CHELSEA — The winter Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show held at the Metropolitan Pavilion is a must do for the clothing savvy. Street Chic encountered both enthusiasts and professionals leading the way in hip styling and chic product.
The conspicuous look spotted at this season’s show was Mongolian-style, long-hair, woolly coats ranging from the authentic to the acrylic.
Rachel Zabar Vintage featured a wonderful collection of classic clothing from iconic designer Pauline Trigère. One of the standout pieces was a white with black spots acrylic long hair clutch coat.
At Sunset Blvd Vintage, a white, long-hair short shrug was paired with a wonderfully cut men’s pin stripe suit, matched with black and white longhaired boots.
Street Chic took note of the shows wide selection of fur coats. The silhouettes featured labels such as French fur company Révillon Frères, as well as from classic department stores Julius Garfinkle and Bonwit Teller.
The modern, re-cycled take on the vintage silhouette includes removing sleeves and pairing it with a mix of woollen knits and denim.
Numerous silhouettes hung as a chronicle of bygone glamour, reminiscent of the inspirational chic of socialite Edith Bouvier Beale of the Hamptons' Grey Gardens.
Jewelry designer Tatiana Von Zitzewitz wore the most stunning and modern rendition of Miss Beale’s inspired style. Her turban-style wool hat and simple wide neck knit top were paired with a sleeveless vintage mink jacket with a high notch collar and her own eye-catching rhinestone and metal toggle necklace.
Hats were also very prominent at this season’s show, not only for sale but also worn by many of the patrons — Street Chic was quite taken with black and white felt variations worn by Valerie and Jean, who only use their first names and who are the authors of "Life Dressing: The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas".
We also liked the stylish toppers worn by vintage connoisseurs Gretchen Fenston and entertainer and choreographer Roddy Caravella. Suzanne Daché, daughter of the renowned American milliner Lilly Daché (whose name is cast in bronze along The Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue) was also at this season’s show.
At each Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show, Street Chic is reminded the important role the collective plays in the fashion industry in terms of inspiration and concept development. One of this season’s most interesting designer sightings was Christoffer Svensson, head of denim design and development for BLK-DNM.
