Collecting vintage clothing has become very popular over the past few years. Some women like the quality and look of vintage clothing and some women collect the vintage-inspired pieces because of their value. There are numerous relatively recent items that are labeled as vintage and it’s hard to know what to purchase. If you love vintage clothing, check out a few useful tips on how to collect vintage clothing.
1. Ask yourself, why are you collecting vintage clothing?
Why are you going to collect vintage clothing? Is it out of interest or do you want to create a collection of vintage clothing as an investment? This will help you to purchase the right pieces. If you are buying to wear, you can be less discriminating, whereas investment pieces should be carefully chosen.
More: 7 Places to Find Vintage Jewellery
2. Check the measurements first
If you’re going to collect, not wear vintage clothing, then size makes difference. Keep in mind that sizing has changed a lot. It’s especially significant if you purchase vintage clothing online, since it avoids disappointment when the shoes or dress turn out to be too small!
3. Pay attention to details
Before buying vintage clothing learn about manufacturing and particularly when certain features were introduced. For instance, you have picked up a ’60s dress. Does this dress have features that weren’t common at that time? If yes, this indicates that it’s incorrectly labeled.
4. Be suspicious of vintage clothing that is too pristine
Sometimes you will encounter scarcely worn or unworn vintage clothing. It might have been worn several times by wealthy owners, or stored for decades. So it’s expected that vintage clothing will show the signs of wear. Remember, the older clothing is, the most likely it’ll display signs of its age.
5. Pay attention to condition
Since textiles are not durable and vintage clothing might not have been kept in good conditions, you may come across some lovely pieces that have holes in them or need cleaning. Sure a stain at waist can be hidden with wide belt and a small hole can be darned, but if you cannot clean or repair it, don’t buy it.
6. Pay attention to cleaning
It’s very important to know what type of care the vintage clothing needs. Many garments from the ’80s, ’70s, or even ’60s can be thrown in washing machine without suffering, since they’re made from man-made fabrics. If you are going to buy older pieces, keep in mind that they will need dry cleaning or hand washing, so be ready for the bills.
7. Pay attention to price
If you’re going to purchase something that’s truly vintage, be ready to pay for it a lot. A “genuine ‘30s dress” which is selling for $60 is nothing of the kind. A dress from that time will be pricey, since not a lot will have survived so long. It might also need repairing.
8. Make friends with shop owners
It may be a great idea to make friends with the owners of your local vintage stores. Just chat to them a little and you’ll find out a lot of useful information about vintage clothing. You can also ask them to let you know when certain piece of vintage clothing is coming in to the store.
Do you collect vintage clothing? Do you have any other tips? Share them, please!1