Quick answer: In this vlog, Nikol Johnson finally opens her most-anticipated custom closet, designed and built by Closet Factory, and shares the vintage Oscar de la Renta beaded suit that sparked her love of consignment fashion back in 2015. Along the way she shows a few new designer finds and tells an honest Las Vegas story about a tricky altered jacket she had to rescue herself.
Key takeaways
- Nikol's custom closet was designed and built by Closet Factory, who finished the whole space in about a week while she was traveling.
- A vintage Oscar de la Renta beaded skirt suit, found for $300 at a consignment shop in 2015, started her vintage-collecting obsession.
- She shops almost exclusively secondhand and reconsigns pieces, favoring designers whose quality and value hold up over time.
- Buying non-returnable consignment is a gamble — her Las Vegas jacket had a hidden, awkward alteration she fixed herself with a zipper-repair kit.
- Doors on everything, matching hardware, and a built-in steamer drawer keep the closet clean and genuinely easy to use.
Hey ladies! After years of requests, Nikol pulls back the doors on the closet she worked toward for decades. It is a deeply personal video — she talks candidly about the online negativity that made it hard to film — but at its heart it is a warm walk through a space she loves and the vintage pieces that give it soul.
What went into Nikol's custom Closet Factory build?
Nikol worked with Closet Factory (partnering with the daughter of the company's owners) through several design meetings, and calls them the easiest vendor of her entire home project. They built the closet in roughly a week while she and her husband were away in Napa, and she came home to a finished, spotless space. Every detail was intentional: dresses that hang properly without bunching at the hem, doors on everything for a clean look, and hangers set so nothing sticks out past the cabinetry. Her husband engineered a custom sliding mirror door so it blends into the bedroom, and the his-and-hers sides mirror each other right down to matching hardware. There are dedicated homes for jewelry, sunglasses and belts, a purse display under a chandelier, weighted laundry hampers, and even a pull-down steamer drawer with USB ports and plugs. She also hired a personal organizer off Thumbtack to help edit and arrange everything.
What's the vintage Oscar de la Renta story that started it all?
The obsession traces back to 2015 and a beaded Oscar de la Renta skirt suit. Nikol found it in the hidden loft boutique of a consignment-and-furniture shop that bought estate sales, tucked in with pieces from Carolina Herrera, Pucci and Escada. She was in the middle of IVF and in no position to splurge, so she left it — then lay awake thinking about it and went back the next week. It fit, it was $300 (firmly non-negotiable, because it was Oscar de la Renta), and she bought it. She has never actually worn it; it lives as the showpiece of her closet. That single hand-beaded suit taught her that timeless, well-made design outlasts every trend, and she is especially drawn to Oscar de la Renta's pre-2015 work, researching his fashions and collecting his books.
How does Nikol shop vintage and consignment?
Nikol has shopped almost exclusively secondhand since 2015, and she is candid that it is a hunt with real risks. Her hard-won rules:
- Invest in classic houses whose pieces hold value — she names Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Pucci, Escada and Prada.
- Do not trust the listed size or measurements; people alter garments in ways that are rarely disclosed.
- Expect many finds to be non-returnable, so be prepared to tailor, repair, or take a calculated risk.
- Reconsign what you no longer wear to recoup value — something you can do with designer pieces far more than with everyday brands like J.Crew or Nordstrom basics.
For her, the payoff is character and history: pieces no one else has, that she can enjoy and later pass along without feeling like the money simply disappeared.
What was the Las Vegas jacket fail?
Before a trip to Las Vegas (a scorching 115°F, with dinners planned around the Fontainebleau and the Wynn), Nikol bought a 1980s Oscar de la Renta jacket specifically for a dinner at China Club. The listing was, in her words, weird and bizarre — it noted the front had been altered, and when it arrived she discovered the zipper had been removed with the teeth left in and a makeshift bow-and-snap closure added. It was non-returnable, so she drove to Joann's for a zipper-repair kit and salvaged it herself, cinching the waist. Her husband's reaction when she zipped it up was less than thrilled (he compared the look to Gomer Pyle), and she planned to bring it to a seamstress for a proper fix. It is her honest reminder that consignment is a gamble. On the happier side, her Vegas finds included a new DeMellier Midi Montreal bag in taupe — a London brand she likes for its craftsmanship and give-back program — which she chose as her hands-free daytime bag, styled alongside a Nili Lotan silk slip maxi and a Mary McFadden dress.
The bottom line
This closet tour is less a shopping list and more a love letter to intentional, timeless style — the kind that ages beautifully rather than chasing trends. If Nikol's classic approach speaks to you, carry it through to your beauty routine with makeup created for elegant, mature skin. Explore our classics, browse the best sellers, or start with the full makeup collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who built Nikol Johnson's custom closet?
Closet Factory designed and built it. Nikol worked with the daughter of the company's owners across several design meetings, and the team completed the entire build in about a week while she was traveling. She calls them the easiest vendor of her whole home renovation and highly recommends the company.
What started Nikol's vintage fashion obsession?
A vintage Oscar de la Renta beaded skirt suit she found at a consignment shop in 2015 for $300. She was going through IVF and almost passed on it, but went back a week later and bought it. It became the showpiece of her closet and sparked a lasting love of hunting for one-of-a-kind designer pieces.
Is buying designer consignment worth the risk?
Nikol thinks so, but with eyes open. Quality vintage from houses like Oscar de la Renta and Chanel can hold its value and be reconsigned later. The catch is that listings often have wrong measurements and undisclosed alterations, and many pieces are non-returnable, so be ready to tailor or repair what you buy.
What was Nikol's Las Vegas fail?
She bought a non-returnable 1980s Oscar de la Renta jacket for a Fontainebleau dinner, only to find it had a hidden, awkward alteration where the zipper had been removed. She salvaged it with a Joann's zipper-repair kit, though her husband's reaction was far from thrilled and she planned to see a seamstress for a proper fix.
How does Nikol keep her closet organized?
Everything has a visible, dedicated home behind doors for a clean look: matching his-and-hers sides, drawers for jewelry, sunglasses and belts, a purse display, and a built-in steamer drawer with USB ports. She overhauls and reconsigns pieces regularly so the space stays functional and easy to pack from.
Which designers does Nikol collect?
She gravitates to timeless, well-constructed labels, especially Oscar de la Renta from before 2015, plus Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Pucci, Escada and Prada. For everyday basics she still shops mainstream stores like J.Crew and Nordstrom, saving her hunting energy for statement vintage pieces.
