It’s a Wrap!

Located just a stone’s throw away from Hollywood's numerous motion picture studios, It’s a Wrap! is quite far from a garden-variety secondhand clothing store. In fact, it's the only one of its kind in the whole wide world. As the name vaguely suggests, its stock mainly comes from the wardrobes and prop departments of production companies after their use in movies and TV shows.

It's a Wrap! was founded by Janet Dion, who was working on the CBS Studios lot during the 1980 actors' strike that caused many layoffs. The company asked her to run an auction and sell off wardrobe and props from their latest films, such as The Muppet Movie. Witnessing an entire trailer of wardrobe auctioned for a mere $1,200, Dion conceived a concept of selling screen-used wardrobe items to the general public, not by the lot but piece by piece.

Once inside the store, you will see the walls decorated with movie memorabilia such as figurines, posters, and costumes worn by A-list Hollywood stars, such as Brad Pitt's necktie from Se7en, John Travolta's jacket from Staying Alive, and James Cagney's boxing shorts from City of Conquest. Every piece of clothing sold here is an authentic production costume as well, many of them screen-used and some straight from the wardrobe department.

Receiving new stock every day, the showrooms change constantly with newer titles appearing as they come in. All you need to do is check the price tag on the piece, which shows a "show code"—usually an abbreviation of the title of the show/movie or the name of the production company—and cross-reference it with the index posted throughout the store.

Speaking of the price tag, the discounts are also It's a Wrap!'s strong selling point. Quite often, its pricing is 35-95% off the retail price, which is shown on the tag. This, of course, includes a multitude of designer clothes and accessories, from Armani to Prada to Versace. There are also countless custom-made items that can't be found anywhere else—except, perhaps, on the silver screen.