Attending the 2021 Baltimore Vintage Expo was a denim and fur junkie’s fantasy! Takeaways: the ’70s are back and it may officially be the best decade, jeans are more interesting after they’ve been custom-altered, and the past two years of solitude and sweatpants have made us all more sartorially adventurous when it comes to leaving the house.
In 2021, there is complete permission to wear whatever the fuck you want, wherever and whenever, and the more eccentric the statement, the better. Will we all be wearing vintage underwear as outerwear in the near future? Signs point to yes.
For anyone not familiar with the Baltimore Vintage Expo, it’s a glorious one-day shopping extravaganza where a curated selection of vintage shops and connoisseurs gather together in one location to sell their best wares. The event has been hosted for several years at Union Craft Brewing’s giant indoor/outdoor venue and features clothing, furniture, jewelry, and decor from many of the best retailers and private dealers in the Baltimore/DC/PA region. Organized by Milk & Ice Vintage (Hampden—soon to be in Lauraville) and Bottle of Bread (Mount Vernon), the expo is a sprawling, colorful event full of people interested in clothing and furniture burnished with the patina of past lives.
Well-sourced vintage has always played a big role in Baltimore fashion, from the heydays of Killer Trash, Oh! Susanah, Sticky Fingers, and Minas in Fells Point in the ’80s offering aged denim, clever T-shirts, cowboy and punk rocker boots, and accessories.
Baltimore’s fashion aesthetic is very Florida-of-the-North these days and, no matter where you go, you see a lot of experimental, bold contrasts between eras, styles, materials, and appearance, a mix of classic and edgy, formal and casual. It doesn’t always work, but that’s not really the point. It is truly a city of artists hellbent on expressing themselves, and our fashion landscape is an extension of this creative confidence. Rather than purchasing fast fashion or expensive designers, vintage and consignment sources provide legitimate couture garments and styles at a friendlier price point.
This year, with E. Brady Robinson’s camera trained on the Vintage Expo, we captured a gamut of cool-looking vendors and shoppers, all wearing previously owned clothing. I said this about the last Vintage Expo, and I’m going to say it again: From individuals who support the environmental and political advantages of vintage over fast fashion or just enjoy wearing standout, well-made clothing, this year’s Baltimore Vintage Expo was the perfect environment to showcase a range of on-point wardrobe decisions and to capture some of Baltimore’s more fashion-forward individuals.
Jess Carpenter, Vintage Sewist
Carpenter Studio (@carpenter.studio), Baltimore
Wearing: Vintage black dress, black shirt, and espadrilles
Erica & Dion, Vintage Sellers
Keeper’s Vintage (@keepersvintage), Baltimore
Wearing: Dion: Vintage plaid shirt, Jordans; Erica: Thrifted sweater dress, cardigan, and Stetson hat
Alex Jackson, Vintage Seller & Curator
Wearing: ’50s vintage full quirk dress and boots, leather biker jacket, green hair, hand-reworked tassel mask
@wearismymind @obligatoryexcess
L: Madeleline Laneaux, Vintage Seller
Laneaux Vintage (@laneauxvintage), Baltimore
Wearing: Mink stole and Leopard boots
R: Gabby Sturgeon, Boom Operator
Wearing: Full-length fur coat from Laneaux Vintage, white denim outfit
@guppysama
Left: Mo Rothman, Shop Owner & Co-Organizer of The Vintage Expo
Bottle of Bread (@bottleofbread), Baltimore
Wearing: ’70s zip-around jeans from Motherhood, ’70s suede jacket from Philly VTG Bazaar (purchased at the Expo)
Right: Kate & Angie, Shop Owners & Co-Organizers of The Vintage Expo
Milk & Ice (@milkandicevintage), Woodberry, Baltimore, but soon to be in Lauraville
Wearing: Left: Vintage lace blouse and patchwork skirt, denim apron, and boots; Right: Black long-sleeved T, vintage denim, sneakers, and canvas apron
Left: Ben Hittle, Tattoo Shop Manager, and Eunice Kim, Hair Stylist
Wearing: Ben: Brown leather jacket, white T-shirt; Eunice: Brown beach vest, vintage denim shirt
@benhittle69 and @you_nnah
Right: Jessie H, Fashion Vlogger
Wearing: Vintage Chanel, Cartier, Paris Texas, Polo
@cappuccinosandconsignment
*Check out her video from the Vintage Expo!
