A few weeks ago, I took the journey from New York City by car to one of the country’s largest antique markets in Brimfield, Massachusetts. I wasn’t able to find much about the market online in terms of fashion finds, but I was ready to dig through piles of old clothes and bags to find a bargain, or, what I really wanted: a Chanel bag (!!!) The market only happens three times a year, so I was excited to get there early and make the most of it.
While my dream of finding a Chanel bag at a steep discount didn’t happen, I did find some great, unexpected finds. Here’s my loot:
Vintage Fashion Magazines
I went on the last day of the market and found a few speciality sellers offering all kinds of different magazines. They were sold out of vintage Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, but I managed to snag some Cosmpolitan magazines from the 1930s and 1940s, along with some 1950s editions of French Elle. The Cosmopolitan issues are incredible–it’s so crazy to see the actual history of the magazine in living color. The full length articles are at once dated, amusing and informative of what American culture was like over 70 years ago. Crazy. And the French Elle issues are just interesting from a visual standpoint. If you have time to shop around for more than a day, it’s good to look around and see the prices before buying. I bought Cosmopolitans at one vendor for $15 a pop, while another vendor who didn’t specialize in magazines sold a few to me for $2 each.
Costume Jewelry
One of the first places I went to was “The Fashion Tent.” I got sucked in through an article I read on Vogue.com. To be completely honest, the majority of the selection in the aforementioned tent is way overpriced and not well curated. I find better–and more affordable–stuff on an average trip to my favorite thrift store in New York, Beacon’s Closet. However, there was one very well curated vintage jewelry stand in the middle of the tent.
Being that it was the first place I visited when I got to the market, I was overwhelmed, overexcited and enchanted. I almost spent a few hundred dollars right then and there on costume jewelry such as earrings by Vendome and kitchy bracelet sets by Selro & Sellini. I had to step away for a moment and only purchase the $2.50 earrings that are reminiscent of the Rebecca de Ravenel Les Bon Bons earrings taking over my insta feed lately…. Because, the seller started talking about how she buys the jewelry from a “a woman who works in Silicon Valley but lives in New Mexico,” who keeps “nine vaults” of jewelry, of which all of the pieces she was selling apparently came from… Sorry but… costume jewelry… in vaults?
She also wouldn’t make eye contact when my boyfriend and I tried to bargain down the prices, which is a totally normal thing at this kind of place. Later, I looked up some of the exact pieces she tried sell me, which she insisted were rare. I found them on eBay at a fraction of the price. I ended up finding all of the best bargains ($1 earrings, $2 bracelets) hidden in various, random bins around the market, but this first experience in the fashion tent was definitely inspiring.
Compacts
Before my trip to Brimfield, I was never really interested in antique makeup compacts. But the variety (and price point!) I found at the market made me a collector. A $1 a pop, I found gold embossed, mother of pearl and other embellished compacts full of blush, rouge and powder. They make gorgeous decorations on any vanity. I’ll be doing a full, detailed post on some of the ones I picked up soon!
Cigar Box Bags
I wasn’t crazy about any of the traditional handbags at Brimfield. The classic well-worn leather bags that are almost always at every antique market ever were there, but none of them were very unique. Instead, I found a vintage decorated cigar box, in mint condition, which doubles as a kitschy handbag. I saw a few different chic versions of these throughout the market.
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