When Cody came to pick us up, he had started spitting up. This was the one day we were going to be outside for any length of time, and wouldn’t you know it, it was the only day it was going to rain.
Don’t worry, it wasn’t that hard and we were currently immersed in the hooting, hugging, and comments about Cody’s car.Cody Wellemaa long-time friend, hat maker and now former customer, would drive us to the Rose Bowl, and we’d all pile into his.old Honda CR-V.
Cody is one of those friendly, open people that you immediately feel you know well. But it adds a level of intimacy when you’re driving someone’s car – a sort of tipping point for visiting their home. Cody’s was filled with wrappers and various other bits and pieces of baby stuff, while the boot had ropes, plastic strips and other signs indicating the amount of clothes she had to deliver.
In fact, one of the nicest aspects of Cody’s setup for the day was that as he walked through the flea market, wearing his perfect western hat and vintage jacket, he also pushed a large plastic shopping caddy, because it was the only way to carry all the things.
The Rose Bowl opens at 5am, and those who really want it arrive early, often with head torches to help them see in the dark. We weren’t that enthusiastic, but our original plan was to show up at 7am at least, so we could experience the spirit of treasure hunting.
The rain made that pointless. There would be fewer sellers, fewer buyers, and the atmosphere would not be the same. We set our arrival time at 9am.
It rained in the morning, but it was showers and showers, and it turned out that everyone we wanted to see was there. It helped that it was a rare, high-end vintage fairInspirationit was there two days ago, so many high-end international buyers are in town anyway.
And apparently the opposite weather is worse: on a hot hot day the sun boils the asphalt, and the place feels like an oven of torture.
The Rose Bowl flea market is held in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl stadium, a century-old stadium that looks great for its time, all concrete and columns. But it is historically and culturally important: it hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984, has seen five Super Bowls, and was the site of the 1994 World Cup final (that’s football/soccer; Brazil beat Italy on penalties).
The Rose Bowl is a flea market and it feels like one. Despite its reputation among long-time fans – it must be the most famous such market in the world – it has a very local, fun atmosphere. A chatty man with a big white beard stamped our tickets with laughter, and everyone seemed to shout as they entered.
Once inside, there were hundreds of stalls to visit (even on a gray day). Fortunately, Cody is an old hand and guides us from one of his favorites to another, on either side of the small bridge over the canal.
The quality of the clothing is high – almost every store has something of interest – but Cody wanted us to meet certain vendors in particular. One was Bob Melet, one of the men behind RRL alongside Doug Bihlmaier. Bob sells a lot of things, but he specializes in store installation.
Manish chatted with Bob (above) while we all focused on the merchandise. Lucas was delighted to find an old flannel shirt in his size; being a 54 chest, it’s often a bit picky for her when it comes to vintage.
Such an old flannel, by the way, is good because of the quality (old cotton, not too industrialized) and the large number of times it has been worn and washed (which creates a special softness, and a patina of small frays or nicks) in relation to the price. Lucas was $60.
The next wasWoody and Barry, who were running the table next door. Talking to Barry we learned that he lives in Bishop, high in the mountains east of the Sierra, and specializes in outdoor clothing such as thermals, fleeces and down jackets. There are a lot of thrift stores up there, but not much comes into town.
This was echoed by several other stalls around the Rose Bowl – although most were generalists, there were enough specials in the military uniforms, or old sports helmets, to add real depth to the offering.
Interestingly, at the end there was a group of guys selling the latest vintage – mostly nineties and noughties, some 80s. This small group has apparently grown up on the popularity of second-hand clothing, and is looking for the unusual within that. It usually specializes in denim, band tees, and US-made products from the likes of Ralph Lauren.
We kept meeting people we knew. That may not be surprising, but we honestly didn’t expect it given the date and location.
Jojo fromRag Parade in Sheffieldwas there, as was Atsushi Matsushima from Clutch magazine. We ran insideEthan WongBrandon Mahler (formerly Aime Leon Dore, now Buck Mason) and Marco Tamponi from Sebago/Woolrich, who we hosted for dinner last month.
But buy me, I hear you cry? Well, two things. One pair of Ralph Lauren chinos made in the US with a really nice fit, which turned out to be too low on the rise when I tried them on for the long walk back to the hotel. It’s hard to spend a lot of time putting on and taking off your pants at a street market.
But also, very effectively, a great Lee Storm Rider jacket – blanket-lined, very soft, and in need of a few repairs but nothing major. Lucky Ihave a boyfriend for that.
And it was $90. A huge amount of what it was, and it shows the fact that I was swimming higher up the river than usual – I was buying at the flea markets that the buyers go to, rather than a convenience store, where all the searching would be done for me, and maybe the fixing too. AsErik recently wroteit’s all about paying for time.
The Rose Bowl happens once a month – on the second Sunday – and if I were to come to LA again I would make time to visit it.
Then again, I am not much of a grape head, or the offering is not unusual, that I can go directly to come. So maybe it’s up to the level of a great menswear store, a destination. Given the lacksuch stores are usually LAthat is still important.
Thanks to Cody, Kentaro and everyone else who showed us a great time on that rainy Sunday in Pasadena. Hope to see you all soon.
