Pumps & Pleats: Modern vintage at Eponymy

Story and photos by Michèle De Meglio

Vintage clothes are retro cool but layering on too many 1950s duds can make you look like a character in a period piece. Or worse, Mary Poppins.

Eponymy, a women’s boutique in Park Slope, has a solution — mix the old with the new.

Shop owner Andrea Miller calls this “modern vintage.” With that in mind, Eponymy’s racks offer vintage and new clothing and accessories side by side. In such close quarters, many of the new pieces even have an old world feel.

Such is the case for a series of luxe party dresses arranged next to displays offering cozy sweaters, J Brand dark wash jeans and eye-catching black leather cuffed shorts. Choose between a clingy black velvet number, a “zip shirt” adorned with sequins or a long-sleeved black dress with intricate beading along the collar and sleeves.

For the “modern vintage” look, pair any of these garments with a fresh pair of black ankle booties by Melissa, the maker of fashion-forward waterproof rubber shoes. (A Pumps & Pleats tip: Eponymy is now selling Melissa jellies at 75 percent off! Check the back of the shop for classic ballet flats and a luscious pair of pink Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Mary Jane III.)

To accessorize your outfit, Eponymy carries vintage jewelry, as well as new pieces from Brooklyn designers.

Peruse a variety of delicate chains featuring pendants shaped as sweet gold bows, cameos and teardrops.

Add to the look with vintage accessories, such as sterling silver matchbooks, a makeup compact disguised as a pocket-sized hardcover book and tortoiseshell hairpins encrusted with rhinestones.

The Pumps & Pleats crew is particularly taken by a tiny worn leather pouch hiding a sweet old bottle perfect for a floral perfume oil. Santa, can you hear me?

Eponymy is located at 466 Bergen Street. For hours call 718-789-0301 or log onto www.shopeponymy.com.

Michèle De Meglio is a native Brooklynite addicted to all things chic. Check out Pumps & Pleats each week for more adventures as she scours the borough for fab duds and accessories.