Vintage Show Confessions

So, today I went to my first Vintage Clothing and Textile Show and I must say it was a chaotic but very exciting experience! I didn’t bring my camera with me (wanted to be sure to have arms free to hold all the spoils), so aside from showing you an outfit pic taken before the show and some snaps of my goodies post-shopping, I shall have to paint a verbal picture. For the record, I must note that I was the only gal decked out in full vintage wear. I saw one other hip rockabilly dame with tats and red lips and Bettie Page hair, but that was all! Being a rather shy person in new environs, I was not prepared for the number of lovely compliments I got regarding my shoes, my dress, my purse, and even my hair! Very very flattering, but overwhelming!

Now, as for the actual vintage stock, there were about 25 vendors, but only two of them ended up being the most of interest to me, in terms of stocking a few 1930s and 40s dresses (I’m pretty sure I scooped ALL of them up). I was really proud of myself from honing in on what I consider the good stuff almost immediately; however, I had to fight hard to let this rather pushy vintage dealer who was shopping her friend’s booth from literally grabbing three 40s dresses right out of my hand! Thankfully, I’m no shrinking violet when it comes to defending myself or protecting what’s mine, so was successfully able to scoop up and pay for my frocks before they could be pried from my grasp!!!! IN all fairness, after I ran into this same lady two more times in other booths, she introduced herself to me and gave me her card for her own business (she’s a vintage seller herself), so I may have ended up with a new source! I also scored some great 1930s vintage ephemera from the estate of a woman who was a dressmaker and costumer.

The frock tussling aside , I couldn’t get over the fact that, except for a couple of vendors with amazing Victorian dresses and beaver hats (and there was one 1880s plaid day dress on display that made me almost swoon on the spot …I didn’t even dare to ask the price), most stalls were filled with items from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Aside from the two vendors I spent most of my funds at, the sellers with anything from the 1950s and earlier were gouging customers, in my opinion. Example: for a 1920s flapper dress I’ve seen go for about $175 on Etsy, one vendor was asking $400 dollars. It made me start wondering whether Etsy pricing is more of an accurate reflection of the growing scarcity and value of these dresses or if the vendors are indeed hyperinflating their prices. Right now, my point is that, if this show is a reflection of a larger reality, especially in Canada, but possibly also elsewhere, Depression era and wartime frocks are becoming rare endangered species!. What this means is that, considering their growing scarcity and preciousness, the prices shops like mine on Etsy are actually offering are often much lower prices than elsewhere!

While scoring some lovely items for the shop made me very happy indeed, perhaps the most stellar thing to come out of this day was the fact that I ended up forging a few connections with people involved in costuming for the film industry (one of whom played a key role in costumes for the film Chicago!). Can’t say more about it right now, but fingers crossed this could yield some stellar future stock for the shop! WHEW what a DAY! Watch the shop for new arrivals over the next few days!

Music I'm Listening To: Nouvelle Vague again