LUXURIOUS VINTAGE

By Emili Veslind with The Los Angeles Times

Back when you could dig up the occasional Yves Saint Laurent suit at a Salvation Army store, the Vintage Fashion Expo was filling up the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium with Victorian corsets and Edwardian spats - targeting hardcore period clothing collectors.

But as the popularity and price of vintage has grown exponentially over the last decade (and people have all but stopped donating their designer wares), the 24-year old specialty sale - which will take place next Saturday and Sunday - has widened its scope to include fashions hailing from the 1800s to the 1980s.

"Vintage has changed so much," said John Maxwell, founder and producer of the annual show. "When we started, the Bustamante show was the Cadillac antique show of the West, and he would not allow old clothes - that's what he called them - in his show under any circumstances. That was the prevailing attitude."

How things have changed. Now the sprawling expo, which features booths from roughly 85 vintage dealers, lures celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Victoria Beckham and Barbara Streisand, along with Hollywood costumers and major fashion designers.

There's no telling what items dealers will come with each year, but Maxwell promises "a range of things from the very old to the '70s and '80s with designer labels."

For vintage junkies, walking onto the expo's main floor can be positively pulse-quickening. After all, this is your chance to see (and even buy) seminal designs referenced by top designers - think Courreges minis, classic Louis Vutton bags and Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses. And there are always incredibly beautiful old clutches, jewelry pieces and ephemera from the early to mid-1900s, some to be had for a song.

Prices range from around $20 to well into the thousands. The most expensive item ever sold at the show was a black Chanel sheath dress from 1921, at a time when Coco Chanel almost exclusively made hats. The price? "The dealer come down a thousand dollars, from $22,000 to $21,000," Maxwell said.

Vendors put up with polite haggling from customers, he added ("Can you do better?" is the question heard most), but are rightfully offended "when people offer $40 for an item with a price tag reading $275," he said. "If that's the price, you can be sure the dealer paid $100 or more for it. It's amazing - those people that offer $40 really are half-serious."

Santa Monica Vintage Fashion Expo, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica. (310) 458-8551.
Saturday, Feb. 5, 10:30 am - 6 pm; $10.00 - tickets good for both days;
Sunday, Feb 6, 11 am - 5 pm; $10.00
EARLY BUY: Saturday from 9-10:30 am; $20.

**STUDENTS FREE ON SUNDAY with I.D.**

For more information, visit the Expo website www.vintageexpo.com
or call (707) 793-0773 or (415) 468-7482 .

SPRING-O-LATOR ALLIGATOR!

Hello Fashion Diggers,

The recent Vintage Fashion Expo in San Francisco was a huge success: The Expo had the highest attendance in years. Vintage lovers ready to kick their winter blues to the curb thronged the aisles both days in a party-like atmosphere. The Vintage Expo's attendance is back to pre-recession levels at both Santa Monica and San Francisco shows as vintage clothing becomes even more popular on the street and on the red carpet.

Are you a collector of vintage or designer clothing, a stylist, costumer for film or T.V., personal shopper, fashion student, DIY-er, Goth or steampunk enthusiast, historical reenactor, Gatsby-goer, Edwardian lover or bride or groom to be? The Vintage Expo has what you want for spring and throughout the year.

Come for the one-of-a-kind styles, quality craftmanship and surprising values that can't be found in the lookalike world of shopping malls or chain department stores. Join the party April 24 & 25 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and have a ball. Wear your vintage. Show and tell encouraged!

Visit the Vintage Fashion Expo and see and feel: textiles, trims, jewelry (fine and costume), buttons, ribbons, platform shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, vests, perfume collectibles, hot '80s styles and men's and women's clothing of every era and style, from gold lame` pinup swimsuits, to hotpants, to a silk tophat or a Lilli Ann suit. Join dealer favorite Jennifer Tilly (Jennifer and her posse shopped 'til they dropped both days), Academy Award winning actresses Marisa Tomei, Diane Keaton and Barbara Streisand, supermodel Guinevere, Rachel Zoe of "The Rachel Zoe Project" (www.bravotv.com), Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men" (www.amc.com), and Nate Berkus of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (www.oprah.com), XM Radio (www.xmradio.com) and Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com) and head to the Vintage Expo for one-of-a-kind treasures.



THE SANTA MONICA VINTAGE FASHION EXPO
Saturday, April 24, 10:30 am - 6 pm; $10.00 - tickets good for both days;
Sunday, April 25, 11 am - 5 pm; $10.00
EARLY BUY: Saturday from 9-10:30 am; $20.

**STUDENTS FREE ON SUNDAY with I.D.**

For more information, visit the Expo website www.vintageexpo.com
or call (707) 793-0773 or (415) 468-7482 .

