H 74°, L 50° | Tomorrow: 
H 76°, L 56°It turns out it’s easy to spot a vintage clothing dealer in a crowd — or a cafĂ©. Most likely, she will be the best dressed woman in the joint.
On a summery Saturday morning, Jess Parvin, the creative force behind Wanderlost Vintage, is easy to pick out even if you don’t know what she looks like. She wears a full colorful print skirt with vintage wooden wedges that a fashion blogger would mistake for an Anthropologie purchase.
“Ninety percent of my wardrobe is from thrift[ing],” Parvin said. “That’s just my passion.”
Parvin is a former graphic designer with a degree in art history. She said she’s been shopping second-hand for years — at yard sales, resale shops and thrift stores. In the past two to three years, she’s been able to successfully make a go of doing what she loves by continuing to collect vintage and heading the local group, Wanderlost Clothing.
“If I can’t find it second-hand, I probably don’t need it,” she said.
These are truly humbling words since Parvin’s outfit is awesome in a way that seems completely effortless, and soon Madison residents will get the chance to learn from her experience.
Vintage Madison’s second annual Fall Fashion Show will take place Sept. 7 at High Noon Saloon at 7 p.m. The event will hopefully make it a lot easier to step right into Parvin’s gift of reviving clothing from throughout the ages, turning back a page of history to glimpse a world of glamorous permanency and classic styles we still idolize today.
The fashion show will feature eight to 10 looks from each Vintage Madison clothing dealer. The cover is $5 to attend, and the local band Surgeons in Heat will also play the event.
“I love the High Noon,” she said. “We’re going to have a band and take advantage of their sound system. We’re trying to make it like a party. Hopefully people will hang around and dance and have a good time.”
Vintage Madison is a collaboration of three local vintage clothing dealers. Parvin is the purveyor of Wanderlost Vintage; Rebecca Light is the vintage entrepreneur of Picture Day Vintage and Claire Schilhabel works at Madison’s own vintage wonderland, the Good Style Shop.
“We’re excited to have a more curated show this year with individual sellers’ looks,” Light said. “[Schilhabel] showcases ’80s and ’90s vintage, [Parvin] focuses on ’70s bohemian and my collection, Picture Day Vintage, is heavily mid-century. All of the clothes and accessories featured in the show will be for sale, plus tons more, at our Pop-Up Vintage Shop at the Project Lodge the following week.”
Attendees can see the vintage originals that have inspired looks that are currently “on-trend.” And, best of all, these items can be bought for less.
The fashion show’s ensembles and much more will be available at Vintage Madison’s “Pop-up Shop,” which will be set up in the Project Lodge, 817 E. Johnson St., from Sept. 11-18. Satisfying fashion cravings for the styles of old has never been easier.
Vintage Madison’s previous events have included last spring’s Vintage Prom, summer sales at local vintage oasis Zip-Dang and other “Pop-up Shop” occasions.
More information about Vintage Madison and the Fall Fashion Show can be found on Vintage Madison’s Facebook page or www.vintage-madison.com.
