FASHION INDUSTRY DICTIONARY

Define Vintage.

Vintage originally related to the year a wine or oil was bottled. Then the word passed into general usage to mean the year a particular item was made. Dealers of second hand clothing took this a stage further and used it to describe older clothes. Now, many people use vintage as a term to describe almost all previously owned second hand clothing of 25 years or more. Vintage clothing collectors, like other collectors of history, value and record the background of an item: who wore it and to what occasion. Most vintage clothing has been previously worn, but a small percentage of pieces have not. These are often old warehouse, or shop stock and can be more sought after and valuable than those that have been worn, especially if they have their original tags.

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).