05 Oct Fall Edit: Manhattan Vintage Preview

Malena’s boutique model, Aubrey, wears a 1970’s Saks 5th Ave Hat, Hungarian Blouse, Vintage Levis Jeans and fabulous 1960’s earrings All pieces available at the Manhattan Vintage Show.

Fall Vintage at The Manhattan Vintage show.

Yes, it’s Fall again! That means it’s time to wear your vintage fall fashion. October is just around the corner (as much as some of us hate to admit it) and that means the Fall edition of the Manhattan Vintage Show is also right on the horizon. All of us here at Malena’s are incredibly excited about the upcoming Fall showcase at the Met Pavilion. If you’re curious about what we’re bringing, what we’re looking for when we buy from clients for the event, or just about what the event is, look no further. You will get a firsthand glance at what’s going into this Fall’s Manhattan Vintage showcase here.

What are we bringing? What are we looking for?

I’d show ya, but then I’d have to kill ya.

Kidding. Mostly. Whenever we visit the Big Apple with racks of wares and wonders, we have to consider the fact that New Yorkers have seen just about everything. How do you wow someone who has seen it all? Well, you don’t. We’ve learned from experience that the New York crowd simply know what they want and what they need. In the two days we spent at the show back in April, there was only one piece that really floored people. It really stuck out to many.

That piece, was the Chewbacca Coat.

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This proved to us that something so unique, weird, and outlandish such as a handmade crochet coat with tufted lamb’s wool tails that weighed about 65 pounds is going to put a smile on an Upper East Sider’s face. Who would’ve thought? The woman who ended up purchasing this monstrosity of a garment brought it with her to Coachella. Apparently, Coachella Furs are a thing! Chrissy is quite the world traveler, and we’ve loved following her adventures on Instagram. She was so lovely to meet at the last show, and we hope to run into her again this October 18th and 19th.

Yes – I’ll actually answer your questions now 😉

So, what are we bringing? What are we looking for? Yes, I’ll finally answer all of your questions, but no, I won’t tell you about where babies come from. You have Google to thank for that.

When we buy in the months leading up to the show (and yes, we buy for each show right after the last one), we are looking for those “wow” pieces. Pieces with texture and pattern, color and print, pieces with unique adornments. Sorry, we don’t need anymore “perfect” 1960s well-tailored suits from Wanamaker’s or Bloomingdales. They’re just not what people buy, despite them being perfect and beautiful and expertly made.

New York is the most unpredictable place in the world.

As mentioned with the Chewbacca Coat, the client who attends this showcase is looking for the whacky, weird, and wonderful. It’s surprising to see made-by-mom pieces that aren’t perfect fly off the racks faster than that 1970s Yves Saint Laurent gold lamé coat in pristine condition. But hey, the industry is unpredictable sometimes, and individual consumers even more so. That being said, some clients really go for those designer pieces as well.

We aim to have a great range and variation in our pieces. From sizing to style to era, we aim to have a little bit of everything, hence why it takes months to prepare. But like I mentioned earlier, the standout pieces have lots of color, pattern, texture, and some kind of character to them.

Something else worth noting is that the client at this show is not looking for seasonal pieces. They don’t care. If they see something they love, they’ll barter with you for it. Bathing suits in February? Hell yes. Furs in April? Obviously. From this we’ve learned to have a bit of every season woven into each of our 6 racks in our booth. So, just because its Fall, that doesn’t mean you won’t see curators perusing your swimwear.

You also never know who you’ll run into and you should have a little working knowledge of what productions are about to film. Our neighbors at the booth across from us every show provide the costumes for none other than The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

This just goes to show, magic really happens before and during the Manhattan Vintage Show. Take a peek below at just a handful of examples of things we’re bringing with us in a couple of weeks! Of course, we can’t give any of our secrets away, so for the full look, you’ll have to join us at the show in a few weeks.

As always, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or you can send us a text.

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See you in NYC October 18th & 19th!