Hanging Out by the Pier

We visit the November Pier Show

Here we are outside the latest Pier Antique Show.   We met up with Denton Taylor, another aficionado of all things vintage, who was kind enough to take this photograph of us (and many others).  As always, there were countless things and people to ooooh and aaaahhh over. Here are some of our favorites.

PEOPLE:

Lee Chinalai of Chinalai Modern and Chinalai Tribal Antiques is the best walking advertisement for her company's products. For over twenty-five years, her company has been buying and selling ethnographic textiles and tribal and village antique art from mainland Southeast Asia and China. Clients include museums, corporations, designers and private collectors from all over the world.

Hannah Schiff always puts together wonderful vintage outfits from top to toe, hat to shoes.

We spied this lovely lady wearing a leopard shrug and matching hat, combined with what appeared to be a vintage dress and belt. She was in another area of the forest from Fashion Alley and since she was in the process of examining fine jewelry, we chose not to disturb her further but were grateful she allowed us to interrupt long enough to take the photo.

Tziporah Salamon and Irene were running Icon Style's booth. Tziporah was sporting her Suffragette look.

We always enjoy running into Carol Weiss.  This particular day, it turned out we were all wearing Trippen shoes.  Denton was with us, and memorialized the moment with one of Carol's vintage hand pieced quilts as a backdrop.

It was a particular thrill to see Alma at the show, after a long absence. Of course, since the exhibition space is so immense, we may all have been at all the shows and never run into each other.

Morleen Rouse, in town from Cincinnati, posed with Marja Samsom's pug Bibi Chibi.

Not one to be outdone, Bibi Chibi posed with a rhinestone pin repurposed as puppy glasses.

Zondra Foxx, who was at the show, stopped to chat and get a photo with Valerie.

La Juana Green always looks great.

We loved this woman's jacket, and the wonderful natural slouch with which she wore it.

One of our favorite ladies, Elaine Klausman, who owns Vintage with a Twist, caught our eye wearing this amazing squid brooch.

PURSES

This velvet purse from Uniquities featured a trio of faces.

Walker's Collectibles from Pittsburgh exhibited this colorful yellow and black patent purse covered with red roses.

This little black and white minaudiere from Uniquities was made of celluloid or bakelite.

In the same both, we spied this enamel purse on a silken cord.

Karen McWharter always carries a number of highly collectible handbags.  Her print bag with green and tortoise bakelite clasp was one of our favorites at the show.

How's this for an interesting leather pouch hand-painted to resemble an envelope, personalized with the owner's name and city of residence?

Nellatiques' booth displayed a number of vintage bags.The plastic earrings in the foreground were carved to look like metal.

HAT

We couldn't resist showing you this white beret embellished with feathers in Lulu's Vintage Lovelies.

BRACELETS

Valerie just had to try on these dramatic large black Monies cuffs at Ira Scheck's booth.  There's a stunning matching necklace to go with it.

Walker's Collectibles had this colorful collection of bakelite bangles.

MISCELLANEOUS

Valerie loved this Missoni knit with painted faces on it at Lisa Victoria's booth.

In addition to all their gorgeous antiques, Chinalai now has a line of equally riveting modern pieces.  This shirt attracted our attention with its asymmetrical design -

and when we got close enough, to see the details, it was more riveting still.  All those white dots are individually embroidered ants.

Walker's Collectibles also had these marvelous cream gloves with wonderful cuffs shaped like parentheses, mirrored by the curved lines, in chain stitch, below the fingers.

In complete contrast, they also had these black suede gloves decorated with hand painted women in huge circle skirts.

We don't often wander away from Fashion Alley, where all the clothes are, but when we do, we make even more wondrous discoveries.  At the Titus Omega booth, in from London, we saw these wonderful Liberty clocks.  Designed by renowned turn-of-the-century silversmith Archibald Knox,  they make you wonder how anyone could possibly have preferred the sleek minimalist space age clocks of the '60s.  The designs alone are marvelous.  The enamel work is icing on the cake.  (We were only going to show the center clock, but didn't have the heart to crop out the other two.)

Jolene Cooper's booth had this charming little bronze (?) rendering of The Owl and the Pussycat, the Edward Lear poem.  The poem starts out "The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat."  This bronze is just a few inches high and a few inches long.

And while we're on the subject of toys, how could we resist this bunny on wheels at 20th Century Objex?

And while we're on the subject of animals, what about this tiny bone spoon (barely three inches long) carved into the shape of a workhorse in harness, from Patricia Funt Antiques?  Those of you who grew up in the '60s could be forgiven for remembering that back then it was considered hip to wear a carved coke spoon on a chain around the neck.  If that's what you're thinking, readers, then you'll be asking yourself "Wait a minute - if it's a coke spoon, why are there holes in the bowl?"  Anyone know the answer?

Answer: It's a snuff spoon.  The holes are meant to sift out the dust, so no very fine particles go into the lungs.

At D. Brett Benson, we also fell in love with this cigarette girl, whose tray is the perfect size to cradle several cigarettes.  We have to thank Denton Taylor again.  He did a great job of photographing her.

It was a surprise and a treat to find several works by Toshiko Takaezu, a highly respected Japanese-American potter, at the William Jeffrey Gallery booth.  Takaezu is best known for beautiful ceramic vessels the size of an average person (click here to see some).  This smaller version is a perfect centerpiece for a table.

Did you miss this show?  Don't fret!  Chill out over Christmas, and in 2016 visit the Big Flea, also at Pier 90, on January 23 and 24.  Maybe we'll see you there!