Partygoers outside of Oak in Williamsburg

A ‘zine party held at Oak NYC’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn store was the perfect way to start the weekend last Friday night. Fake Orange, a smallish flip book style ‘zine of xeroxed artwork held an art show of a dozen or so rising artists in the back room, while music was provided by DJ Japanster (spinning Depeche Mode and Talking Heads). Edward Gorey-esque illustrations of odd amorphous creatures by Megan Galante hung near Ellen Frances‘ curious black and white photography and graphics. Projections of a fashion shoot flickered above the makeshift bar which served champagne to an overflowing room of guests. Oak which is known for its tightly curated clothing and accessories by Alexander Wang, Acne, and a long roster of other indie designers proved their adeptness at blending fashion with art and music as exhibited at this multimedia event.

Photography and graphics by Ellen Frances

Fake Orange's artwork held court in the back room.

Copies of the Fake Orange zine

Projections and champagne

Lots of black clothing at the Oak Williamsburg outpost

Oak is located at 208 North 8th St in Brooklyn, NY.

Tags: Acne, Alexander Wang, art, art show, champagne, Ellen Frances, Fake Orange, Oak NYC, Photography, shopping, Williamsburg.

Vintage clothes shopping can be extremely satisfying or exceptionally frustrating. The hopes of stumbling upon an ’80s Alaïa miniskirt or pristine Charles Jourdan heels from the ’70s at the local church thrift has become increasingly difficult. Enter curated vintage - where hard-to-find designers and amazing pieces are sourced and presented under one roof or website. Brick and mortar vintage stores can be a great introduction to finding designers that fit your body type and to also research and understand vintage sizing. Ebay is still the go-to source to find vintage online, however vintage e-boutiques have become more popular as well, allowing store owners to create an entire aesthetic that eBay cannot provide.

A couple of newcomers to the online vintage scene:

Vagabond NYC is like V magazine come to life. Slick studio fashion photography highlights special pieces each month in editorial spreads with a very downtown aesthetic. Vagabond’s goal is to find pieces that illustrate current trends while staying away from items that are too retro. There is a focus on very current designers (Alexander Wang, Marni, Balenciaga) while uncovering many forgotten designers of the near past (Kansai Yamamoto, Stephen Sprouse), many of whom have directly inspired the very current designers. The current drop-crotch pant craze is one such example - Vagabond has uncovered the originators of this trend, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, respectively.

With a more upscale bent, British site Atelier Mayer’s aesthetic is more glamorous day dresses, sparkling costume jewelry and one gorgeous Bob Mackie evening gown. Pieces are presented in a visually clean way with pop-up “style sheets” detailing the fabric, and editor’s notes discussing the fit and even the time period of the piece. Also, for a brief history of each period in fashion (from 1900-2000), visit the Decades in Fashion editorial section.

Tags: Alaia, Alexander Wang, Atelier Mayer, Balenciaga, Bob Mackie, British, Charles Jourdan, downtown, ebay, fashion photography, Kansai Yamamoto, Marni, online boutiques, Stephen Sprouse, thrift, V Magazine, Vagabond NYC, Vintage Fashion, Yohji Yamamoto.