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I happened to be in Tribeca last week and stumble upon (I swear!) the J. Crew shop that was to exclusively carry the Bushwick faux vintage t-shirt. I browsed for a few seconds before a chipper associate swooped in to ask if he could help me.
“Yeah,” I said, ” Do you have the Bushwick shirt?”
Chipper associate, in a flash, lost his smile and and his eyes narrowed. “No…we’re out.”
“Were they yanked?” I asked innocently.
“Uh, no, they sold out like two weeks ago.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said, noticing the other “limited edition” faux vintage tees sold exclusively at this store were still quite healthily stocked on the shelves.
A source tells me the CEO of J. Crew, Mickey Drexler, is very hip to buzz, and it would not be unthinkable for him to have ordered the merchandise off the shelves after the whole world made fun of it. I’m sure we’ll never know.
Paul Johnson of Brooklyn Vintage poses with one of his refurbished pieces in front of his White Street warehouse. — photo by Jeremy Sapienza
You probably have a pathetically small living room. Or maybe a dinky windowless bedroom. Or possibly you live in one of those tenements with retardedly narrow hallways from which, upon emerging, you feel like you’ve been born again. No matter what spacial problems you may suffer in your living situation, Paul Johnson has just the table, dresser, desk, or headboard for you.
Paul’s experience as a mover helped him realize the need for properly scaled furniture. Many of the items he delivered to Brooklyn apartments weren’t able to fit through the door, and even once inside, some of the pieces were so massive they dominated the space. His inventory includes several dressers and wardrobes, narrow enough not to take up too much of your precious square footage, but tall enough to be efficient — but not too tall:
“Most of these pieces come in under 72 inches, so we can get around the tight corners of some of the narrower walk-ups.”
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Ellie Frye of Bushwick, inspired by her Japanese counterparts.
I mostly see them by the Morgan stop, since those kiddies tend to be younger and more… ridiculous? than those of us on the other side of Flushing. It’s actually an odd combination of styles — the fat bearded ripped-t-shirt slob look and the dainty ruffled “lolita” look might share a relationship. Don’t wince as the cute young girl gets swallowed by those walrus jowls — that’s just a kiss. What is with the girls in the lace and frills — and are those goths I see? And is that a goth-lolita combo?? Yes to all.
Allegedly, lolita fashion is becoming popular across the country, as well as goth and that Marilyn Manson in-between look. Nowhere is that more apparent than a stroll down the industrial fringes of Bushwick, If you’re not convinced it’s hot now, well, Phaidon has a book about it. Now what?
A tipster sent me this lameness: J. Crew has a “limited edition” t-shirt from an imaginary “Trophy Tavern” at the nonexistent address of 259 Bushwick Avenue, adorned with a motif reminiscent of that of real-life restaurant Northeast Kingdom. What would possess them to create such a cred-less product? What would possess someone to buy it? Do I have to be a frat douchebag to get the appeal of wearing a shirt with a fake bar on it from a place one has never been? Because nobody who lives in Brooklyn would be caught dead in this — especially not for $52.
It’s a typical six-family, on a regular Bushwick block, and not a bar in sight. Or is there? One, two, three, four doorways later, Oliver and I found ourselves in some sort of Bavariawickian paradise. Perhaps because it channels this area’s German past, or maybe because it’s creators bring new meaning to the word detail, the Bushwick Beergarden is extraordinarily authentic, and somehow fits seamlessly into its surroundings.
Jan VanDamme and Paul Nicholson built a Beergarden in their backyard. To document their work, they created an impressive display of the Bushwick Beergarden genesis, including before and after shots, details, materials, and more. Before we crossed the threshold of the final doorway to paradise, Oliver and I marveled over the pictures, and especially the timeline: April 2008 to just a few weeks ago. And I thought I had a productive Spring/Summer.
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#1, Stephanie; #2, Natalia
#1: Stephanie, 14
Work: Student
Shops: Graham
Shot Her: Maria Hernandez Park
Misc: Shot her because of her great use of layers; When asked how she got dressed she said she just “picked out some clothes.”
#2: Natalia, 30
Work: Stay at home mom with 2 kids, 1 on the way
Shops: Queens
Shot her: Knickerbocker near Stockholm
Misc: Her personality was as magnetic as her orange boots; “In this neighborhood you can get away with (wearing) anything.”
Since I’ve moved to Bushwick, everyone who visits makes it a point to disappear around the corner for a dip into Urban Jungle Vintage, returning completely different: sporting ironic neon green children’s sweatshirts, wearing all-black outfits without getting them washed first, carrying back garbage-bags of cowboy shirts. My roommate and I share laughs over this, but it’s become such a common and entertaining theme that nowadays, I just take my guests straight there. I watch them walk through the warehouse door into the cavernous fluorescent-lit room and set eyes on the racks and racks of clothing. Usually they will go straight to a rack and start flipping through just to make sure it’s real. Common exclamations include, “It’s not picked over!” “This is so overwhelming!” “Holy shit, I can’t believe I just found this!” and “This is so cheap.”
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#1: Gary; #2: Dana; #3: Daniel
#1: Gary, 15
Work: Student
Shop: On Knickerbocker
Shot Him: On Knickerbocker and Stockholm
Misc: Gary was very shy; Favorite part of the neighborhood is the people; “I’ll wear anything.”
#2: Dana, 23
Work: Unemployed
Shops: Broadway
Shot Her: Myrtle and Bleecker
Misc: Shot her because of her unique leggings.
#3: Daniel, 26
Work: Musician
Shops: Domsies
Shot Him: Maria Hernandez Park
Misc: Loves the neighborhood for the food; MySpace address? “If you look hard enough, you’ll find me.”
Bushwick is a huge neighborhood to cover all by myself, so I’d love your help. We’re looking to include profiles of all sorts of stylish people and places on BushwickBK! Send me an email with your ideas, and think creatively — you never know, you could be the next person to appear in the Style section!
Click to view full size photo>>
Due to a hectic work schedule (and crappy weather!), I wasn’t able to make it out into the neighborhood to find random stylish folks, so I looked in my own apartment. Ever since I’d been given this amazing opportunity to shoot Street Style for BushwickBK, I knew I wanted include my roommate. Hopefully her beauty, wit and excellent sense of style are enough to tide you over until next week.
Margie, 27
Work: “I’m a gal Friday”
Shops: Sears and Ebay
Shot her: Himrod and Irving
Misc: “I’m turning dalmatian, I really think so.”
Bushwick is a huge neighborhood to cover all by myself, so I’d love your help. We’re looking to include profiles of all sorts of stylish people and places on BushwickBK! Send me an email with your ideas, and think creatively — you never know, you could be the next person to appear in the Style section!
Click images for larger. #1: Stacey and Mayelin; #2: Elsie; #3: Jason
#1: Stacey and Mayelin, both 14
Work: Students
Shop: On Knickerbocker and Myrtle
Shot Them: On Knickerbocker and Greene
Misc: They pick their outfits out by color. Favorite part of Bushwick? “The boys!”
#2: Elsie, 27
Work: Housing for low- to moderate-income families
Shops: Wherever she can find something she likes
Shot her: On her way to her nephew’s birthday party, Myrtle and Menahan
Misc: Got dressed in a hurry, wearing her favorite jeans and sneakers. “A hoodie is always a must.”
#3: Jason, 24
Work: Deli company
Shops: Queens Center Mall
Shot him: On Knickerbocker and Himrod
Misc: Gets dressed starting with the sneakers, spends most of his time in Queens
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