Some may think that vintage fashion is just a fancy way of saying second-hand or pre-loved. In the past dressing in cast-offs or hand-me-downs was usually done out of economic necessity and not by choice.
People who wear vintage fashion nowadays know that it is more than outdated clothes found in thrift shops. Vintage is serious fashion.
• Wearing vintage is stylish. It’s in vogue!
• Adding vintage pieces gives your wardrobe pizzazz.
• With vintage you buy what you love, what appeals to you, creating your own distinctive style.
• The level of quality for cost is impossible to get in new clothing.
• It’s a source for one-of-a-kind clothes.
• Can’t afford designer clothes. There’s always vintage – which is where most designers get their inspiration anyway.
• It has exceptional quality and tailoring. You can find pieces with gorgeous details including amazing hand-stitchery, buttons, trims and other lovely embellishments.
• Shopping for vintage is thrilling.
• Vintage can be beautiful and elegant or fun and quirky.
• Made from quality fabrics with first-rate workmanship, vintage pieces have stood the test of time.
• It’s very collectible. Vintage clothing is an investment.
Clues for Dating Vintage Clothing
With celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Sarah Jessica Parker, Winona Ryder, Sharon Stone, Drew Barrymore and Michael Richards flaunting their trendy wardrobes vintage fashions have become very popular. Whether you want to establish a collection of clothes from bygone eras or you would just like a few unique pieces to add oomph to your wardrobe, it is interesting to know the history of your piece.
How do you know if the 1930’s silk charmuese nightgown advertised on Ebay is really from the 1930’s era? Now if you absolutely love the colour or style well maybe the age does not matter. There are numerous ways to date garments. For instance - How are the seams finished? Are they pinked, Frenched or serged? Examination of the seams on store bought, mass produced clothing of the 1950’s, shows that most were pinked. Overcast seams, welted seams or Frenched seams were usually only found on very expensive garments. Overlock seams did start showing up in lingerie during the 1950’s. A 1965 catalogue ad mentions that a garment featured overlocked seams, while another ad boasts overlock seams in 1960’s lingerie. The term is not a selling point in fashions of today as most attire has overlocked or serged seams.
Patented in 1893 the first zipper was called a clasp locker. These zippers were not practical. Although a zipper was developed in 1913 with interlocking teeth, it was slow to catch on.
Zippers were first put in children’s clothing in the 1930’s and replaced the button fly in men’s trousers around 1937. There were a few zippers in womens clothing of the 1940's, but most garments still possessed button fasteners, until the 1950’s when they finally became popular.
Catalogues from the mid 1960’s boast about the wonders of nylon zippers. Nylon zippers were thought to be less bulky, easier to hide and more comfortable than the old metal zippers.
Keep in mind that the presence or absence of a zipper and the type of zipper provides clues to the age of the garment but that other factors still need consideration. As zippers can be replaced, metal zippers are not a guarantee that the item was manufactured before 1960. Similarly, a vintage garment may have had a broken zipper replaced by a nylon one.
These are just a couple of points to consider when identifying vintage clothing. Other factors to take into account are fabrics, styles and labels.
Use a bit of logic with what you learn to decide if the item is desirable.
Versatile Vintage Clothing – The Classics
Adding a classic article of vintage clothing makes an ensemble uniquely individual.
Enduring fabrics and beautiful shapes are attributes of the classics. Classic clothing features quality and detail that nowadays you find only in very expensive garments.
What articles of attire are regarded as classics? The bomber jacket, the double-breasted jacket, and blazers with hand-cut buttons and striped silk linings fall into the fashion category of the classics. The soft beaded sweaters and sweater sets from the 1950’s, the bodysuits and jumpsuits of the 1970’s, perfectly cut 1960’s chemise dresses, princess skirts and dresses of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1980’s are all classics. Then there is the mini-skirt, Capri pants, halter tops, palazzo pants and the bias cut dress. Just a few of the myriad styles of clothing that fall into the classics.
The Waist Length Jacket
Designers of the 1960’s, such as Cardin and Dior, were quick to incorporate this silhouette into their sportswear lines. The short waist jacket of the 1940’s and the boxy short jacket of the 1950’s and 1960’s have also become fashion classics. A style that will endure, it can be worn with jeans, pleated skirts, pencils skirts and other classics. Team them with an item from different eras and you have your own classic style.
The Turtleneck Sweater
British athletes used high-necked, rollover collar jerseys in their uniforms back in the 1860’s. By the 1900’s the turtleneck jersey had become a part of American football gear. Shortly after this time, the turtleneck was included in the uniform of naval men who served aboard submarines. In the 1920’s, famous news correspondent, Noel Coward made an ultimate fashion statement by wearing the turtleneck with a blazer. Turtlenecks enjoyed another comeback in the 1960s, first among beatniks and flower children, then among the mainstream. By 1967, the turtleneck was deemed the best alternative to a shirt and tie. The turtleneck is an adaptable garment with the ability to enhance a long slender neck or hide a sagging chin.
The Mini-Skirt
Mini skirts first became popular in the mid 1960’s. Hemlines continued to rise until the late 1960’s when the micro-mini was in high fashion. A bit flared, these skirts were made of stiff and colourful fabrics. By the 1970’s, hemlines had lowered to the maxi-skirt, but not for long as the 1980’s saw the mini-skirt come back thriving. Now known as “short skirts”, they are a favorite amongst the young of heart. Whether called a mini-skirt or a short skirt, it is the ideal apparel for those that want to show off their legs.
Imagine an ensemble of these three classics - a white pleated mini-skirt (mid 1960s), worn with a halter turtleneck (1990’s) underneath a pastel bomber jacket (late 1960’s).
