Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing

Nora bringing out her inner diva, resting on the chaise
Allison and Masha, washing up after a big lunch!

Another heat wave passing through New York, ay ay ay! Masha’s assortment of chocolate melted into a smooth spread at lunch, and we were all due for a revival with the latest “spritz-ing” with the water bottle.

I (Allison) just got back from Berlin, Germany, where I was working with the Martha Graham Dance Company for 2 weeks. I was able to do a large amount of second-hand shopping with the help of my awesome wardrobe assistant who pointed out a bunch of the local spots that still seem relatively undiscovered by most Berliners. I uncovered a lot of affordable vintage pumps at one spot (for 15 euro plus a beer in the bag!) and some other knick-knacks. Most of their second-hand stores are not very organized, unlike a lot of thrift shops here in the States, where cups and saucers are allotted a space, along with clothes, books, shoes, etc. But I found the ones in Berlin to be almost like a treasure cave where disorganization made sense, and I think this idea of “second-hand chaos” proves a lot more rewarding when you uncover something of individual value. (I also want to do a plug for my wardrobe assistant in Berlin—check out her book-binding art at www.wienerpapp.dawanda.com.)

The rest of the staff is also taking some time to explore outside of Uffner Vintage. Masha is off to Russia soon, to explore her sculpture/welding projects with her dad, as well as find more personal inspiration for her individual designs, and maybe even find some Russian vodka (quite probable). Helen was away in Nantucket for July 4th and will be taking a small vacation with her mom in August (mother/daughter trip), and Nora is going away to Michigan for two weeks at the end of August.

Other business news: Yesterday, we got a lot of donations from a past production at BAM: a nice selection of clothes and shoes from early periods and in quite good condition, I might add. We’re still checking in returns from “Amelia.” Uffner Vintage continues pumping on, pumping on until the heat wave passes us by.....we just ordered tall glasses of lemonade and iced tea to take a break with!