Starry Style Expert Christos Garkinos On His New Book, Spring Picks

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“Hollywood loves a comeback story,” says luxury shopping expert Christos Garkinos, author of Covet the Comeback, a new memoir about his fashion business, life, and personal triumphs. “This is the ultimate comeback story.”

As the well-dressed (and connected) entrepreneur behind Covet by Christos, an online shopping platform with fans that include Garcelle Beauvais and Monet Mazur, Garkinos is as much of an authority on pre-loved luxury goods as he is on the art of reinvention.

Following his career as a corporate executive at Disney and Virgin Megastore, Garkinos found his fashionable footing through beloved vintage mecca Decades with co-founder Cameron Silver in Los Angeles. From there, audiences fell in love with Garkinos as an affable and quippy reality star on Bravo’s Dukes of Melrose and as the designer/host of Eureka by Christos Garkinos on the HSN Network. In honor of his new book, Garkinos is using the same skills he honed at Decades and HSN to sell what he knows best — himself.

Covet the Comeback is a heartfelt, tender, and powerful memoir that follows Garkinos’s childhood as part of a Greek immigrant family in Detroit to chasing his California dreams and the many career pivots he’s experienced along the way — at one point going from the top of Mulholland to rock bottom. And back again.

“I looked at all the touch points [of my life],” he says of his new memoir. “I resisted bad relationships I shouldn’t have gotten into or being in jobs that weren’t great for me. Or were great for me. Things I learned from mentors like Richard Branson that I could [impart] to other people as they go through life.”

Over the last five years, after overcoming a series of personal obstacles, Garkinos found a loyal following of shoppers (aka The Stos Squad) who tune into his epic Instagram Lives each day to shop from the closets of his rich and famous friends. Garkinos’s social media account boosts over 35K insatiable followers.

As an expert on all things luxury, beauty and shopping, Garkinos spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about his new book, fashion tips and wellness staples.

Selma Blair, Garcelle Beauvais and Kathy Hilton celebrated with you at your L.A. “Covet the Comeback” launch party. Debra Messing attended your New York book signing. What did their support mean to you?

They’ve been in my life for 20-something years. One thing about me is I’m a ride-or-die-for-life. Some people come and go, but I have stayed close to Selma and Garcelle. And Kathy [Hilton] is a newer friend. Monet [Mazur] has been my friend for 25 years. They’re friends first and then collaborators [second].

A few of the women are also mentioned in your book — along with some really great style and life advice. I had never heard that Cindy Crawford tip before: “Say ‘Thursday’ when taking a picture. Everybody together — Thursday. Cindy Crawford taught me that.”

Oh! It works. Debra Messing was at my signing [in New York]. She had another word that she uses. I don’t know [remember] what it was. [You say it] to open the mouth up [while posing]. I’ll have to ask her what that was.

What can readers expect from your book?

It’s about pivoting and figuring out how to pivot and what to do and never giving up hope. It’s the ultimate comeback story. I was a young gay Greek boy from Michigan who had big dreams of being in [Hollywood] and most of the dreams came true. And then they stopped happening [after our Bravo show and my HSN line ended]. And then I was like, “Am I going back to Michigan? Like, is this it?” That’s what it’s really about. The other thing to take away from me is everything you do in your life gets you to the next point. When my business [Covet by Christos”] launched five years ago, my experience came together at [once]. Sometimes when people are like, “Why am I doing algebra in 10th grade? I don’t understand. I’ll never use it.” For me, that was the whole HSN experience, which I loved, but I was like, “Well, how am I going to use this again?” But the HSN experience helped me so much with what I do every day now with [“Covet by Christos” on IG Live].

What inspired you to revisit the past, present, and future — now?

I lost my father. I was young. He was 59. His dad died at 59. His brother died at 59. So I was like, “Okay 59 [might be it].” … And then I hit 60, I’m like, Wait. My story is going to be different, [than] what’s happened with the men in my family. So I look back — all these great things happened to me over the last five years. Like post-COVID, I met someone I got married to, business exploded and I was at a place in my life [when I could] look back and go, Okay, I am sober. How can I help somebody with my story?

Many people in Hollywood associate you with your time with Decades and its corresponding Bravo reality show, Dukes of Melrose. How did that era inform what you do now?

It was about fashion. I love fashion, but [Decades was] all about the high-touch customer experience. I still work closely with people. Even though I have a huge online business, there’s still a high-touch element to it. I know people’s lives. People tune in every day. I call them “The Norms of Cheers.” So, when someone joins the live, I [look at it] like that. If I look back at [the Decades era], there is that element where I was styling people, but it also goes back to my parents and [when I was working at] their restaurant. They set an environment for how they wanted people to be treated when they walked in. I learned that from when I was a kid.

From my standpoint, it’s just about every day [how you feel]. My parents’ restaurant every day, having a store every day, working for a brand-name music store — you are bringing things to life and making sure people have a fun connection. Shopping is one of the last few shared connections we have. That’s why I was so excited about the launch of the Printemps [in New York]. It’s beautiful. People are lining up to get into it. So it’s a thing, right? It’s how Barney’s felt when you were going to Barney’s. What I do online every day is of the same nature.

What makes what you’re doing on IG Live a different experience for the consumer?

You never know what’s going to happen. There’s always laughter. It’s always fun. [One of my colleagues] always says there are more people on my shows than there are people shopping at Bergdorf’s. I [try to approach business and life], like, “How do you think differently?” I stumbled into this. I didn’t realize I’d be a pioneer in social. I had this vision for “Live in the Closet with Christos.” I didn’t know what it [was] and then my back was up against the wall with the pandemic. And if it wasn’t for DJ D-Nice doing Instagram Live [early on], I wouldn’t have figured it out as quickly.

What’s something women should consider before making a big purchase — especially online?

I always talk about, ‘What’s the story you want to [tell] in your life? Whether it be, “I want to be Sophia Loren tonight or Gwyneth Paltrow from the Sliding Doors era [in 1998]?” Just think, “Where do you see yourself? Let’s tell a story.”

What’s your biggest hack for being event-ready?

Make sure when you’re shopping that people are talking about measurements so you understand what’s going to fit you,I was one of the few guys who probably saw the Oprah episode where everybody was like, ‘What do you mean I’m a 36 double D?’ If you don’t know your bra size, you are screwed. So I highly recommend getting professionally measured to understand what your true bra size is. Because otherwise, it’s like a square peg in a round hole. When you don’t have the right bra, no outfit is going to work. So, I think under-gear is the most important thing before you put a dress on.”

The biggest tip I always tell everybody: “Are you using your bra from five years ago?” I like Third Love [for undergarments].

Shop Christos Garkinos’ Favorite Skin Care

Shop Christos Garkinos’ Spring Fashion Picks

“I talk about best friend pieces when you’re building your wardrobe — like a crop denim jacket, a crop leather jacket, a great duster, a great little black dress for your closet. Build up your daily [wardrobe],” says Garkinos.

“Everybody needs to have a great clutch in their wardrobe. More than one, please. [At least] two great clutches. I always say it’s like a dusk-to-disco thing. You throw your clutch into your bigger bag. And then at night leave your bag at work. [I recommend] a Chanel kiss lock clutch in satin. Bags are great investments.”