If April is the richest month of events in Milan, it is also the beginning of a nice series of vintage events and fairs all over Italy. I’m trying to do as many as I can between now and September (when the second round starts!) because now that I am closer to all these events it is easier to go around and see what’s new on the Italian vintage scene.
The seasonal chain of vintage fairs started end of April (exactly from the 20th to the 25th) with Next Vintage at the Belgioioso Castle, near Pavia. It was the first time for me and before getting there I heard a lot of things about it: it is held generally twice a year and it is considered one of the best Italian vintage events because it puts together the best quality vintage treasures of every kind. From clothing to accessories and prints: two floors of absolutely great vintage stuff, but also handmade and some great used designer (not necessarily vintage)
My friends from Tara Vintage were there, and with them some of the most appreciated vintage dealers in Italy: from A.N.G.E.L.O. to Memory Lane (one of my favorite shops in Milan!), Punti di Vista, Art-House, Dorotea Vintage, Post Post and many others. The quality was quite high (and so were the prices!), but it wasn’t hard to make good deals especially if you were looking for some good used (not only vintage) designer handbags or other accessories.
It was, for me, the endless thought about the right pricing of vintage material. It is correct and I accept that a designer handbag or shoes or clothing piece may cost a bit, especially if it is in good condition and if you prefer, like me, the vintage piece above the new one in shop. But I can’t accept finding a vintage polyester ’70s/’80s dress or bag or whatever- even if in mint condition for 100 euros. I have the feeling that in Italy, vintage is considered for the “elite” which makes the prices increase too much. This is not my vision of vintage. In UK or USA the concept is completely different and this is the reason why prices are very competitive and you can really gain a bargain, which is almost impossible in Italy.
This is maybe the reason why I ended up only buying this lovely vintage hat-brooch for 5 euros (the bag is mine… I got it in London for almost the same price… you see what I meant earlier, right?!), even if I was tempted to bring with me a beautiful red Balenciaga Motorcycle Le Dix handbag for almost 500 euros!!
As usual, Tara Vintage had the best stall (in my opinion): their vintage finds (especially Chanel and Hermès) are to-die-for and even if I never told this to Luigi… I am sure that I’m going to buy the vintage 2.55 Chanel that I mentioned in my blog’s “About” from them sooner or later!
I also enjoyed Arte Club’s stall, a beautiful vintage boutique from Genova, with amazing dresses and handbags that I may visit one day. This was the first time I’ve had the pleasure of meeting them.
Two other things that I really appreciated about the event were: a) the location: I had never been to Belgioioso’s Castle before and I was really amazed by how great it is to host vintage events. b) the small expo about Giorgio Armani’s sketches, with a selection of 50 original sketches signed from him spanning from 1969 to 1985. They are almost always accompanied by a piece of the original fabric of the clothes. It was also a way to see the evolution of his fashion and fashion in general over two decades.
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