I had the pleasure of heading downtown to preview Of A Kind's two-day sample sale road show on Wednesday, and though I was stoked about the opportunity to peep some awesome hand-crafted (and more often than not - locally sourced) goods, the inspiring artisans behind the booths were equally as charming. The sale has since ended, but you can still check out the three major accessory retailers whose stories (and vintage goods!) resonated with me.
Dirty Librarian Chains
Susan Domelsmith
Life: Curated, 186 Grand Street, Brooklyn
I spent a decent amount of time chatting with Of A Kind's Claire Mazur about turning old jewelry that you can't bear to throw out (because who throws out jewelry!?!) into something new - and it turns out, that's exactly what Dirty Librarian Chain's Susan Domelsmith has built a business on. Not only is she impossibly sweet, but each one of her items in hand-crafted using at least 80% of carefully cleaned and inspected vintage materials - which means each product is truly one of a kind. Blogger Nicole Loher and I even walked away with matching chain-link rings for $10 each! I went home to show my mother my new addition, only for her to show me her original wedding band looked almost identical. In. Sane. Head over to DLC's website or make your way to one of five NYC stockists to check out the goods in person before you buy.
Cold Picnic
Pheobe Sung & Peter Buer
A Thousand Picnics, 171 S.4th St, Brooklyn
When I stopped by the Cold Picnic booth, I barely had a chance to pick up the ever-popular Bison Ring before Britain native Peter Buer introduced himself with wide-eyes and a handshake. After chatting for a bit, I was smitten - both with the goods and the accent. He explained that he started working with longtime partner (and girlfriend) Pheobe Sung in 2010 after spending a summer digging through library books and garage sales for inspiration. Each piece - including a beloved vintage Rhinoceros toy necklace, which was cast in antiqued brass - are hand-made. And besides, do you really need another owl or elephant ring? You can find their admirably unique offerings here, as well as in various boutiques and stores across the nation.
Yestadt Millinery
Molly Yestadt & Jane Pincus
Barneys Co-Op, 575 5th Avenue, New York
Despite my grandmother's incessant attempts at covering my head throughout most of my childhood (or maybe in spite of it?), I've never been a hat girl. Until now. Brooklyn-based hatmakers Molly Yestadt and Jane Pincus of Yestadt Millinery caught my attention immediately - and not just because the occupied the first booth at Of A Kind's sample sale preview. The pair had this sort of undeniable cool seeping off of them, complemented by their breezy, familiar smiles, but beyond Molly & Jane's popular-girl essence, I knew why I was really drawn to the table - the refreshing evidence of summer was perched right in front of them. The latter mentioned that the brand's wide-brim hats and boyish baseball caps serve as the best sellers, though I can imagine myself walking the High Line in a maxi dress and a custom fine woven-straw topper. Yestadt Millinery's goods are sold in high-end boutiques (I'm talking Steven Alan, Henri Bendel, and select Barneys New York locations) in New York and Japan. Check out the brand's newest collection here.
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