The Manhattan Vintage Show took me by surprise. As a student and native New Yorker interested in fashion, I’ve become quite familiar with New York’s vintage scene. From Chelsea to Dumbo, I’ve been to many of the flea markets that the city has to offer, and they all seem to morph into one homogenous clothing pile — literally and metaphorically. Nowadays, many vintage collections are cautious and conservative. At the Manhattan Vintage Show, however, curators and designers are challenging the norms of fashion’s biggest trends.
The show, which ran from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, has occurred triannually for the past three decades. Coming from diverse walks of life and representing unique eras and niches of vintage clothing, the show’s vendors seemed less concerned with business and more focused on sharing their genuine love for fashion.
Born and raised in New York, Dylan Sparkle has been attending the Manhattan Vintage Show ever since she was a child — which is where her interest in fashion first began. Now, she’s been a vendor at the show for the last six years. Sparkle founded Diamanté Vintage in 2019, specializing in eclectic, powerful statement pieces for women. Sparkle’s booth was one of the show’s most colorful, highlighting her own passion for vibrant adornments and patterns.
My discussion with Carol Walker — who has been curating vintage collections in the Pittsburgh area for more than 50 years — and her husband, Danny, was one of the highlights of my day. Walker, who considers Danny her biggest support system, initially found a fondness for vintage because of her love for ’30s and ’40s Victorian-inspired dresses. Now, her business features a variety of vintage items, from frilly overcoats to grungy tank tops.
As founder of the vintage brand AdultGraduate, Sehr Röng’s journey into the fashion world is an untraditional one — an architect by trade, she previously considered making vintage clothing just a “hobby of hers.” What first drew me to Röng’s stand was her expansive collection of vintage Italian designers. My favorite piece of hers was a pair of dark green and brown ’90s Miu Miu heels. Röng sells her items at Seven Wonders Collective, with locations in the Lower East Side, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
Sheila Strong hails from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she initially planned to enter the nightgown industry. Unable to find the job she desired, Strong found herself making denim low-rise and flared jeans. Eventually, she began selling her clothes at weekend shows in the Hamptons, where she first encountered bakelite bracelets, collecting them at yard sales. Strong’s inventory boasts a wide collection of multi-colored and patterned bakelite bracelets, many of which appear to be inspired by abstract art. Now, with more than 45 years in the vintage business under her belt, she has grown her influence in the industry as a bakelite guru.
Contact Luke Adelson-Yan at [email protected].