Photo Gallery

2010 Show Schedule:

April 24 & 25 - Santa Monica
September 18 & 19 - San Francisco
October 16 & 17 - Santa Monica

The San Francisco Vintage Fashion Expo Saturday March 20, 10:30 AM - 6 PM Sunday March 21, 11 AM - 5 PM Concourse Exhibition Center 8th & Brannan San Francisco, California Special Admission Discount Coupon available at this link or print out this email for $2 discount off the price of regular admission. AH, A NEW YEAR. AND ABOUT TIME! Hello Fashion Diggers, Two thousand nine was hard on all of us. We had to relearn frugality, pay in cash for our purchases and maybe even open a savings account! Hey! Wait a minute --- those are all good things! The Vintage Fashion Expo passes along a Happy New Year to all their vintage show dealers and vintage lovers! You are the secret of their success. Times may be trying, but the Vintage Fashion Expos have grown and expanded due to the good value, great style and the enduring quality of the merchandise being sold. You can dress in the current style, add a vintage piece and not see yourself coming and going and you will undoubtedly get many compliments and inquiries about your vintage find. Are you a collector of vintage or designer clothing, a stylist, designer, costumer for film or T.V., personal shopper, fashion student, DIY-er, goth, steampunk enthusiast, historical reenactor or bride or groom to be? The Vintage Fashion Expo wants you to experience what they have for spring. Visit the Vintage Fashion Expo and see and feel: textiles, trims, jewelry (fine and costume), buttons, shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, boots, boots, perfume collectibles, hot '80s styles and men's and women's clothing of every era and style, from gold lame` hotpants to a silk tophat or a Lilli Ann suit. Join Rachel Zoe of "The Rachel Zoe Project" (www.bravotv.com), Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men" (www.amc.com), and Nate Berkus of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (www.oprah.com), XM Radio (www.xmradio.com) and Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com) and head to the Vintage Expo for one-of-a-kind treasures in a world of mass production. Jewelry appraisal by jewelry author and lecturer Leigh Leshner --- vintage dance & lessons: 2 - 4 pm each day. THE SANTA MONICA VINTAGE FASHION EXPO Saturday, February 6, 10:30 am - 6 pm; tickets $10 - tickets good for both days; Sunday, February 7, 11 am - 5 pm. EARLY BUY: Saturday from 9-10:30 am; tickets $20. **STUDENTS FREE ON SUNDAY with I.D.** For more information, visit the Expo website www.vintageexpo.com or call (707) 793-0773 or (415) 468-7482 . Photo Gallery   2010 Show Schedule: February 6 & 7 - Santa Monica March 20 & 21 - San Francisco April 24 & 25 - Santa Monica September 18 & 19 - San Francisco October 16 & 17 - Santa Monica Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Confirm | Forward

The San Francisco Vintage Fashion Expo

Saturday September 19, 10:30 AM - 6 PM Sunday September 20, 11 AM - 5 PM Concourse Exhibition Center 635 8th Street (at Brannan) San Francisco, California

 

Special Admission Discount Coupon available at this link or print out this email for $2 discount off the price of regular admission.

 

 

THE EXPO IS BACK, BIGGER, BETTER AND BURSTING WITH FALL FASHIONS!!

Hello Fashion Diggers,

The Vintage Fashion Expo has it all for fall. The beautiful suits, boots, gorgeous retro forties styles you've been poring over in the fashion press are all here. Vintage Fashion Expo vendors have been digging all summer to unearth unique, one-of-a-kind treasures to lure you with their madly eclectic loot. We're all looking for enduring quality and terrific value these days without sacrificing great style. The Vintage Fashion Expo has all three: quality, style, value and much, much more. It's time to start thinking about beautiful fall suits, jackets and coats in tweed, cashmere and leather. Also, textiles from all eras, new/old store stock eyeglasses, buttons, jewelry, handbags, shoes, boots, hats and accessories.

Remember FashionDiggers, you can download a discount coupon from the Expo website to your iPhones or Blackberries.

The Vintage Fashion Expo would like to remind shoppers that they also have a great selection of men's wardrobe accoutrements. And lastly ladies, the Vintage Fashion Expo feels compelled to mention the nattily attired "hot guys" who regularly attend the Expos (see photos). If you like to see sharp dressed men - the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco is the place to be September 19 & 20.

Regular Hours: Saturday, 10:30 am - 6 pm; Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm; tickets $10. Early Buying takes place Saturday from 9-10:30 am; tickets $20.

**STUDENTS FREE ON SUNDAY with STUDENT I.D.**

For more information, visit the Expo website www.vintageexpo.com or call 707-793-0773.

2009 Show Schedule:

September 19-20 San Francisco

October 17-18 Santa Monica

As seen in Fashion Dig online @ www.fashiondig.com.

