Gentlemen's Vintage Clothing Show & Sale in NYC

[skyvue]

I went this evening to this show and had a great time. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw, though I only made it about halfway through the show (stopped to chat at some length with a couple of vendors I know).

I was out of work for a year and the job I recently started pays a not-so-great salary, so, alas, I was not really in the market to buy today. But I had a fine time just looking over what the vendors had brought. There was lots of fine stuff.

I'll admit I've been flummoxed by the reaction of some in this thread to the news that a men's vintage wear show was being mounted, and I have to say, I still don't get it. This show is well worth attending, and I strongly encourage anyone in the tri-state area to get by there tomorrow, as I plan to do. Honestly, one would have to be very picky, indeed, not to find something worthy of coveting, if not purchasing.

Had I currently the budget for it, I'd have been loaded down when I left tonight.

If you do go, check out booth #16 and tell Gene that Brett sent you. He's a super nice guy, and he's got some beautiful clothes. His wares tend to lean toward 1950s suits and sportscoats, but he has some '40s and even some '30s (in smaller sizes). He knows what he has and the clothes are priced accordingly, but they're mostly immaculate and well worth the dough, in my opinion.

 

[Rooster Joe]

I went to the NYC show yesterday, and was very pleased. Twenty venders was almost to much to take in, for just a few hours. I would say there was something for everone.For me the best was being able to see and talk to 8 or 10 venders from the New York aera.Now I can go to their stores and realy take my time.I did buy a very nice brown DB suit,a few ties and pocket squares. I'm looking forward to next years show!

 

[skyvue]

Nice to hear someone else's response to the show, Rooster Joe, and I'm glad you took the plunge on some clothes.

 

[Rooster Joe]

Thank You.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

The show was fun and I was amazed by some of the selections, but the prices were far too expensive in my opinion. I did pick up a nice '40s tie at one booth for a decent budget price, but I'm surprised how high certain things cost when in the surounding area you can find the same thing for a lot less.

 

[YETI]

I went to the NYC show yesterday, and was very pleased. Twenty venders was almost to much to take in, for just a few hours. I would say there was something for everone.For me the best was being able to see and talk to 8 or 10 venders from the New York aera.Now I can go to their stores and realy take my time.I did buy a very nice brown DB suit,a few ties and pocket squares. I'm looking forward to next years show!

20 vendors only? When classic vintage was at it's peak 15+ yrs. ago we had 100 exhibitors with enough men's stuff to go around. I recall a seller who had over 100 pairs of deadstock shoes from the 40s and 50s at reasonable prices. Man, those were the days.

 

[skyvue]

20 vendors only? When classic vintage was at it's peak 15+ yrs. ago we had 100 exhibitors with enough men's stuff to go around. I recall a seller who had over 100 pairs of deadstock shoes from the 40s and 50s at reasonable prices. Man, those were the days.

Yes, and 80 or 90 years ago, one didn't even have to wait for vintage shows -- you could walk into any menswear emporium and buy amazing, mint '30s and '40s clothes for dirt cheap!

Sorry, but comparing a regular vintage show with a menswear-only show is apples and oranges. Those of us who attended this weekend's show (all of whom enjoyed it on some level, it seems; it's only those who didn't attend who have been squawking from the day this thread was started -- funny, that) didn't have to dig through 100 booths, seeking out what menswear and accessories were available. That's a huge difference.

I've been buying vintage since the late 1970s. I'm not as serious or discerning a collector as some, I don't mind admitting -- I often can't afford the best of the best -- but I have a long history as a vintage aficionado, and I don't hesitate to say that this weekend's event was quite enjoyable and well worth attending.

As for the prices, I know we've had these discussions here in the Lounge before, but honestly, what kind of off-the-rack suit could one buy today for $400 or $500? It'd be nothing special, surely. Spend that same money on a vintage suit in good condition, and you've made out like a bandit, in relative terms. The suit will be of better quality, the style will be pleasing, and you'll be wearing a garment with a history.

I was chatting this weekend with a vendor I know who lives near Washington DC. I mentioned him up above -- his wares are nearly always immaculate, and the prices aren't cheap. But he said he has to haggle with customers all the time, and he grows weary of it. "They never consider the effort and expense that goes into tracking down these clothes," he said. "Or the expense of making them look their best, with cleaning and repairs, and the cost of longterm storage."

Not every vendor puts that much effort into it, but he does (as do many others), and it shows in the clothing he sells.

I'd more readily spend $500-1000 on a suit from him than one off the rack in a contemporary store every time. It's not even a tough call.

 

[bburtner@moran]

Nice show,too expensive!

 

[mattfink]

I think you have it all wrong skyvue, these dealers job is to drive around (spending time, gas and money) finding premium vintage and sell it to unappreciative cheapo's for a low low price....or not. The other issue is you are comparing the prices of the very rare to the very average....NYC prices to podunk prices.