A Rail of Vintage Coats and a Wall of Art

The art and fashion edition puts the clothing rails and the art dealers in the same aisles, which suits a market this size. Statement outerwear turns up in volume here, the kind of printed and patterned pieces that never made it into a second production run. A single rail can hold four decades of tailoring, and the tags are handwritten. Original art, prints and photography fill the walls behind the rails.

You come in off West 77th Street and the rails start immediately. Trying things on happens over your own clothes, in the aisle, with a neighbour holding your bag. Nobody minds. The best pieces are usually hanging at the back of a rail rather than facing out, which regulars know to check. Art dealers will unwrap work for you to see properly if you ask.

The market runs on Sunday, October 18 at 100 West 77th Street, a short walk from the 79th Street stop on the 1. Admission is free. Wear layers you can pull a coat over. There is nowhere to change. It fits people who want to find one piece nobody else owns, rather than fill a wardrobe in an afternoon. If you wanted your size in three colours, this is not that.