Will they cash in on treasure...
or cash out on trash?
Easter signals spring, and I look forward to the season because it means that it’s time to decorate the house with the Easter items that we have collected over the years. In our home, the kids and I display everything from glitter chicks and bunnies to framed art. The girls love anything glitter, so we have a lot of that!
When I celebrate Valentine's Day, I enjoy sending and receiving vintage cards and also using vintage elements in my home that capture the spirit of love.
I have long admired and been inspired by how my mother has incorporated antique items featuring cupids, roses, and hearts around the house this time of year.
Artist Wayne White, who will be featured on the Independent Lens film Beauty is Embarassing, is beloved in the fine arts world for his “word paintings.”
He buys big landscape paintings at flea markets and transforms them into unique works of art by painting block-letter phrases and words across them. You can see a few in the photo above and many more on the Wayne White Pinterest page.
Our friends at Independent Lens asked Wayne for some of this tips for shopping at flea markets. He was happy to humor us. Literally.
Every day of my life I wear at least one item of vintage clothing. It’s a part of my style that is pretty ingrained in me. Whether it is a pair of vintage boots, a jacket, a shirt or tie, I think vintage clothing adds character and texture and feels like a logical extension of my interest in keeping the past alive and relevant in the present.
Sally Schwartz, founder of Chicago’s acclaimed Randolph Street Market, shares tips below on how to shop vintage like a pro. In its 10th season, Randolph Street Market is, as you'll see in Antiquing in Chicago, IL , a large and lively indoor/outdoor urban markets, unlike many traditional flea markets.
Here are Sally's 10 tips on shopping vintage:
1. Always bring CASH.
2. Remember, you can negotiate, but a lowball offer is likely to insult a dealer.
3. Give yourself plenty of time to peruse, shop, eat, people watch and take in the complete experience of an antique market.
The MARKET WARRIORS team is looking forward to the January 6 premiere of Downton Abbey Season 3 on MASTERPIECE on PBS.
The anticipation inspired us to create these beautiful Pinterest boards highlighting the lavish and resplendent style we've come to adore on MASTERPIECE programs like Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey.
MARKET WARRIORS finds from the early 20th Century
As an avid horseback rider ever since I was a young girl, I grew up in an equestrian world in which a unique sense of style permeated my every day life. Even before Ralph Lauren’s polo-inspired line of fashion and home furnishings, this equestrian style was centuries in the making, characterized by a classic and simple approach to fashion appropriate for country or city life. I am drawn to the familiar country dress codes of jeans, plaid, leather, corduroy, quilted jackets, and riding boots that are signature components of this equestrian style.
Whether an English or western rider, all riders like a playful plaid shirt. Riding vests and jackets or traditional blazers always look chic and preppy and are easy to layer over tees, turtlenecks, and cardigans.
Buyers and sellers haggle over prices. They discuss condition. And often they share what they've heard about an object's history. A best guess, a gut feeling, or prevailing wisdom can guide a deal. A case in point is Bob Richter's purchase of a 7-UP thermometer at the First Monday Trade Days flea market in Canton, Texas. In the 1960s, the 7-UP company's Uncola campaign targeted a younger demographic by embracing bright colors, current day slang, and free-form figures. The campaign generated billboards, posters, thermometers, and even patches to sew onto jeans. Many of these objects have since found their way into the hands of dealers and eBay sellers, who connect the colorful style with the artist Peter Max. Weeks after buying a 7-UP Uncola thermometer in Texas , Bob met with Max and the 74-year-old artist revealed that he'd never made art for 7-UP. The MARKET WARRIORS production team contacted a representative of the advertising agency that helped create the Uncola campaign and he concurred with Max; a group of other young artists created all the artwork. Commercial art often hinges on an ability to connect an iconic style with a brand. Though Peter Max didn’t contribute to Uncola, the campaign gained inspiration from a fantastical style that he’d popularized to the max. Read on to find out how Max inspired Bob Richter...
Peter Max is a pop culture icon, and he’s also a really nice guy. I know this because I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with him recently in his New York Studio. With his dreamlike celestial creations, Max is known for manifesting colorful galaxies and creatures that are both inviting and beguiling. Work by Max is quite accessible, thanks to the myriad of products with his designs, from posters to puzzles, which were mass marketed for years. His work is evocative of a time, yet also quite timeless.
Some people flock to flea markets for the antique furniture or rare art. Others head out in search of sports memorabilia and collectibles. But for the fashionista, flea markets mean one thing – fabulous vintage fashion.
