“When will we enter the 1990s?” one of my students asked as I looked back at the history of fashion in the 1950s, the golden age of haute couture! This student was one of many young people in Vogue’s summer school prep program eager for me to get up to speed and enter the hallowed days of CBK. I replied disappointedly: “Only forty years left!”
Thankfully, I experienced the exact opposite of disappointment at the Sturbridge show, which opened tonight, which, aside from a few gems, was filled with retro and vintage pieces from TikTok’s favorite pre-fashion era. “This is not a Gaultier mesh from the 1990s or a piece from the 2000s,” said show operator David Brockman as he showed me around the show a few hours before it opened. “If you want to try thirties style, there are probably some new things to try,” he added, motioning me (a girl 50 and older) toward Eveliina Vintage’s booth, which was filled with Sherbet-toned wine.
This is a fight for Very– Vintage Lovers – 35 vendors from all over the country set up shop at the well-planned show. Although Sturbridge’s pieces will make fashion nostalgics weak in the knees (Mary McFadden! Pierre Cardin! Zandra Rhodes!), the show wasn’t meant to be overwhelming.
“I just want to have a show with 35 dealers,” Brockman said. Brockman, himself an antiques dealer who had been running the Honeymoon antiques store in New York, acquired the Sturbridge Show (formerly Sturbridge Show) from Linda Zukas in 2022 Turbridge Vintage Clothing and Textiles Show). The building was a former carriage house that once received goods for B. Altman & Company, the legendary New York department store. “I wanted to create a very boutique, slow shopping experience. I think that’s what everyone wants and something that’s really lacking in the New York vintage scene—you can take your time.
but don’t take also Long! These pieces are about to disappear! My personal favorites from the show are as follows, which runs until tomorrow night, ticket only.
Photo: Dante Critchlow
Photo: Dante Critchlow
Consider this product on the market because she’s coming home with me! This gorgeous late 1960s coat by Bonnie Cashin (which looks very similar to this one in the Art Institute of Chicago Library and Special Collections) also bears the Saks Fifth Avenue label and features leather piping and Cashin’s signature Twist lock buttons. Cashin is an American designer who helped define American style with her fresh, functional sportswear designs, and despite her place in American fashion history, she’s yet to make it into my wardrobe.
