Deerskin Embroidered Purse (indiecultvintage) | Vintage 1970s Plaid Coat (bustownmodern) | Vintage 14k Gold Mabe Pearl Ring (urbantiques) | Vintage 1960s Leather and Coyote Jacket (indiecultvintage) | Vintage 1960s Bohemian Suede Coat (redhousevintage) | Vintage Pauline Rader Ram Head Necklace (batmobile$) | Vintage Hermes Ostrich Clutch (lovesurf1) | Vintage Gucci Bangle Watch Set (jamie52282) | Vintage 1980s Colorblock Dress (orangesuitcasevintage) | Vintage Hermes Henri de Linares Scarf (jajezus) | Vintage 1970s Peacock Print Maxi Dress (sistersoftheblackmoon) | Vintage 1970s Roberta di Camerino Bamboo Print Dress (slini) | Vintage 1970s Pocket Boots (thriftwares) | Vintage North Beach Leather Jacket (sleepyheadvintage) | Vintage Alfred Philippe for Trifari Bracelet (trifari.com) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without promotional consideration from Bay sellers but Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network)

PLEASE NOTE that Zuburbia does not endorse the use of fur, feathers, leather or animal skins in fashion. These selections are offered only as more thoughtful and eco-friendly alternatives for contemporary fashionistas who have not yet eliminated animal products from their wardrobes.

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This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely older couple who were avid antiquers and we engaged in a conversation about what life’s like as an antiques dealer and just how quickly one’s passionate collecting can turn into a full-time business.

Then we got on the delicate topic of pricing and they regaled me with an entertaining tale.

A tale that starts with an ugly vase.

This ugly vase belonged to Party A’s deceased wife and had been in her family for generations. It had also been in Party A’s house long enough. He’d always hated the vase and thought it was u-g-l-y.

So he set it out at a weekend yard sale and slapped on a $15 price tag thinking, what the heck, maybe somebody would like it.

And somebody did. We’ll call him Party B.

Party A could hardly believe it!

Party B had actually parted with $15 of his hard-earned money for that ugly vase! Party A quickly pocketed his $15 before the buyer changed his mind and was thrilled to have that ugly vase gone from his life forever.

Party B was an auctioneer. He put the vase up for sale at his next auction and it sold for $120 to Party C.

What a nice little profit for such an ugly vase, he thought.

Party C also happened to be an auctioneer but he ran a much larger and better attended auction that Party B. This time when he offered the ugly vase at auction it sold for $325 to Party D.

That was an even bigger profit on the ugly vase than Party B had made!

Party D was a dealer and he immediately took the vase to a high-end antiques store in LA that often bought items from him. The owner of the antiques store, Party E, was drooling to pay $700 for “such a beautiful vase from this manufacturer in such fine condition.”

And later that day, the ugly vase (or beautiful vase, depending on the eye of the beholder) was seen displayed in the window of Party E’s antiques store with a price tag of $3500.

A few days later, Party F, a well-known interior designer, was scouting in Party E’s store and purchased the vase for $3500 which he then re-sold to Brad Pitt for $12,000!

Now, please note that this is my best recollection of the couple’s story and the prices that they shared with me over the weekend. I, of course, have no way of verifying if any of this is true or just one of those urban myths-in-the-making, but it certainly rings true for me as I’ve heard many similar stories over the years and I’m part of this vintage and antiques pipeline myself.

For instance, I know that items I’ve purchased at auction have been worn by the celebrity clients of a certain famed stylist (initials RZ) who regularly pulled items from a Beverly Hills vintage boutique where I consigned my monthly vintage finds. And I know those celebrities paid waaaay more for those dresses than the price tag at the store.

So you can see that wherever you sit on this vintage and antique food chain will determine the prices that you can command or will end up paying.

Those folks with celebrity connections and lots of knowledge and experience sit at the top and can command the highest prices. Think of them as the lions of the jungle.

Those people with little knowledge and experience and who are consumers, not professionals, sit at the very bottom. Think of these folks, like Party A in this story, as the wounded antelope (and these folks can often fall prey to the hungry lions).

