Is it time to hipster-ify your life? If so, the Silver Lake Art, Craft and Vintage Market is the place for you. Trust me, this is not your typical craft fair or flea market crowd, nor are the vendors selling Grandma’s knitting or haggling inexplicably over Aunt Irma’s prized ping pong ball collection. Held in the heart of Silver Lake, CA (near the plaza where indie rockers Silversun Pickups reportedly got their name), you’ll find everything you need to turn your apartment, your wardrobe, hell, even your boyfriend, into a funky, eclectic version of its formerly mainstream self. (No offense, honey.)
Don’t let the fact that the market takes place in a lackluster field belonging to the Micheltorena Street Elementary School deter you. Once inside the fence and wandering the amongst the tents, you’ll discover antique furniture, retro sunglasses, one-of-a-kind home decor, handmade jewelry by local artists, vintage clothing, long forgotten records and so much more. You may even find a used instrument to play in the rock band you’ll resolve to start, thanks to the inspiring merchandise (and backwards haircuts) that surround you.
Huddling behind the curtain Strim Vintage uses as a dressing room, for instance, trying on yet another expertly reconstructed dress by designer/seamstress Wendy Mirts, I find myself wondering why I would ever shop in a mall again. Mirts’ designs are incredibly flattering and also sustainable—she uses old blouses, skirts and dresses to create contemporary silhouettes while retaining most of the original shape and authenticity of each piece. The result is a look that’s got soul, without prices that require you to sell yours to the devil.
Meanwhile, Rico Adair works a few spots down at the Defile Clothing tent. Adair creates dresses from bits of recycled t-shirts, old fabric and donated clothing. A sign instructs shoppers to “build your own dress” and indicates three patterns to choose from as well as bins of pre-cut fabric for rummaging, mixing and matching. Once you’ve chosen your pieces, he’ll sew them together using contrasting stitching and hand-drawn silk-screening to complete the look.
And if fashion isn’t your thing, peruse cards and stationary by local designer Pop + Shorty (the “Congratulations, Bitch” card is my favorite), handmade wire and beaded jewelry by Kee’s Juicy Gems, and funky shades at Society of the Spectacle, to name a few. After today, I’m starting to think the “buy local” trend has some merit after all.
The Silver Lake Art, Craft and Vintage Market takes place Saturdays from 10am-4pm at 1511 Micheltorena Street (at Sunset Blvd.), Los Angeles, CA 90026.
