00:00Some people encounter old, crusty, dusty, smelly racks of clothing and actually see
00:05that as an opportunity. Brimfield, Massachusetts is sort of like their
00:09Mecca. Come along on my Brimfield adventure. This is how bizarre!
00:17Brimfield Antique Show was started in 1959 and it is the longest-running,
00:22largest outdoor antique show in the country. Robert M. Reed started it back
00:28in the early 1900s through his son Gordon to his daughters to us 57 years now for
00:35the Antique Show. I'm here in Brimfield searching for my personal holy grail of
00:40American vintage, early 20th century denim. Brimfield doesn't have a ton of vintage
00:45denim dealers but they have a few really really knowledgeable people with really
00:49great product who I feel like are gonna have what I'm looking for. If you want a
00:53good pair of jeans you got to work for it one way or another. You either got to work
00:56for it or you got to pay for it. Plus I hear from my friends who work in
00:59contemporary denim brands that they go scouting at Brimfield for inspiration so
01:02if it's good enough for them it is definitely good enough for me. Brimfield
01:06is big! If you were gonna walk from one end to the other end it would take you
01:10hours and then there are over 6,000 different vendors who service 50,000
01:15shoppers. While most shopping is done online these days for Brimfield sellers
01:19they're strictly offline. Come on in if you have any questions let us know. So this
01:24is my chance to get off the internet and go shopping in real life. Thousands and
01:28thousands of people come here. If you can't have fun at Brimfield you can't have
01:32fun anywhere. Here's what you need to know before you get to Brimfield. Brimfield
01:37happens three times a year. Go to the first and last ones of the season because
01:41there are more vendors and because it's not stupid hot during those times of year.
01:44Number two, bring cash. Some fancier sellers have credit card machines but
01:49you're gonna get a way better deal if you use cash. And number three, go early.
01:53Certain promotions open at dawn break and the place is going to be really
01:57overrun by day. I'm here with Bob's Collectibles and Bob you're one of the
02:03few people who have denim which is what I'm actually on the search for but I've
02:09never actually heard of this brand before which you have a lot of which are
02:12landlubbers? Yeah they were made in the 70s and you get the brochure. This is the
02:17original brochure? Yeah, back in the 70s. Landlubbers got the fit that gets you the
02:24looks. Yeah. They're men's denim? They're men's. What? Did you used to wear these? No. I don't know. I made
02:32them.
02:32You might have? Cool. And how much do you sell these for? $15 a pair. It's amazing. I'm gonna search
02:38for my pair of jeans.
02:44Look at the zip off overall thing. For the most part, if a jean is a high-waisted pair of
02:51jeans, if you wrap it
02:53around your neck like you're wearing a jeans necklace and the chew ends touch, that
02:57means it should fit around your waist. Try it out yourself with a pair of jeans that
03:01fit really well and then you can tell sort of how they're gonna work on you. So this
03:06one is way too small. Next. Oh. Uh oh. I think we got a winner you guys. I've developed what
03:19I like to
03:20call my thrifting outfit and that consists of a top that's a little tighter on top so I
03:24can try things on over it without it looking lumpy. And then a skirt that's a
03:28little wider so I can pull on pants underneath. I love these. Okay, I'm gonna get this.
03:35Thank you. They're really small. No, thank you. That post-purchase glow. Nothing feels better
03:43than that. This pair of overalls are great but not quite old enough for my taste. I'm
03:50still on the hunt for something pre-1970s with a little bit more wear and tear. So I've
03:55heard the fashion tent at Brimfield has one seller who has a rack full of really
03:58old jeans including hand patched overalls which sounds super interesting.
04:02So I'm with Sam here. I think you have the jeans that I've been looking for.
04:06Really? Well maybe, maybe you have the jeans. Okay. I do have some really awesome overalls
04:11and some like aprons. These are pretty cool. They're Washington DC brand. Probably mid-40s
04:19I would say. These ones might be cool too if you want to give those a whirl. The brand is
04:23duck head. It's a really classic pair in the 1940s. You know, a little bit shredded in the back.
04:28Sorry, I love the hand stitching. This is like stitched by someone who has not stitched a lot
04:34before. Well, and it's repairs on repairs so you can see maybe a few layers of repair on them.
04:39This is what my stitching looks like. I feel like they're gonna fit. Cool. We'll give them a whirl.
04:43We got a dressing room. You do? Yeah.
04:49They're really destroyed but I like them like this. I don't know. The person I think was exactly my height
04:54because the bottoms ripped off at exactly the point where my shoes end. It's very serendipitous.
05:01These are really nice. They're really, really old. I don't think I've worn anything that's been 70 years old.
05:08It's pretty cool. These are jeans and overalls that you see everywhere.
05:13And they retail for like $250 and more. But those are copies of these ones, right? And these are the
05:19originals.
05:20And I learned about a new brand. I love these overalls. I mean, they're a little messed up and so,
05:26so old.
05:27But that's what makes them so amazing. I have never seen anything like these before and I have to have
05:32them.
05:33But first, the haggling. So haggling. Don't be an asshole about it. You are not on deal or no deal.
05:39And I've talked to a lot of sellers here and they generally offer the same three bits of advice.
05:45One, ask questions and be polite. The more you talk with someone, the more you find out the story behind
05:50what you're buying and the more they want to sell to you.
05:53If you're rude to me, I'm going to be rude to you.
05:55Number two, buy more. So if you're able to bundle up a bunch of purchases, chances are you're going to
06:01get a better deal for each of them.
06:03And number three, don't be coy. That pretending to be like, oh, I'm sort of interested in it.
06:07They really want to find a good home for what they have. And if they feel like you really like
06:11something, chances are they're more apt to give it to you.
06:15Hi. Hey, how did it go? I liked it. Cool. How much are these? I'm asking a very reasonable price
06:23of $150 for this.
06:25$150? Yeah. I mean, $150 is a good price, but it's going to do me a little bit better.
06:29Well, I can knock 10 bucks off if you're buying a single item. That's good enough for me. Yeah? Cool.
06:34Good enough for me.
06:35All right. Sounds like a deal. Cool.
06:40$140. Awesome. Cool. Enjoy the overalls. Thank you. Yeah, have a nice day. Wear them proudly. All right. Awesome.
06:48It's easy to see why this place is so addictive. For someone who really likes to dig, there's just so
06:53much stuff to dig through.
06:55But it's actually the human element that really distinguishes Brimfield from any of the other flea markets I've been to.
07:01It's authentic because we're all trying to look for the same thing. We're all trying to find a piece that's
07:06going to make our living rooms,
07:08our wardrobes, or our lives feel a little bit more complete.
07:19Ta-da! So when I wear distressed denim like this, I like to contrast it with pieces that are a
07:28little bit more fancy.
07:29So this frilly blouse or the pointed kitten heel shoes and like fancy-ish accessories.
07:36I just feel like it balances out a little bit. And this is something that I would wear to like
07:39fashion week or an evening out.
07:41I think it's a little bit more unexpected than just a dress and some heels.
07:45Brimfield is really intimidating. Hopefully I've shown that it's worth it. The payoff is there. It can be huge.
07:52You can just put in the time and the energy. And also when anyone is like,
07:56the overalls are so cool. Where did you get them? I have a great story to tell them now.
08:00I have a great story. I have a great story.
