I found it in Buenos Aires, an unlikely Mecca for vintage shoppers. Much like Parisians, Buenos Airenses consider themselves highly fashionable, but their definition of "fashion" doesn't go far beyond black, well-tailored and expensive. Nobody wears vintage, and yet there is an entire shopping arcade, Quinta Avenida, devoted to what I guess would be considered "alternative" fashions. The ground floor abounds with Hot Topic-y stores that probably outfit the entire city's population of Goths, punks, ska fans and assorted "weirdos." (A friend of mine took me to a club that, he said, would be full of freaks. What freaks? I wondered. Everyone there was in black, well-tailored, expensive clothes. "Don't you see that guy over there?" he wondered right back. "He's wearing eyeliner.") Hmm.
The lower level of Quinta Avenida is crammed full of vintage stalls like this one that sell tablecloths, leather jackets or glorious, glorious frocks.
The prices are amazing (because of the exchange rate, let's be honest) and there isn't a lot of competition, though I remember one woman telling me about American dealers who would buy up tons of inventory at her shop. (Note to any vintage dealers reading this: that's a really good plan, and Buenos Aires is a lot of fun if you like to eat steak and stay up late.)
From the "you never know where the night will take you" file: Cloud Cuckooland came with me to a date, a party and a club, all on the same night, and all with a different group of people. Dresses are magic! It's not so much that they make things happen, but they do make you think, "This dress is so awesome, it would really be a shame to go home now..." Sometimes the story ends with you losing a favorite earring, but the Deity of Crazy Nights always requires sacrifice in one form or another.
Besides the great fit, Cloud Cuckooland has a lot going for it. The elaborate neckline is a plus, obviously,
though it did lead to an involuntary dress hiatus when one of those buttons fell off and it took me five years to sew it back on. To be fair: the sewing took about six minutes, the procrastinating took five years minus six minutes.
The pattern is a dream; you could get lost in it.
But I think my favorite thing about Cloud Cuckooland is the label.
It was made in Thailand, and it looks like it was made in Thailand. There is a Thai feel to the whole thing. "Made in Thailand" has a very different meaning these days. It makes me nostalgic for when there was an actual relationship between industry and culture in any given country. I could go on, but you have probably already grokked my point.
Photos by Claire Loeb!
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