The Inspiration LA show in Long Beach was full of remarkable stuff. Every kind of vintage was represented by dealers around the country. Here’s a few of the pieces we spotted.
Check back tomorrow for more of what we found at Inspiration LA.
(All photos by Noe Montes)
This weekend, our photographer Noe Montes and I visited the annual vintage menswear show Inspiration LA. Held in the Spruce Goose Dome, a huge, futuristic building on the water in Long Beach, it’s an extravaganza of Americana. The whole operation is run by Rin Tanaka, the king of Japanese fans of American vintage, and the editor of a whole series of books called My Freedamn!.
There were motorcycle guys, surf dudes, hot rodders, workwear nuts, old-school mid-century lifestylers, outdoorsy types and everything in between. There was tons of vintage at premium prices (the t-shirt I wanted was $65), plus tons of vintage recreationists, both Japanese and American.The show is held on a Saturday, the day before Japanese vintage dealers descend on the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, filling huge green canvas Army duffels with clothes to take back over the Pacific.
We couldn’t afford to buy much (though I did buy a sweatshirt from the Japanese repro brand Real McCoy’s), but we did have a grand time. We ran into a number of Put This On fans, and even a few subjects - our friend Mike Hodis from Rising Sun was there, along with our pal Raul Ojeda from Don Ville Shoes. We finally met Kiya, the owner of Self Edge, and a guy named Mustache Mike who owns a vintage shop slash barbershop in Minneapolis. Everyone with a great outfit got shot.
This week, we’ll share selections with you every day here at Put This On.
(All photos by Noe Montes)
Our lensman Noe Montes at Inspiration LA yesterday. We had a great time - we’ll get photos up next week. In the meantime, I posted a couple of my snapshots on Facebook.
Tomorrow morning, Noe Montes and I are headed out to Long Beach for Inspiration LA, the huge annual vintage Americana show organized by Rin Tanaka. Tanaka is a kingpin of men’s vintage - his “My Freedamn” books collect the most amazing subcultural clothing imaginable, from 1960s surfer gear to 1950s rocker wear… anything AMERICAN, all caps.
We’re going to be shooting some pictures and pressing the flesh.
If you’re coming out to the Spruce Goose Dome, and you spot us, do say hi!
Spent my Sunday morning with my family at the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Don’t always get to arrive as early as you’d like or stay as long when you’re carting around an 18-month-old, but it’s still worth the trip. The clothes are mostly at the Rose Bowl, where you’re elbow-to-elbow with Japanese vintage dealers carting around huge military duffels… but I still came home with a little something.
While we’re on the subject of my mom and San Francisco… she’s recently added a lot of both men’s and women’s vintage clothing to her booth in the Mission District antique shop Stuff. If you’re in the Bay and haven’t been in to Stuff, it’s very much worth a visit - you’ll find it at 150 Valencia, just off Market next to the central freeway. If you’re looking for my mom’s area, you’ll find it about halfway in on the right-hand side of the first story - look for the green floor.
Perhaps I’m a contrarian, but the bigger wristwatches get the smaller I want mine to be. I understand why one needs a chunky, oversized watch when diving, or maybe when piloting a helicopter, but I don’t understand the point of wearing a clock on one’s wrist. Might as well go all the way, like Flavor Flav, and wear it around the neck— at least that’s original.
- Hooman Majd, seen above wearing a vintage Omega military watch
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