Advice on spotting vintage

I have been receiving quite a few comments and emails asking how to identify vintage as of late, and though I know several blogs have addressed this I figured I could give a few tell-tale signs.

When out shopping in thrift stores, vintage shops, garage sales, estate sales, or flea markets its best to go informed and prepared. I did not get where I am over night, no one does. It takes practice, education and lots of patience.
Start by sifting through images of old clothes, catalogues, and online vintage shops. Get an idea of silhouette, know what shapes and styles you are looking for. My Vintage Vogue is really good for this sort of thing, I suggest popping over there to have a look.
It is equally important as you delve deeper into vintage to get to know the feel of fabrics. Polyester and synthetic fabrics have a distinct feel to them and can help aide in making a final decision on era of a piece.

So, the quick points... Now, this is not an all inclusive list, and these are not always true. There are always exceptions to the rule.

1. Zippers, if the piece has a zipper that is a quick way to date items. Most vintage (pre-1960s) will have a metal zipper, as opposed to the vinyl zippers we see in modern clothing.
Lack of zipper is also a good sign as many items dating before the 40s, have side openings that are either hook & eye or snaps.

2. Seams. Most items, even commercially made, did not have serging on the seams like we see in modern clothing. The edges are generally raw, or pinked. Again, there are exceptions to this rule, I have seen serging on a 1930s dress before. But its a good start.

3. Elastics. Elastic waists, are generally later than 1965. If you find a cute shirtwaist dress and it has elastic, it generally is not going to be your perfect 50s shirtwaist house dress... but if its cute, who cares?

4. Labels. If a label has the contents listed (aka 90% cotton, 10% spandex) it is likely not older than 1960. Garment care labels were instituted in 1971, so there is another tell tale sign on age.
You should also get to know your "Union Labels" if you want help pin-pointing date.


Those are my top 4 initial items I check when going over a garment. As you learn more and get more familiar with vintage it gets easier. But those are a good start. I think you can also get books on the subject from Amazon.com. ( I have never read this book, but it looks pretty good!)

Best of luck and do email if you have any other questions.