COMMENTARY

pret a porter About a week ago I stopped by a local San Francisco store called Manifesto, which I’ve been meaning to visit for ever and ever. I was really impressed by their vintage-inspired clothing, which comes in pretty styles, nice rayon fabrics, and a sensible size range. Of course, they’re not cheap, but then they’re not made by slave labor in Southeast Asia either. I bought a purple rayon print 1940s-esque dress and a nice fitted blouse in the same print as in this dress. If you’re interested, you can see some of their current offerings for sale at Fabric 8, as well as an archive of previous designs sold through Fabric 8 and more archived designs on their own site.

So not only is this post a plug, but it’s also got me wondering. What other retro/vintage-inspired retailers have you bought from, and did you like what you bought? I keep thinking about ordering something from reVamp but am balking at the prices (the Manifesto incident was an in-person run, which meant that it was hard to have the willpower I maintain with online shopping), especially the $35 patterning fee if you don’t fit their (to me) teeny size range. Then there’s Stop Staring (which are available for purchase through Daddy O’s), but they’re way too into sundresses for my taste and I’ve noticed that most of their garments are in icky polyester. What other options have you found?