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Yes or No?

French Style Dressmaker Form - $699

Why is it that when the vintage/antique world starts a trend, it eventually shows up mass-produced in the retail world? And in several instances with higher price tags than their vintage counterparts.


I'm wondering what you think of these new reproductions from here...


Framed Paper Subways Signs $995 each

French Style globe - $149

Reproduction British Marine Light - $1,695

photos from here
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Anonymous said…
I'm glad that a mass retailer is popularizing what some of we early adopters have already been jones-ing about but I think I'll pass on the reproductions and keep seeking out the new and different things that are real and have a history. Karen
7:46 PM
My Vintage Treasures said…
I will pass on the repros too & keep searching for the real thing!!!
9:28 PM
Villa Anna said…
I don't mind reproductions as it's very hard for me to source the real thing and I am still able to achieve the look I want.

p.s the repros have to be good quality though :P

Anna :)
11:17 PM
Jacqueline @ HOME said…
Reproductions very rarely look the same and can never reproduce that lovely patina that age bestows upon things.....obviously some things work...picture frames for example but on the whole I shall avoid them. XXXX
1:04 AM
Fargerike Dagny said…
Originals are always preferrable, but sometimes the price isn't. In most cases I would "hang in there" and search until I found it for the right price. I do think the light fixture from British Marine Light looks awesome though! :)
2:03 AM
*The Beautiful Life* said…
I gasped more than once when I paged through that catalog and noted several things that I have had for years (whether for sale or just "props') that I didn't pay close to what they're asking for - and I have the "real thing"!

I do love the new look they seem to have adopted with this latest issue, though. Wow do I love it. As in, I think I'd sell my left arm ('cause I'm right-handed) for some of it. :) Just kidding you know... well...

Great post!

Ruth
4:39 AM
Magdalena said…
As a lifelong collector of vintage and antique pieces (thanks to my grandparents!!) I always seek out original pieces both for my historic farmhouse and for my clients. I love originality and the patina of old things.
Bunny
7:20 AM
Beadboard UpCountry said…
I have always bought the couture mannequins straight from the manufacturer (Superior Model Co)in New York. 3 years ago they were about $450 including shipping and you can choose the size. Not a repro though, the real thing they've been making for years.I love them with the wire bottoms. I have had one outside the shop for a while and it is wonderfully aged and has the great cast iron bottom...She always wears pearls...Oh and she's a "6". I'm not. Oh! and the Mariner's lamp??? We have very similar ones available in the shop from a supplier in Canada. They are $600 less but you can't do morse code with them. I forgot my morse code...I say repros are ok it they are well done and of high quality, but uniqueness is a factor, when they are everywhere who will want it??? Great post very provocative!! Thanks!
8:27 AM
FrenchBlue said…
I agree with Karen. I will always stick with authentic. Some don't mind repros. I do. I use the reproduction market as a scale what to stay away from. It keeps me searching for the next rare item that the stores haven't figured out yet:) The masses will always be followers of trends.. this I'm not.
GrAte post!
xx's
8:54 AM
melissa davis said…
Yes on the mannequin and lamp, no on the others. Somethings should just not be repros, ya know? And I hate anything that is faux-distressed.
7:16 PM
Sanity Fair said…
No no and no... fake old? Pottery Barn keeps doing this. My feeling is: yuck. If you find something you love, by all means buy it. But an obviously aged new item is just weird... the whole point of the look is authenticity and timelessness. A new/old object immediately destroys that impression.
8:20 PM
Courtney Laine said…
The reason I am always so drawn to vintage & antique pieces is that they have character...you just can't find that with a repro, no matter how "antique" they make it look. It took me 3 years to track down the perfect old dress form, I just don't think I would feel the same joy working on a repro (not to mention one that cost twice as much as an original).
8:35 PM
Trouvais said…
Hi Lynn. Don't like it. Actually feel put off by the prices of fake flea. Grumble grumble. Looking out for what's new. Onward and upward.
8:58 PM
Di Overton said…
It's inevitable but you can't beat the real thing. My daughter found a really old mannequin for me at her local Brocante near Paris a few weeks ago - she got it for 30 Euros can you believe it? In the UK they are at least £300. The French women selling it thought Charlotte was mad for even wanting it. Strange world :)
1:08 AM
Unknown said…
Hi Lynn,
What an interesting and lovely post. I rather enjoy the hunt for a vintage object and the glorious character each piece I bring home has. It's not quite the same with the new reproductions but they are beautiful in their own way. I think it would be great to be able to mix the two and have the best of both worlds. The hefty price tag of the new items makes me enjoy the hunt for my treasures even more! :) Great post!!!
xoxo
Judith~
3:34 PM
Anonymous said…
I recently bought an original sign at one of my favorite stores in New York. I was surprised to see a reproduction in Restoration Hardware. You can really tell the difference. This is what Restoration and PB are good at though taking design and making it available to the masses.
4:04 PM
Beth said…
I'm keepin' it real! Growing up with a father who was an antiques dealer taught me to see the difference. If it's not authentic, I'll pass.
5:02 PM
Paris Hotel Boutique said…
Thanks you all for your great comments! You know how I feel about reproductions...like many of you said, they just don't have the patina and character of the old pieces!!!
5:11 PM
Timeless Treasures, San Francisco said…
Lynn,

A great post, and very provocative.
I have such a strong preference for authentic vintage or antique pieces-- the look, the feel, the romance of the story. It's true... PB and other make the old "accessible", but there's no way the PB pieces can provide that irreplaceable, emotional charge of finding the real thing, esp. at some out-of-the-way place where you never know what you'll find.
In this crazy economy, it also seems that people may learn to separate what they adore from what they think gives them "the look" without the patina and story. I say buy less and buy only what you adore. Leave the repros, no matter how well replicated, and choose things that actually make my heart flutter! " If you don't get a rush, why all the fuss? "
Joan
12:32 PM
Taylor Sterling said…
Repos aren't always a bad thing. It depends on the item.
1:53 PM
French-Kissed said…
I don't understand why anyone would pay more money for an imitation ~ it does not work with handbags, so why do people fall for this when it comes to home decor?
11:19 PM
Shelley Trbuhovich said…
i couldn't believe the prices that were being asked for repros....that's scary; i paid a tenth of what they were asking for the mannequin and our 'tram scroll' (similar to the bus signs)has scratches and is slightly wonky, but reminds me that it is the real deal....and again, nowhere near the asking price. isn't the hunt as much fun as the purchase when it comes to flea markets etc? cheers from melbourne, australia
3:59 AM
Candi said…
I agree with My Vintage Treasures, I'd rather buy the real thing!

Do you watch Friends? This reminds me of Phoebe in the episode when Rachel buys an apothecary table from Pottery Barn! One of my favorite episodes =)
12:40 PM
Rose Growing Gal said…
I would only buy antique, no reproductions for me, please.

It's like buying a cake at the store and trying to pass it off as homemade with some random splotches of icing. Just ain't the real thing.
12:58 PM
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