This week, my husband and I are traveling to London and Paris in search of inspiring, beautiful vintage pieces to bring home from two of the world’s best and largest antique markets. First stop: Notting Hill’s famous Portobello Road. Every Saturday, the narrow road turns into a two-mile-long market made up of about 2,000 indoor and outdoor stalls filled with dealers selling their most recently acquired antiques and collectibles.
Many shoppers start early—some diehard ones arriving at 5 AM. Fighting jetlag, we got there at 7:30 AM. I never go into these things looking for something in particular. Sure, it would be great to find certain pieces, but I always try to keep an open mind. Last time I was here, I randomly found the most amazing buttons. I’m not sure what to do with them yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they inspire a whole new jewelry collection someday. That’s what I love about these markets. You walk around and something just hits yo
u.
I had a great day roaming up and down this familiar street that I have been visiting for many, many years. This is where I first began to appreciate vintage finds, which ultimately led to the creation of my own jewelry and home accessories collections. The dealers here specialize in so many things, such as frames, art, books, vintage fashion, and lots of collectibles. This time around, I made so many new friends, including this adorable pup (pictured right) and a gentleman who only sells forks, knives, and spoons. He had piles and piles of them! It reminded me that I need to have friends over for dinner again soon.
Next up is Paris’ Marché aux Puces, an open air market that hosts some 3,000 stalls spread out through tiny side streets in a quaint neighborhood. We’re heading there on the Eurostar, which feels like a plane traveling on the ground at insane speeds (I don’t even want to know how fast). It’s from there that I’m writing Monday’s blog, so I can’t tell you what I’ll discover at the market, but I can’t wait! And then after that we’re off to Florence to collaborate with some our artisans. Catch regular updates about my vintage shopping adventure abroad on my Facebook page.
xox,
M
P.S. Later this week, we’ll introduce a new column about film and nostalgia. With all the remakes Hollywood’s planning to release this year, it’s hard not to take that trip down memory lane and compare the various film versions, starting with Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened on Friday.
Published on March 8, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
Try Facebook application
Try iPhone application