Delve into versatile vintage fashions, where the possibilities of creating your own unique style are endless.
People who wear vintage fashion nowadays know that it is more than outdated clothes found in thrift shops. Vintage is serious fashion.
• Wearing vintage is stylish. It’s in vogue!
• Adding vintage pieces gives your wardrobe pizzazz.
• With vintage you buy what you love, what appeals to you, creating your own distinctive style.
• The level of quality for cost is impossible to get in new clothing.
• It’s a source for one-of-a-kind clothes.
• Can’t afford designer clothes. There’s always vintage – which is where most designers get their inspiration anyway.
• It has exceptional quality and tailoring. You can find pieces with gorgeous details including amazing hand-stitchery, buttons, trims and other lovely embellishments.
• Shopping for vintage is thrilling.
• Vintage can be beautiful and elegant or fun and quirky.
• Made from quality fabrics with first-rate workmanship, vintage pieces have stood the test of time.
• It’s very collectible. Vintage clothing is an investment.
Clues for Dating Vintage Clothing
With celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Sarah Jessica Parker, Winona Ryder, Sharon Stone, Drew Barrymore and Michael Richards flaunting their trendy wardrobes vintage fashions have become very popular. Whether you want to establish a collection of clothes from bygone eras or you would just like a few unique pieces to add oomph to your wardrobe, it is interesting to know the history of your piece.
How do you know if the 1930’s silk charmuese nightgown advertised on Ebay is really from the 1930’s era? Now if you absolutely love the colour or style well maybe the age does not matter. There are numerous ways to date garments. For instance - How are the seams finished? Are they pinked, Frenched or serged? Examination of the seams on store bought, mass produced clothing of the 1950’s, shows that most were pinked. Overcast seams, welted seams or Frenched seams were usually only found on very expensive garments. Overlock seams did start showing up in lingerie during the 1950’s. A 1965 catalogue ad mentions that a garment featured overlocked seams, while another ad boasts overlock seams in 1960’s lingerie. The term is not a selling point in fashions of today as most attire has overlocked or serged seams.
Patented in 1893 the first zipper was called a clasp locker. These zippers were not practical. Although a zipper was developed in 1913 with interlocking teeth, it was slow to catch on.
Zippers were first put in children’s clothing in the 1930’s and replaced the button fly in men’s trousers around 1937. There were a few zippers in womens clothing of the 1940's, but most garments still possessed button fasteners, until the 1950’s when they finally became popular.
Catalogues from the mid 1960’s boast about the wonders of nylon zippers. Nylon zippers were thought to be less bulky, easier to hide and more comfortable than the old metal zippers.
Keep in mind that the presence or absence of a zipper and the type of zipper provides clues to the age of the garment but that other factors still need consideration. As zippers can be replaced, metal zippers are not a guarantee that the item was manufactured before 1960. Similarly, a vintage garment may have had a broken zipper replaced by a nylon one.
These are just a couple of points to consider when identifying vintage clothing. Other factors to take into account are fabrics, styles and labels.
Use a bit of logic with what you learn to decide if the item is desirable.
Versatile Vintage Clothing – The Classics
Adding a classic article of vintage clothing makes an ensemble uniquely individual.
Enduring fabrics and beautiful shapes are attributes of the classics. Classic clothing features quality and detail that nowadays you find only in very expensive garments.
What articles of attire are regarded as classics? The bomber jacket, the double-breasted jacket, and blazers with hand-cut buttons and striped silk linings fall into the fashion category of the classics. The soft beaded sweaters and sweater sets from the 1950’s, the bodysuits and jumpsuits of the 1970’s, perfectly cut 1960’s chemise dresses, princess skirts and dresses of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1980’s are all classics. Then there is the mini-skirt, Capri pants, halter tops, palazzo pants and the bias cut dress. Just a few of the myriad styles of clothing that fall into the classics.
The Waist Length Jacket
Designers of the 1960’s, such as Cardin and Dior, were quick to incorporate this silhouette into their sportswear lines. The short waist jacket of the 1940’s and the boxy short jacket of the 1950’s and 1960’s have also become fashion classics. A style that will endure, it can be worn with jeans, pleated skirts, pencils skirts and other classics. Team them with an item from different eras and you have your own classic style.
The Turtleneck Sweater
British athletes used high-necked, rollover collar jerseys in their uniforms back in the 1860’s. By the 1900’s the turtleneck jersey had become a part of American football gear. Shortly after this time, the turtleneck was included in the uniform of naval men who served aboard submarines. In the 1920’s, famous news correspondent, Noel Coward made an ultimate fashion statement by wearing the turtleneck with a blazer. Turtlenecks enjoyed another comeback in the 1960s, first among beatniks and flower children, then among the mainstream. By 1967, the turtleneck was deemed the best alternative to a shirt and tie. The turtleneck is an adaptable garment with the ability to enhance a long slender neck or hide a sagging chin.
The Mini-Skirt
Mini skirts first became popular in the mid 1960’s. Hemlines continued to rise until the late 1960’s when the micro-mini was in high fashion. A bit flared, these skirts were made of stiff and colourful fabrics. By the 1970’s, hemlines had lowered to the maxi-skirt, but not for long as the 1980’s saw the mini-skirt come back thriving. Now known as “short skirts”, they are a favorite amongst the young of heart. Whether called a mini-skirt or a short skirt, it is the ideal apparel for those that want to show off their legs.
Imagine an ensemble of these three classics - a white pleated mini-skirt (mid 1960s), worn with a halter turtleneck (1990’s) underneath a pastel bomber jacket (late 1960’s).
Delve into versatile vintage fashions, where the possibilities of creating your own unique style are endless.
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