Antique Elegance Show



Americana display from A Wilder Place in Time

Earlier this month, I met up with group of friends from the DFWCG for our twice annual trip to the Antique Elegance Show in Richardson. This show features a variety of pre-1960 antiques and collectibles, but the coolest thing about it is that a majority of the dealers sell vintage and antique clothing, textiles, jewelry, and accessories.  So not only is this a really top notch antiques show, but it is also something of a hands-on fashion museum where you can actually touch, try on, and peek at the insides of 100+ year old garments.  It's an amazing experience, and it has really done wonders for my understanding of the construction and materials used in historical clothing. 

The vendors and patrons at the show are also incredibly friendly, and they always seem happy to humor our quirky habit of dressing up in costume for this show.  Sometimes we go all out and wear Victorian, Edwardian, or Regency clothing, but this year, most of our group took the easy way out and wore vintage.  It's a fun compromise becasue you still feel "dressed up", but it's much easier to fit into the sometimes crowded booths and dig around though all the bins of goodies on the floor. 



 

Usually I go to the show with a list of supplies and accessories to shop for that I can use for future costume projects.  If I ever want buttons, ribbon, lace, or trim, this is the first place that I look, and I've also bought a wide variety of accessories like purses, hats, gloves, and parasols here too.  This year I didn't really have a lot of specific things that I needed, so my friend Christy and I amused ourselves by trying on vintage accessories that matched our outfits.  I had no idea how many navy and white dotted items there were in the world!

If you live in area and you've never been to the Antique Elegance Show before, I highly recommed that you check it out.  The next show is February 16th and 17th, and it will include a fashion show featuring coats, capes, robes, and other outer garments from the 1860's - 1960's.  Also, Keven Jones and Christina Johnson from FIDM will also be giving a presentation on Royal Dress.  I hope to see you there!

Drooling over an amazing 1880's bodice at the Vintage Martini booth.  The full dress can be see here. 

Oodles of eye candy on display by The Cat's Meow

You can see a few more photos from the weekend on my flickr.