While I DO know that blogs are on a downward spiral of girls saying wear this! I love this style, Check out the latest collection... Blah Blah-all the same stuff-Blah. I do think it is important to let the good people of New York know about the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. To my knowledge, the show is held every spring and fall and is where fabulous vintage dealers of the surrounding areas come together to showcase some of their finest vintage finds. I actually heard about the show through my Mother who was reading through Refinery 29's forgotten entries. The site said that the show was the best place to find beautiful one of a kind fashions. Needless to say my mother sent me a couple texts with the all-caps words HAVE TO GO and I was immediately convinced.
So, last Saturday Paulina and I walked down to 18th street and into a huge gallery full of ravishingly dated booths. The boxed in spaces were filled to their capacity with racks and racks of beautiful garments. There were tables and cases of sparkling rings, necklaces, brooches, and sunglasses. The handbag selection was mind blowing. One whole booth was just five or six long tables of early season designer handbags. The framed handbags had the most ingenious closures and inner workings. I soon realized that this wasn't just a shopping adventure--but also a way to research past handbags and shoes for my classes.
Hidden among the prized and perfect-condition Chanel and Dior were slightly more affordable (and in my opinion-just as interesting) pieces. I went to the show with a budget and knew that I could spend it on one great piece. I found "the one" when walking into a adorable and definitely more affordable booth. As I turned a corner and headed to the accessories table, a sweet little ice-blue dress caught my eye. Was it just my size? The sales associate practically made me strip right in the booth. She said she had been looking for the right person to wear it all day because of how petite of a fit it was. She was so elated that I was interested in it that she followed me to the fitting room to see how the dress looked on. As I zipped up the back and pressed the mini plastic barbie snap of the mesh closed, it felt perfect. The sales associate was right; It fit me like a dream. The dress just, well it made me feel happy! So of course, I bought the darling thing and walked away from the whole experience completely satisfied.
After the dress was bought and Paulina and I had resumed our natural position at the kitchen table staring into our computer screens, I realized this dress needs a photo shoot A$AP. Thankfully Paulina is the most amazing photographer and I can just ask. I can say: hey! Lets paint me orange, color my eyebrows turquoise, walk around downtown and have a photo shoot! And she will respond: BUT OF COURSE.
Yay friendship.
But we didn't do that.. instead we did a fun shoot with the blue dress on the Highline and then a darker themed one in our dorm's stairwell.
In the words of Miley Cyrus it was "pretty cool."
For more of Paulina's amazing photography click HERE.
Also check out the man who inspired such a title, Blake Felty's blog HERE.
Learn more about the next Manhattan Vintage show, Gentlemen's Vintage, HERE.
Rachel Manning
