Vintage clothing

Vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. The phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, e.g. "vintage clothing store." It can also be used as an adjective: "This dress is vintage."

The word vintage is copied from its use in wine terminology, as a more elegant-seeming euphemism for "old" clothes.

Definition

Generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1980 is considered vintage. Retro, short for retrospective, usually refers to clothing that dates from the period 1965 to 1985. Clothing produced more recently is usually called "modern" or "contemporary" fashion. Opinions vary on these definitions.

Most vintage clothing has been previously worn, but a small percentage of pieces have not. These are often old warehouse, or shop stock. These items are usually referred to by dealers as "dead stock", "old stock" or "new-old stock" and can be more sought after and valuable than those that have been worn, especially if they have their original tags.

Purpose

Although there has always been some demand for old and/or second hand clothing, the awareness, demand and acceptance of this has increased dramatically since the early 1990s.

This increase in interest is due in part to increased visibility, as vintage clothing was increasingly worn by celebrities, e.g. Julia Roberts, Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss, and Dita von Teese.

There has also been an increasing interest in environmental sustainability in terms of reusing, recycling and repairing rather than throwing things away. A resurgence of historically based sub-cultural groups like rockabilly and swing dancing has also played a part in the increase in interest in vintage clothes.

Other reasons that some people are attracted to vintage clothing include:
* Unique or almost unique: most items were custom made, and others were manufactured in small quantities only.

* Good quality: they were designed to be worn for years and passed on to other family members, so they were made of robust materials, well cut and well made, with generous seam allowances and hems which allow for alterations and custom fit.

* Fine materials: many of the unusual older fabric types are no longer manufactured, or are now prohibitively expensive.

* Value for money: garments generally sell for a cost far below similar new modern garments.

* History: an appreciation of the past, the roles of previous generations and the skills of respected designers.

* Detailing: hand finishing, unusual buttons, hand embroidery, handmade lace, crochet, applique, beading and other techniques.

* Style: vintage clothing has traditionally been the favourite of creative personalities because it offers an enormously wide range of imaginative styles.

* Investment: some people buy to collect rather than to wear, and increasingly, good quality vintage garments especially items by well-known designers are sought after by collectors.

At times, the cycle of fashion design turns to history for inspiration, and garments closely resembling original vintage (retro or antique) clothing are manufactured. An example of this is the simple slip dresses that emerged in the early 1990s and were based on undergarments of the 1930s. These styles are generally referred to as "vintage inspired" or "vintage reproductions" depending on the faithfulness to the historical design, and serve as a convenient alternative to those who admire an old style but prefer a modern interpretation - another advantage is that, unlike the original garments, they are usually available in a range of sizes and perhaps, colours and/or fabrics.

Acquisition

Popular places to buy vintage clothing include charity-run second hand clothing shops, garage sales, car boot sales, flea markets, antique markets, estate sales, auctions, vintage clothing shops and vintage fashion, textile or collectables fairs. Vintage clothing can sometimes be obtained from older friends and relatives, because some people store their old clothing for long periods of time.

The advent of the internet has been a boon to the vintage clothing fancier, as it has been for all collectors. It has increased the availability of specific and hard-to-get items and opened up prospective markets for sellers around the world. Popular places to acquire garments include online auctions (eg eBay), online vintage clothing shops and specialist forums. A vintage-lover may also turn to a custom dressmaker, who will use sewing patterns and/or fabrics from a bygone era to recreate a historically accurate look.

Vintage garments designed by the following designers are particularly sought after - especially when they are representative of the designer or the era:
Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet, Jeanne Lanvin, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Claire McCardell, Cristobal Balenciaga, Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint-Laurent, Ossie Clark, Biba, Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin, Halston, Giorgio Armani, Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler, Gianni Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

An important contributing factor the value of an item of vintage clothing can also be its provenance. Vintage clothing collectors, like other collectors of history, value and record the background of an item: who wore it and to what occasion.

Due to increased demand, pre-1950s garments in good condition are becoming more difficult to find, and more expensive to procure. Clothing from more recent decades is easier to locate, identify, restore, conserve and (with the exception of popular designers) more affordable - subject to market forces and the cycle of fashion.

Some things to consider include sizing (many old garments were custom made and won't include sizing labels, or if they do, the old systems of sizing often differ from modern ones), condition (check quality of fabric, seams for stitching required, buttons that need replacing, hems down or need altering), cleaning requirements (a good vintage trader will be able to advise you in this regard), stains (and, more importantly, likely success in removal) and correct storage (for example, it is inadvisable to hang a beaded 1920s evening gown as the weight of the beads will weaken or tear the delicate silk).

References

External links

* [http://vintageclothing.about.com/ About.com Guide to Vintage Clothing (http://vintageclothing.about.com/)]
* [http://www.theyorker.co.uk/news/features/329 "Vintage resurgence" (from www.theyorker.co.uk)]
* [http://blog.drycleanerssecret.com/ Dry Cleaner's Secret Blog: A website with many useful tips on taking care of vintage clothing]
* [http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/ Vintage Fashion Guild: An international organization for vintage fashion professionals]