But does it make sense now why you might see similar items on two different vintage websites with very different prices?

I mean I remember once seeing the exact same Lilli Ann suit offered online at two different venues for $99 and $895!

The price all depends on where a seller is in the vintage and antique pipeline and who their clients happen to be. Or, to continue my jungle analogy, when they get to drink at the watering hole and how much they’re willing to pay to avoid being eaten.

If you’re a buyer, you want to buy as close to the bottom of the pipeline as possible to get the best price.

If you’re a seller, you want to sell to buyers as close to the top of the pipeline as possible to get the best price.

Finally, a Facebook friend recently posted about her amazing $1 Thierry Mugler find at a thrift store in Utah. So that’s the beginning of the pipeline, right?

So while this gal may just keep this find for herself, since she’s a dealer she’ll probably sell it for a hefty profit to her local vintage shop who, to expose it to a larger audience, will put it up for auction on eBay where it will be won by a NYC vintage dealer who will show it to an LA costume designer who will feature it on a famed celebrity in a film that goes on to win an Academy Award prompting this $1 Mugler to command a 6-figure winning bid when it is later sold at a specialty auction and acquired by a museum for its permanent collection.

But you, as a consumer, have both the power and the opportunity to interrupt this chain.

If you’re willing to pay a premium NOT to have to troll through thrift shops you can snatch this Mugler on eBay.

If you’re willing to pay a premium NOT to have to page through thousands of eBay auctions, you can intercept a Mugler like this at an upscale vintage boutique.

If you’re willing to pay a premium then you don’t have to drag yourself out of bed to go to the Rose Bowl at 5 am or spend hours in a messy thrift store. You can just sleep in late and surf on over to a favorite vintage website with a steaming cup of tea nearby.

That’s how I discovered today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1960s Bill Blass printed coat is oh-so-lovely and while you may never know how many hands it passed through before it got to your closet, you can be grateful for each one and then welcome it yourself with open arms.

It’s a wonderful classic find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at PinkClouds.

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Every time I feature a vintage fur item here on this site, it always generates controversy. And that’s to be expected since the use of fur in fashion is a very divisive issue.

And while I respect everyone’s right to an opinion, I have to believe that everyone’s email writing efforts would be better served by being less concerned about the animals that were sacrificed for fashion 50 years ago and by being more concerned about the current animal cruelty issues that exist today.

For instance, Camilla Fox, Executive Director of Project Coyote, reports on HuffPo that her organization has joined with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Animal Welfare Institute to file suit against the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) because they decided to waive state permit requirements and allow a controversial coyote and fox penning facility.

“Penning” allows packs of domesticated dogs into a pen to chase and kill a captive fox or coyote for sport. And that’s describing what happens mildly. Sadistic? You bet. But it’s a legal practice in at least 19 states!

If you’re outraged by the thought of this practice existing in our 2011 world, you can shout your “NO” loud and clear by commenting on the INRC’s website until May 18th.

And, as always, if I haven’t yet convinced you to forego fur in your personal fashion world, please choose a vintage item like today’s VPOD over new.

This vintage 1960s tapestry coat has plush arctic fox cuffs and collar.

And it’s a much more ethical choice for a fur-wearing vintage fashionista.

Available at Bustown Modern.

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When you’ve been in the vintage clothing business as long as I have, it’s inevitable that you will see the same vintage clothing item show up more than once. And it’s always surprising when it does. I often think, “Amazing! I used to own that dress,” or “I remember seeing that dress a few years back in a vintage shop.”

Now certainly the chances of you donning a vintage ready-to-wear item and seeing someone wearing the same piece as you is infinitesimally low. In fact, it will probably never happen during your lifetime!  But it is possible.

Of course, you won’t have that concern with today’s VPOD. This is truly a one-of-a-kind piece that was produced for the Ungaro runway in the 1980s and then was too expensive to put into production.

Created from white rabbit fur and hand-painted leather in an abstract print, this amazing vintage coat features wide lapels that sparkle with iridescent beads and paillettes and a matching belt that extends the theme with fur on one side and leather on the other.

It’s a magnificent find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Frock NYC.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)