A Day at the Manhattan Vintage Show
Chatting with dealers at NYC's biggest vintage event
Once every season, some of the best vintage dealers across the country gather in the city for the Manhattan Vintage Show. It’s undoubtedly one of the best vintage parties in the city, with endless style inspiration from the racks to the attendees. I was a vendor at the last two shows, and even with help, I hardly had any time away from my booth! As much as I love to sell, I always want more time to browse and hang out with my fellow dealers. I wasn’t selling at the Spring show last weekend, so I was able to throw on a fun outfit and explore as an attendee.
Real talk: most of the pieces at shows like this are out of my price range. And that’s no dig at the dealers, I promise. I am one! Shows like this are a serious investment, and the pieces on display are almost always worth their hefty price tags. We’re talking the real deal good shit here: incredible craftsmanship, amazing backstories, runway, couture, the best of the best.
So I spent my afternoon soaking up style ideas, bumping into fabulously dressed friends, and leaving with nothing but dreams. I stopped by the booths of a few of my favorite vendors and asked them to share a piece they had that they were really excited about! Here’s what my fellow vintage-obsessed dealers wanted to show you.
Courtney of Sonic Wave Vintage
I’ve been admiring Courtney’s incredible vintage, killer dance moves, and amazing hair for years online. She traveled to the city for the show, so it was the first time we were able to meet in person! Courtney is cool as hell, and I was so comfortable chatting with her that it felt like we’ve been IRL friends forever. It was her MVS debut, and she obviously crushed it.
“This was a piece I found in Austin, it was child-sized and had a sort of tent shape to it. It had some flaws and some staining, so I thought that my seamstress could pull all of the pleats out and rework it into a micro-mini with some bloomers. And that’s exactly what she did!”
“We added these little slits to the side to make sure that the bloomers popped through. She was really creative in using a similar fabric so that we could really get that pattern at the bottom and still make it work.”
Karina of Lunar Curated
IG: @lunarcurated
I was lucky enough to have Karina’s help in my own booth for my first two Vintage Shows, and I’m so happy it gave her the push she needed to get out there on her own! If anyone deserves to have their pieces showcased, it’s definitely Karina. She has incredible taste, personal experience in the garment industry, and draws a lot of inspiration from her Mexican heritage. She’s an avid collector and lover of iconic American designer Bonnie Cashin, with a dedicated rack in her space just to showcase her special selection of Cashin designs.
“Bonnie designed these patchwork jackets between the 60’s and 70’s. What I love about this one is the colors, there’s just one mustard patch on the back. It’s well loved, but it’s so fantastic. That one little detail just makes it a little bit different from the other ones.”
Meg of Eclectic Inventory
I first met Met when we were both vending at Regeneration, the vintage extension of Artists & Fleas in Williamsburg. We’ve kept in touch since, and recently started selling alongside each other again at Seven Wonders Collective! Meg is consistently one of the shop’s best sellers, and for good reason. Her vintage watches are a fan favorite, and her rack is always full of vintage designer finds in a delicious palette of plum, rust, and olive.
“So I start with these [watch] faces that are from the 1940’s and then I hand bead with natural pearls to make these little chokers. They’re wind watches, and most people don’t want to use a wind today. You have to keep winding it every single day, it’s not really practical. So I was like ‘let’s just make them into chokers!’ and you can set it to your favorite time and just keep it there.”
The idea of wearing a watch permanently set to one time is so romantic!
Jessy of Messy Jessy
IG: @messyjessyvtg
Jessy and I got in a faux tussle on IG over an absolutely fabulous pair of pants that were previewed for the Vintage Show by Chip of Vintage Treasure Snack. I didn’t make my way over to his booth until around 4 PM, and the sweet girl helping him out informed me that the pants had sold. Vintage heartbreak. But the story has a happy ending: the buyer was Jessy! Turns out they weren’t my size anyway, and I can’t think of anyone sweeter and cuter that could have snagged them. Broken heart averted!
“This is a cute little 1960’s Bonwit Teller peignoir and negligee set. I went to an antique store and I bought a different set, which is also on my rack, and the woman who was checking me out said to me ‘I have something very similar that used to be mine that you might like.’ So she got my number and didn’t text me for like two and a half weeks, and then sent me a photo of this and goes ‘Hey Jessie, just looking through my closet and thinking of you.’ I actually sent my mom to the antique store, she had to pick it up for me.”
“I just thought it was so sweet, it’s always nice when people kind of see what you have and they’re like… I think you might like something that I’ve had in my closet for years. I always love knowing where things are coming from, because that doesn’t always happen to us. It’s nice putting a face to the set.”
Lexie of Lexie Butterfly Vintage
If you know The Manhattan Vintage Show, you know the clown! Lexie is a beaming rainbow fixture at the show, and her booth never has a shortage of print, pattern, and makeup inspo. The first time I ever met Lexie at a show, she kindly gifted me a red foam clown nose. Talk about first impressions! I still have it - you never know when it may come in handy.
“I have these super cool pieces that I made from vintage fabric! They’re all 60’s and 70’s fabric made into plus size garments, so that we can translate vintage in a sustainable way to more modern sizing.”
“This is a really interesting 60’s art deco print in polished cotton, these are really hard to find because obviously the 60’s and 70’s we see a lot of synthetics.” Sooo much polyester! We both laugh. “Frankly I don’t like to spend so much time touching it, that it takes to sew it, so I only source cotton. Honestly, I’m kind of mad that I didn’t save this fabric for myself. But, you know, someone really lucky is gonna have it!”
Jaclyn of Jac’s Gold
IG: @jacsgold
When I first launched my vintage brand, Brooklyn Flea was one of the very first markets I sold at. I was definitely intimidated by the other vendors - they all seemed so experienced and confident! Jaclyn is a DUMBO flea regular, and she was so welcoming and helpful to a vintage newbie like me. At the last February vintage show, one of my husband’s friends stopped by to see me, but ended up being way more excited about Jaclyn’s selection. He said it best: “she is so cool!”
“I have been collecting kid’s clothes for years. I buy a lot of the kid’s clothes cuz I think they’ll fit me but then they don’t. I have a huge collection! I love kids, and I think their clothes are the cutest.”
Erin of Zingara Vintage
IG: @zingaravintage
I first found Erin on a sweltering afternoon many summers ago, wandering the side streets of Rockaway Beach. I was with a friend who wanted to show me a “cool little vintage store somewhere around here.” We didn’t have a name to search so we went off her hazy memory and vibes, and eventually found our way to Zingara! I don’t remember which friend dragged us around that day, but I do remember thinking that Erin’s shop was really cool. I had no idea at the time that I’d be vending alongside her years later. Ain’t life grand?
“So I’m wearing a vintage 70’s caftan, I picked this up many years ago. Purple is the rarest color in terry cloth, as is black, but purple is even more rare. I love this for two reasons: number one, it’s my size, number two, it’s just the best color, right? So I waited for years, and I found matching towels in this purple on purple and designed these pants. So the pants have pockets, they’re a nice wide leg with fringe on the bottom, with the matching terrykini and the matching clutch. This is a modern re-design of a vintage classic.”
And, of course, I had to try on at least one thing just for fun! My friend Jena of Electric Glare had the most incredible 1920’s silk jersey beach pajamas in her booth. It can be hard to believe that this kind of fabric and construction could possibly be so old. Jena told me that one of the authors of From Sleepwear to Sportswear: How Beach Pajamas Reshaped Women’s Fashion, actually took a look at these and authenticated them, which is so cool! I haven’t ordered a copy of the book yet, but it’s definitely on my list.
