Linda Zukas sold out her 22nd annual Antique Textile and Vintage Fashion Show and Sale, filling all the available exhibit space at Sturbridge Host Hotel and Exhibit Center on Monday, May 7. Offering this show three times a year to coincide with Brimfield week, Zukas said that “this show had about a dozen first-time dealers replacing a couple absentees and several who have retired since last year.” She said that attendance was strong and “dealers reported great sales again this May.”
The entrance of Host Hotel’s exhibition hall was surrounded by dealers offering some segment of the variety in this popular collecting niche. To the left of the door was Susan Simon with her latest collection of draperies and table covers. Simon also had a selection of table linens and ladies’ garments, but on a stand, there was a gentleman’s straw hat everyone was trying to fit under.
In a new place in the big room, the Textile Trunk was showing its collection of early drapes, most in white with either a red or blue print. The dominant material was toile with French country scenic prints.
From London, Maria Niforos was offering Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century fashions and accessories. All very glamorous, her collection also included several purses with intricate handwork designs sewn onto them.
Brentwood, N.H., antiques dealer Sandy Elliott was there for the first time with textiles from her collection. Features included children’s clothing from the Nineteenth Century, hand sewn and decorated coverlets and quilts and some raw textiles. She also had a large assortment of sewing tools, accessories and notions.
Phyllis Carlson, Carlson and Stevenson, Manchester Center, Vt., sold a large collection of lace curtains. She had acquired them years ago, always planning to hang them in her own house. Recently she came across them and decided they were not going to be used at home, so they became inventory, and sold early in the show.
Among the first time exhibitors was Twisted Vintage Textiles from Memphis, Tenn. Mary Aubrey Landrom, owner and manager, had a collection of ladies’ accessories from the Twentieth Century, covering several design style periods. There were hats from the 30s with nets, broad-brimmed affairs from just after World War II and a variety of pillboxes, circa 1960, in soft pastel colors. Landrom also had a collection of shoes to match the hats in many styles and forms, such as platforms and open-toe alligator numbers.
More and More, New York City, is Steve Mohr’s business, with an oversize space filled with so many parts of a lady’s wardrobe needs, he could outfit a style-setter from head to toe. He also offered fine jewelry, which was selling quickly.
When this show opened, there were a great many of the patrons who were running to be first in their favorite booth. Heller’s Café, Seattle, Wash., was one of the first hit by several buyers from Asia. They were after the cotton shirts with various logos and school markings, the club and sports jackets and just decorated tee shirts.
The Cat’s Meow, Midland, Texas, was offering an assortment of Nineteenth Century ball gowns and more. Monica’s Vintage Fashions, Greenwich, Conn., had a more sophisticated offering with a turn-of-the-century wedding dress as foremost in her collection.
Kelter Malcé, Bridgehampton, N.Y., has been holding court here for many years with its specialty, Hudson Bay blankets in many color variations. This is in addition to the collection of folk art that has a textile hint to it.
Quilts and coverlets of superior workmanship were easily found at this show from several specialists. Massachusetts dealer Martha Perkins seems to always have a very large fresh collection. Piqué, Stone Mountain, Ga., filled its exhibit with Southern quilts and homespuns. Koval’s was selling quickly from its collection dominated by Amish quilts from its native Pennsylvania.
Hooked rugs and mats were covering the walls in Lynne Weaver’s exhibit. From Wenham, Mass., this dealer sells only hooked pieces in excellent condition, whether restored or as found.
One exhibit space was shared by three experts in specialized textile fields. Ulrike Montigel from Stuttgart, Germany, and John Gillow from Cambridge, U.K., both specialize in identifying textiles from around the world and have written books about them. They were with DeWitt Mallary, a New Yorker who is a Persian rug expert. They were selling from their collections and also copies of their books.
The show was, according to many dealers just an hour after the opening, a success, and it is clearly great fun for them and the customers to see and experience.
The show will open twice again this year at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center: July 9 and September 3, both the Mondays of Brimfield Week. For more information, 207-363-1320 or www.vintagefashionandtextileshow.com .