Ole at the Expo

The Vintage Fashion Expo's youngest fashionista.
San Francisco, Calif. - The Fall Vintage Fashion Expos kick off Sept. 20-21, 2008 in San Francisco, with another show Oct. 18-19 in Santa Monica. Both events feature professional dealers of vintage and designer vintage clothing , estate and costume jewelry, textiles,accessories and costumes, in time for the beginning of the holiday season.

In honor of the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, many dealers will be selling vintage Mexican embroidered jackets, hand painted skirts, jewelry, blouses, handbags and sandals.

Show producers have noticed an increase in international shoppers at their shows: Rockabilly/50's buyers from England and Spain - where they have Rockabilly Expos; designer vintage buyers from Italy; and dependable Japanese buyers.
The Vintage Fashion Expo with take place at the Nob Hill Masonic Center, 1111 California St. Regular hours are Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m and Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. General admission is $10. For information visit www.vintageexpo.com or call (707) 793-0773.

As seen in Todays Vintage, Vol 2, Issue 9 Sept. 2008
and online at www.todaysvintage.com.

Fashion Scene

It’s great fun visiting a Vintage Fashion Expo and seeing so many shoppers dressing up in Victorian to retro fashions and searching for that alligator purse, specifically designed jewelry, the vintage shoes, or leisure suit from the 70s. There is something for every budget, every style and every period. Seen at the Oct. 20-21 show in Santa Monica:

The next Vintage Fashion Expo will be held May 10th - 11th, 2008 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, in Santa Monica, Calif. For information call 707-793-0773 or go to www.vintageexpo.com.

Ardis Taylor was there with an array of shoes, suits and coats from the 1930s-1960s.

Lauren Orr trying on a 1970s knit dress and friend Lori Hart looking for a fur coat.

Thoroughly enjoying themselves were Sophie D’Arcy 13, Kit Steinkellner 21, Isabelle D’Arcy 15 and Emma Steinkellner 13. Behind them are moms Sharon D’Arcy and Cherie Steinkellner. Asked why they enjoy vintage clothing and dressing up, Sophie said “It’s rich history and I love it!” Isabelle mentioned that “the clothes are made just right!”

Co-producer Lis Normoyle’s collection of vintage bathing suits included a mint gold lame 1960s suit.

Unforgettable in San Francisco had a 1940s I Magnins tilt felt hat which needed a “dry martini and a woman with evil intentions” stated the dealer.

As seen in Today’s Vintage Magazine
and online at www.todaysvintage.com.

It was Twenty Years Ago Today…

The Vintage Fashion Expo celebrates its 20-year love affair with fashions of the past; Anniversary show comes to San Francisco's Nob Hill Masonic Center March 15-16, 2008.

Hello Fashion Diggers,

Like a beloved coat or a treasured handbag, it seems the Vintage Fashion Expo has been around forever. But the first Expo took place in 1988, twenty years ago. Our regular buyers now include fashion designers, film costumers, stylists, the fashion press and San Francisco's most knowledgeable fashionistas.

What was playing at the movies in 1988? "The Last Emperor" won the Oscar for best Movie; Cher - wearing Bob Mackie - won as Best Actress for "Moonstruck." Paul Simon won the Grammy for "Graceland." The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Supremes were inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, and CDs outsold vinyl records for the first time.

And what was in our closets? Fresh from the store, brand new pre-ripped acid-washed jeans, Hawaiian shirts, denim jackets, leather motorcycle jackets, aviator sunglasses and unlaced sneakers. The pouf, born in 1987, died in 1988 (pouf originator Christian Lacroix "could barely mask an expression of glazed disbelief as he regarded multitudes of women, most, to put it politely, of a certain age, turning the pouf into a parody of style": The New York Times.

That year, some designers were already looking to the past for what the Times called "simplicity in the shapes, luxury in the details": Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan ("full of Chanelisms": The New York Times). The Times also advised 1988 fashion fans to "watch Isaac Mizrahi and Marc Jacobs, both in their mid-20's and enormously gifted."

Visitors to the 2008 Vintage Fashion Expo will revisit not only 1988, but styles spanning the late 19th through the 20th centuries. As always, there is something from every era and for every price range.

The Santa Monica Vintage Fashion Expo is scheduled for May 10-11.

Regular hours: Saturday 10:30 AM - 6 PM, Sunday 11AM-5 PM, tickets $10. Early buying takes place Saturday from 9 - 10:30 AM, tickets $20. Students with I.D. are admitted free on Sunday.

There will be celebratory events and stylish surprises in store for visitors throughout the Expo's anniversary year.

For more information about the Vintage Expo call 707-793-0773
... or access www.vintageexpo.com

As seen on the Fashion Dig website March 2008