Left: Dresden Boulden, Musician
Wearing: Fur coat, patchwork pants, cowboy boots, headband
@head.usa
Right: Tony Venne, Graphic Designer and Vintage Connoisseur
Wearing: Vintage Canadian tuxedo
@vennea
Garance, Vintage Seller
Spaghetti Vintage and Second Hand Clothing
Hampden, Baltimore
Wearing: Red coat with martini people, black jeans, white sneakers
@spaghettino8
Mya Price and Ebony McMillian, Vintage Sellers
More Than Your Average Vintage (@morethanyouraverage) and Bermuda Triangle Vintage (@btvintageclothes), Washington, DC
Wearing: Thrifted vintage looks, Nike Hightops
Montana Bowman, Vintage Seller
Balto Vintage (@baltovintage), Hampden, Baltimore
Wearing: Metallica 76 hat, Dutch Standard apron, denim, and vintage T-shirt
Kitt Repass, Art Teacher
Wearing: White fisherman knitted sweater, vintage denim, clog boots
@kittrepass
Left: Jordi Equitable, Fashion Artist
Wearing: Big pink hats, pink sequin dress, pink glasses, and blue velvet boots
@jordiequitable
Right: Danny, Vintage Seller
Illicit Rag Vintage (@illicitragvintage), Baltimore
Wearing: Quilted full-length sweater, denim, white turtleneck, boots, black baseball hat
Left: Varsity Jacket from Trash X Closets
Right: Cara Ober, Artist, Writer, Editor
Wearing: Vintage blouse from Schmatta Shop (Cross Keys), rebuilt ’70s Wrangler jeans, clog sandals with socks, leather jacket
@caraober @bmoreart
Left: Emily Gleason, Public School Art Teacher
Wearing: 1970s pink floral maxi dress
@bustedoldcatlady
Right: Heather Sand, Realtor
Wearing: Vintage dress by Mama Moon Vintage
@petitestyledc
Charles Sutherland, Vintage Vendor
Line & Form (@shop.lineandform), Baltimore
Wearing: Vintage Dickies, ’80s military coat, military T-shirt
Lindsay Street, Vintage Curator, and Jay Truluck
Yes Please Vintage (@yespleasevtg), Baltimore
Wearing: Purple jumpsuit and vintage dress, knitted hats, boots
Crystal Engel, Vintage Vendor
Mama Moon Vintage (@mamamoon.vintage)
Wearing: ’60s quilted house dress, white cowgirl boots
Left: Jeana Beall and Donovan Levy
Trash x Closet (@trashxcloset), Baltimore
Wearing: Jeana: ’80s Stevi Nicks T-shirt, ’70s handmade dress, ’90s thermal, ’90s Docs; Don: ’80s varsity jacket, ’50s hoodie, RRL jeans, vintage Durango boots
Right: Dan Janor, Attorney
Wearing: Tweed car coat
Kristina Angelozzi, Vintage Vendor and Denim Repair Professional
Merchant Tailor (@merchanttailor), Baltimore
Wearing: “Jeans jeans jeans” vintage T-shirt, Dr. K sweatshirt, Daylight Vintage pants, boots
Left: Jonna Buckner, Vintage Vendor
Stoked Vintage (@stokedvintage, roving, Baltimore)
Wearing: Stan Rays space dyed vintage sweaters
Right: Marie Machin, Photographer & Bartender
Working with Wormhole Workshops on site
Wearing: Jumpsuit by cecilbmoxie (amazing CA artist), red boots by Son of Sandler
@pentaxjane
Sabra Jafarzadeh and Jon Malis, Vintage Furniture Vendors
Sabzi at Home (@sabziathome), Baltimore, MD
Wearing: Dickies, velvet coat, and sneakers
Erica Kagan, Vintage Vendor, Stylist, and Creator
The Welsh Bohemian (@thewelshbohemian), Old Ellicott City, MD
Wearing: ’60s rainbow velvet maxi dress from Lanaeux Vintage, ’70s leather hat, 80s moccasin boots, ’90s Penny Lane embroidered coat
Left: Daisy Barquist, Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist, and Business Consultant
Wearing: Shearling fur vest, leopard print mask and pants
@daisybarquist
Right: Michele, Interior Designer and Vintage Furniture Curator
Wearing: Vintage wool coat, fanny back, and boots
@mi.floret
Jess Soulen and Jenna Hattenburg
Hunting Ground (@huntingground), Hampden, Baltimore
Wearing: L: 100% vintage finds, R: ’70s jumpsuit, Mom’s boots, Bakelite Bug bangle
Gabriella Harnadek, This & That Professional
Wearing: Vintage Lee denim, Free People jacket (secondhand), vintage linen shirt, teddy bear scarf from childhood
@gabriella.michalek
