Houston Vintage Market and Festival set at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum
Retro festival, with theme “Blue Hawaii,” offers clothes, accessories
For fashionistas who prefer old classics over the hottest trends, the Houston Vintage Market and Festival offers a treasure trove of clothes and accessories from yesteryear.
The Houston Vintage Market and Festival, a full day of shopping, beauty demonstrations, dance performances and giveaways, is scheduled for 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 19 at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, 8325 Travelair St.
The museum is housed in the original art-Deco Houston Municipal Airport building. It showcases the heritage of civil aviation, including the airlines, general aviation and business aviation.
Tickets to the festival are $5 at the door and free for children ages 11 and younger.
Event founder Dawn Bell said there will be about 40 vendors this year, coming from throughout the region.
“There’s such a wide variety of items,” she said.
Vintage attire from all eras is encouraged.
“We encourage people to dress up,” Bell said. “It’s such a fun event. It’s like going back in time and it’s a great shopping opportunity.”
This year’s theme is “Blue Hawaii.”
The festivities begin at 8 p.m. Sept. 16 with a film screening of the movie “Blue Hawaii” at Double Trouble, 3622 Main St., Suite D in Houston.
The free event, open to the public, will begin with an introduction by Ms. Houston Vintage 2014 Jessie Rox.
Preview party
A preview party for the main event is slated for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 18 at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, 8325 Travelair St.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. There will be a fashion show and live music by Hank Schyma and the Southern Backtones. Mid Century Hawaiian attire is encouraged, and prizes will be awarded for the best dressed.
Pieces of art
Bell has collected vintage pieces for the past 35 years.
“My collection has grown to a 2,000 square foot warehouse in the Heights,” she said. “A lot of this stuff you just can’t find anymore. I’ve always loved vintage. I was riding that wave when people just started getting into it.”
She said the quality of the clothes, attention to details and materials are part is one of the reasons vintage fashion appeals to her.
“It’s just so classic, the style, the structure,” she said. “So many of them are pieces of art.”
Bell added that when individuals shop for vintage pieces, they are not contributing to factories and sweatshops.
“Everything about it, I just really appreciate,” she said.
Bell used to own a shop called Coronation Vintage, and now she continues to sell, style and teach, using classic clothes from her warehouse.
In 2010, she decided to start an event with a mission of connecting the community through vintage fashion.
“The first year, I did it on my own,” she said. “We did a fashion show and had a couple of small vendors.”
After the first Houston Vintage fest, Diana Candida and Maria Martinez approached Bell to become her partners and co-event organizers.
The two women owned Heights Beatniks, a vintage and consignment shop.
“Dawn told me she was doing a fashion show and it was going to be all vintage,” Candida recalled. “She showed me some of her pieces and they were just gorgeous. I was really impressed by her. I had never seen a vintage fashion show or even heard of one before.”
Candida had experience organizing major events, including the Bayou City Arts Festival. She wanted to help Bell grow the event into an extravaganza.
“I approached Dawn and she loved the idea,” Candida said. “It was what she wanted to do but couldn’t do on her own. It’s been a good collaboration.”
Candida said Houston Vintage Market and Festival gives shoppers the opportunity to try on clothes that otherwise would only be available online.
“It’s casual, fun and family-friendly,” she said. “People can browse, shop and enjoy the performances. And the venue is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a gem.”
Martinez brought her passion for vintage fashion to the table.
“It’s a great way for people to express themselves visually,” she said. “There are so many styles you can mix and intermix. There are so many options.”
After Bell, Candida and Martinez joined forces, the event grew and incorporated more vendors and more activity.
“We started to develop the event,” Martinez said. “Every year, we try to add some new aspect, whether it’s a fun visual or entertainment.”
Bell agreed. “Every year, it gets a little bigger and a little better,” she said. “We learn something new every time.” Retro demonstrations
Now there are retro make-up demonstrations, dance performances and music.
There’s also a Ms. Houston Vintage pageant with local celebrity judges, including Tina Zulu, owner of Zulu Creative, Miss Gay Houston 2015 Violet S’Arbleu and the Houston Chronicle’s fashion and beauty editor Joy Sewing.
“These clothes are amazing and they’re still around,” Martinez said. “We need to give them the love they deserve.”
Mitch Cohen, founder of the First Saturday Arts Market in the Heights, has joined as a co-organizer for this year’s festival.
“As an artist and especially an event coordinator, I am passionate about events and go to as many as I can,” Cohen said. “I’ve also always been a fan of all things vintage, from cars, art, collectibles, clothes and fell in love with Houston Vintage from the first time I went, I think in their third year.”
Cohen has served as a celebrity judge in a past Ms. Houston Vintage Pageant.
“When Dawn, Marie and Diana invited me to join them, I absolutely said yes,” he recalled. “Their dedication and passion for vintage is contagious, and I’m proud to be on the team.”
With the city’s proclamation this year, Bell believes the event is starting to reach its goal of bringing people together through a fun fashion movement.
“We’re really starting to see the fruits of our labor,” she said.