Looking for Weekend Plans? Check Out the Manhattan Vintage Show & Browse the Largest Collection of Vintage in the World!
If you were paying close attention to the Oscars red carpet, you may have noticed Kirsten Dunst wore this incredible red tiered gown.
Kirsten Dunst in vintage Christian Lacroix at the 2022 Academy Awards; Source: Getty Images
It was vintage. By legendary designer Christian Lacroix.
An unconventional choice?
Perhaps.
But it’s a smart choice that more and more stars — and regular folks — are making.
Remember this?
Julia Roberts in vintage Valentino at the 2001 Academy Awards; Source: Getty Images
Julia Roberts wore this iconic vintage Valentino — one of my favorite gowns ever — to the 2001 Oscars.
Sustainable fashion was not a thing back then. But it is now.
Amy Abrams, who has made a career out of selling vintage to the public, wants to make vintage accessible to all.
Not just celebrities and stylists.
Everyone.
She and her husband, Ronen Glimer, recently bought the Manhattan Vintage Show.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
Source: Manhattan Vintage
What is it, you ask?
It’s a two-day event in New York City that starts tomorrow — showcasing the largest collection of vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessories in the world.
VINTAGE: IT’S NOT JUST FOR CELEBRITIES
ALINA CHO: Earlier this year, you and your husband bought the Manhattan Vintage Show. What is it and why did you buy it?
AMY ABRAMS: 20 years ago, I started going to the Manhattan Vintage Show because I was someone who loved and continues to love vintage. It’s a big show three times a year and it's so special because it really is the largest show [of vintage with] everything under one roof.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
ALINA CHO: Wow.
AMY ABRAMS: And I think what's amazing is that it allows for so many people to feel welcome, to come and shop for vintage as defined by them.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
And what I mean by that is it just has the widest range. Every single era is represented. Every single style is represented, from [high-end] designer to 70s t-shirts and denim to the pin-up look.
Source: Time Out Magazine
ALINA CHO: That's so cool.
AMY ABRAMS: And there's every single price point. And that is something that I am so committed to. I just want more and more people to have access to [vintage], to feel invited.
ALINA CHO: This is the thing. My experience with vintage is, like, Didier Ludot [a famous vintage shop] in Paris, [where] there are incredible Dior gowns from the 50s and 60s, but they're like €10,000. There is this feeling among some that vintage is this high-end proposition.
AMY ABRAMS: And very inaccessible.
ALINA CHO: Exactly.
AMY ABRAMS: I really want to change that. I feel so committed to changing that.
Listen, I think it's amazing when these fashionable icons and actresses, who really do have an influence, make a statement that they want to wear vintage.
Reese Witherspoon in vintage Dior at the 2006 Academy Awards; Source: Getty Images
ALINA CHO: For sure. It is a statement and I think it's a beautiful statement.
AMY ABRAMS: But I agree with you. I think that's what people [think of when they think of vintage]. I just really want them to be able to come to the show and say, “Oh my goodness, wait, vintage means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.”
ALINA CHO: Right.
AMY ABRAMS: I have a lot of friends who are newer to vintage, and they say, “Well, how do I think about it?” And you know what I say to people like that? “Just see what attracts your eye. It doesn't matter.” It doesn't matter when it's from or who the designer is. If you like it and it fits you well, go for it.
WHAT WILL YOU SEE IF YOU GO TO THE MANHATTAN VINTAGE SHOW?
AMY ABRAMS: I think the Manhattan Vintage Show, for a long time, it was definitely [for] vintage collectors, vintage lovers, stylists, designers, costume designers, a go-to place for inspiration, for movies, for pulling. And now I think there's so much more of a retail component to vintage now.
Source: Dylana Suarez
ALINA CHO: What do you mean by that?
AMY ABRAMS: Well, I mean that more people who are just the average person, not a stylist, they're interested in buying vintage.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
ALINA CHO: For themselves.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
AMY ABRAMS: And I think that there are people who just don't know where to go to get that. Listen, I think the online places to shop, they're amazing. They’re incredible if you're know what you're looking for.
ALINA CHO: Yeah, but oftentimes, you don't have the ability to really see and feel the garment or the item in person.
AMY ABRAMS: It’s a huge difference to touch it and feel it.
Source: Fashion Week Online
ALINA CHO: Well, and the other thing is sizing was so different back then.
AMY ABRAMS: It was all over place.
ALINA CHO: Yeah. That number, or size, on the garment doesn't mean anything when you're talking about vintage. You really do have to try it.
AMY ABRAMS: Completely. And we have private fitting rooms. We have a tailor on site to make it perfect for you.
ALINA CHO: The Manhattan Vintage Show starts tomorrow and Saturday at the Metropolitan Pavilion, which is a huge event space. How much are tickets?
AMY ABRAMS: $20.
ALINA CHO: And will it be booths or what will people see?
AMY ABRAMS: There are 90 dealers at this show, and they all have individual curated spaces. You'll find everything from clothing to accessories, to textiles, to jewelry — costume jewelry and fine jewelry. You'll find a dealer who just sells denim and work wear. You'll find dealers that have beautiful gowns from the 40s. You'll find a dealer who collects fluorescents. I mean, it's like a circus of amazing clothing.
ALINA CHO: And will there be that high-end component as well?
AMY ABRAMS: Yes. So, there are a couple of dealers who just have high-end collections, and then there's other dealers who have a combination.
ALINA CHO: Anybody I might know?
AMY ABRAMS: Lofty Vintage tends to have a lot of amazing pieces, she had a lot of her things featured in And Just Like That..., the Sex and the City reboot. There is Lust and Fond. They tend to have a lot of vintage YSL. Sometimes, there's dealers who don't do a lot of designer and then sometimes [a designer piece] gets thrown into the mix and what's fun about that is they don't price it as high as the other [dealers].
ALINA CHO: I love it when that happens.
AMY ABRAMS: That's why you just see what catches your eye. It is a big space, but we're going to have cocktails and food all day and we're going to have an area where you can sit if you need to recharge and rest.
ALINA CHO: That's great.
AMY ABRAMS: I always say to people, take one full lap around and then you'll really know what you want to come back to.
Source: Manhattan Vintage
ALINA CHO: Good idea.
AMY ABRAMS: I feel like coming out of COVID, I don't know if you've had this experience, but I had a lot of clothes that I didn't wear, but I also feel like sometimes you just want some [new things]. And what I want more people to do is to just [buy] vintage. There are so many beautiful things out there, it really makes an impact and you really can express yourself because most likely nobody else will have it.