Tradeshow Findings: Vintage at Intermezzo

The newest part of these tradeshows is vintage which showcases an array of local vintage dealers who curate collections of both name brands and unknown pieces. During my walk through Vintage At Intermezzo aisles I saw a great smattering of original, timeless pieces. I found original Chanel toe capped sling backs and Gucci interlocking purses all with a respective price tag to match. Those pieces may be worth those exact prices, but I’d need to work a very long time to be able to acquire them.

So I was so happy to come across the Empyrean Vintage booth. A mix of affordable no name no labels and famous name brand pieces with personalities of their own. Every vintage piece has a story, and that is exactly how owner Natalie Como feels. I got stuck in her booth not only drooling over all the amazing finds but chatting with this infectious personality as well.

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Vintage has always been a part of Natalie’s life as her mother also owned a vintage shop in NYC called Siam Limited. During this time her mother would reconstruct the items and give them new life. For example she would repurpose ordinary denim into unique finds with fun pink rhinestones. Like heirlooms Natalie inherited the love of vintage as well as an array of unique pieces from her mom. Although her dad was as Natalie put it a “snazzy dresser” so there was no shortage of style inspiration for her.

When she did a stint in the corporate world her ability to express herself through her clothing is what entertained her in a droll environment. As Natalie sources the world of vintage for herself and her customers she does so with instinctual emotion. She respects the history and the story that comes with each piece. Although she doesn’t get too attached to items unless they were passed down to her from her mom or symbolize a pivotal time in her life, like her prom dress. Natalie feels vintage is meant to be passed along, each person giving each piece a new story.

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As to what her favorite era of clothing is, everything but now! For Natalie there was more personality in the way people of the past dressed. You can see her love of the era’s foregone in the colorful bold print dresses and high waisted bell bottoms she wears. As to why her pieces or so affordable in comparison to other vintage dealers? Refreshingly hiking up the price is not her focus. Her knowledge of what the piece is worth combined with her belief that vintage pieces have stories to be passed on are what influence her pricing decisions most.

So what is next for Natalie and Empyrean Vintage? Eventually Natalie would love to open her own store and continue to showcase her pieces in other vintage boutiques. Joining a supportive environment of vintage dealers under one roof known as a Vintage Collective is also on her to-do list. Currently she has upcoming dates for pop up in Vintage on First a vintage collective located in Hoboken, NJ. Empyrean Vintage has also gained notoriety around the globe as Natalie recently styled her pieces for the Dubai based brand “Mesh”.

After hearing Natalie’s story and falling in love with the pieces I saw in her booth I could not leave without snatching a piece for my own collection. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen me style vintage pieces passed on to me with modern apparel. And so was my plan for the no label Asian inspired, high split long length top. Here are a few of the ways I styled the piece.

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You can find out more about Empyrean vintage here! ( The link is correct, Natalie is in rebranding mode). Do you own vintage pieces? Let me know in the comments and on social media and check out my post on the other brands I loved at the tradeshow here!

T.S.