Serious Styling at the Manhattan Vintage Trade Show

Amy Van Doran from The Way We Wore wearing a vintage hat that she altered with a plastic lobster.

Three times a year, vintage sellers and lovers alike gather at the The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show at Metropolitan Pavilion.  The organizers are kind enough to send me press passes to the shows, but unfortunately most vendors won't allow photographs of their precious wares, which designers often buy to replicate for their own collections. So, this year, I grabbed my gay husband to gawk at the inspiring inventory as well as all the incredibly dressed ladies turned out in all of their vintage finery.  I'm seriously surprised that I didn't run into any street style bloggers at the show, as I think the women I saw today were much more creatively dressed than the majority of the label-obsessed ladies swanning for the cameras in front of Lincoln Center.  Here is just a small sampling of my favorite outfits of the day.

If you missed this weekend's show, do not fret. There will be a Manhattan Vintage Holiday Pop-up Sale at Chelsea Market from December 7-10th.  And, if you're a hardcore vintage junkie, Augusta Auctions will be holding their seasonal clothing auction on November 2nd at St. Paul's Auditorium, featuring items from the Brooklyn Museum, and various vintage archives.  They were sweet enough to let me take some photos of some of the pieces that will be at the auction, and you can view the entire catalog online.

Goldie Rush of The Way We Wore. I loved her vintage knit sweater!

A flappers dress, and beaded purses that will be on auction at Augusta Auctions.

A beaded bolero from August Auctions

An authentic Zoot Suit from Augusta Auctions

-Tiffany

Brave New Heights

Alejandro Ingelmo's shoes will always lift you to acrophobic new heights, and this season will send you straight into the stratosphere, with space-age designs resting on 5-6 inch heels.  I was particularly drawn to the metallic silver pairs, which have David Bowie glam-rock appeal, updated with a contemporary spin.  I do have to warn you though, after trying on a few pairs at the store, I did get a whiff of vertigo as I tottered around on the stilt-like heels.  Not for the timid, or those with a poor sense of balance.

-Tiffany

True Blood

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with a psychedelic romp through the graveyard?  Blood is  the New Black's new "Nocte Virginis" video and accompanying lookbook, directed by Jesus Rivera of Demonbabies, was inspired by the campy horror films of director Jean Rollin.  Long before True Blood, Rollin perfected the art of the silly, sexy vampire genre, producing a long repertoire of cult horror films.  It looks like blood suckers won't be going out of style anytime soon, and the trippy occultist theme seems to be the perfect match for the new Holiday collection.  As always, BITNB taps different artists to design their tees every season, and this new collection includes prints by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fumi Nakamura, and of course Demonbabies.  All of the tees featured in the lookbook will be arriving in stores on October 31st, right in time to get your sacrificial virgin look on.

-Tiffany