Hi, everybody -
One reason I love this blog is that I get to write about the strange life of a vintage seller. Right now I'm preparing for the Manhattan Vintage Show...gasp...NEXT FRIDAY!
Yesterday I went to see a vintage seller who is sort of a grand poo-bah (he has REAL Poiret, Molyneux, Dior New Look, the works!) to show him photos of my kimonos for authentication. Another expert had looked at them, but I wanted to be sure. I had been told he was hell on wheels, but he was very nice to me. The best part was glancing through his racks and finding The Dress That Got Away, a late 1970s red lace Oscar de la Renta long-sleeved mermaid dress with a plunging back and neck! I remember standing in Saks Fifth Avenue with my giggling girlfriend, trying to decide if $750 was too much to spend on a dress. It was, but I've never forgotten it. And now I was HOLDING one! It was as beautiful as I remembered.
Sort of like running into an old boyfriend in a bar and he's just as handsome as your fantasies. Dang!
Since I had the photos with me, I stopped in at a very high-end vintage store...well, stopped in isn't exactly the word. I rang the buzzer, the female owner (very glam, long blonde hair and lace long dress) just glanced at me and turned back to her famous customer. No, I don't know who it was, just that she was famous. I stood there, wondering what to do, when a young, slim, trendy girl came up behind me. "Are they closed?" she asked when she saw me standing there.
"Not if you stand in front of me," I replied, so we switched places, she rang the bell, and I got in. Jeez! Anyway, the male owner was there, who I'd had a nice chat with some time ago. He remembered me, and after we'd talked for a while, he took me upstairs to the inner sanctum, where only the rich and famous are allowed!!!!!
I thought I had died and gone to vintage heaven. Imagine being in a huge white room, with black leather streamlined furniture, and all of these incredible accessories in lit glass cases lined with black, like Asian panels. Along one wall was all of these dresses in chronological order. When we first walked in, I said, "I think I just had an orgasm." Fortunately, he thought that was funny. There was a big display of Edwardian dresses to one side, and I was able to say when looking at the dresses, "Oh, yes, I have a beaded 30s gown like this one, only it's a size 16."
He was interested in my coming to see him after the show, and when I mentioned I had all of these 50s/60s/70s shoes new in the box, he perked up and asked if I'd consider bringing them in. "Well, they're just brands like Selby, Penaljo and Beacon," I said.
"That doesn't matter. The shoe designers are always looking." We shook hands, he asked me to send him any photos of anything particularly special, and I left feeling great. Screw that bitch co-owner!
End note...I tried like crazy to find a picture of that Oscar dress, but couldn't find anything that even remotely resembled it. Oh, well, the image is stamped upon my heart.
Best,
Elisa/hoardmeister
www.madfashionista.com
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