At the Manhattan Vintage Show, Old Is The New “New”
Photography by Gigi Stoll
Words by Laura Neilson
Since taking over the beloved retail showcase three years ago, Amy Abrams has made it one of the most anticipated events on everyone’s fashion calendar
With the way that trends cycle through fashion every few decades, what’s “old” is very often new again.
But any self-respecting fashion lover who knows her Cardin from her Cassini, will tell you that the future of fashion is vintage. Far from being a flash-in-the-pan fad, vintage fashion—which has amassed a fanbase that includes everyone from fashion nerds to amateur enthusiasts alike—is only gaining steam. For proof, look no further than the Manhattan Vintage Show, the multi-vendor showcase featuring a decade-spanning smorgasbord of fabulously-curated fashion apparel, jewelry, accessories and more, offered at a range of price points.
The show, which takes place several times throughout the year, has always maintained a strong following amongst fashion industry types. And while you’ll still spy many fashion designers perusing the offerings for inspiration and archive-worthy pieces, now they’re joined by a cohort of shoppers who are simply excited to score something more one-of-a-kind than at the usual mass fashion go-tos. This is the work of Amy Abrams, whose Shop Extraordinary Enterprises took over the showcase three years ago. “It’s one thing to launch a business and nurture it from the ground up,” says Abrams, who also co-founded the preeminent Artists & Fleas market in Brooklyn, as well as the curated vintage market Regeneration. “To take over something that already exists and has a presence was a challenge.” Challenge met.
Along with updates that included more dressing rooms, food offerings, and live entertainment, it’s not uncommon to see Abrams’ floating through the crowds, casually chatting with shoppers and sellers, gently pressing them for honest feedback. “I’m always asking vendors, visitors, my team, ‘How can we make it better?’ That’s something I think about constantly,” she says. Abrams vividly recalls her own first vintage purchase, back when she was in college: a camisole and cardigan twinset she found while shopping with her mother. She refers to that almost magical feeling of finding the perfect vintage piece a “kismet moment,” and it’s something she hopes more shoppers can experience. It’s safe to say they will. As the show’s audience has broadened, so too has its demographic to include a stronger turnout of younger generations seeking their own kismet. The future of fashion is vintage, indeed.
The future of fashion is vintage, indeed.
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