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    The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops
    The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops
    The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops
    Ebook269 pages1 hour

    The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops

    By Melody Fortier

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    About this ebook

    A Modern Guide to Vintage

    Vintage clothing offers couture quality at a fraction of the price. But how can you spot a Dior original in a rack stuffed with Little Black Dresses? Vintage-clothing dealer Melody Fortier demystifies the entire process so you’ll know just what to look for, what to avoid, and what to pay. The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping shares insider tips for evaluating quality, selecting problem-free pieces, ensuring the perfect fit and silhouette, and caring for your unique finds. With this savvy guide tucked in your handbag, you’ll be ready to hit the streets. From fashion boutiques to flea markets, the hunt for treasures is on!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherQuirk Books
    Release dateDec 23, 2014
    ISBN9781594748110
    The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops

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      Book preview

      The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping - Melody Fortier

      Copyright © 2009 by Melody Fortier

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

      CREDITS

      All photographs courtesy of Melody Fortier except the following: here, here, here, here, here, Jenny Kraemer; here, here, courtesy of Deborah Burke/AntiqueDress.com; here, courtesy of Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show, from www.jenniferdrue.com; here, courtesy of Holly Jenkins-Evans/pastperfectvintage.com.

      The publisher wishes to thank The Vintage Connection, Philadelphia Vintage, and Sugarcube for their participation in the photography on here, here, here, here, and here.

      Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2009926682

      ISBN: 978-1-59474-404-4

      eBook ISBN: 978-1-59474-811-0

      Designed by Jenny Kraemer

      Embroidered cover artwork by Caroline Hwang

      Illustrations by Swan Park

      Production management by John J. McGurk

      Quirk Books

      215 Church Street

      Philadelphia, PA 19106

      quirkbooks.com

      v3.1

      Cover

      Title Page

      Copyright

      INTRODUCTION

      CHAPTER 1

      VINTAGE DEFINED

      CHAPTER 2

      ON THE MARKET

      CHAPTER 3

      STYLES OF THE TIMES

      CHAPTER 4

      THE DATING GAME

      CHAPTER 5

      SIZING IT UP

      CHAPTER 6

      LABELS & PRICING

      CHAPTER 7

      CONDITION & CARE

      CHAPTER 8

      FINISHING TOUCHES

      CHAPTER 9

      ALTERED STATES

      SOURCES FOR GREAT VINTAGE

      SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

      INDEX

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Vintage. The word itself evokes curiosity from most people. When asked what I do for a living, I reply, I’m a vintage dealer. I often hear responses like, That must be so much fun or "Ooh! I love vintage!" Yes, it is fun. But more than that, it is my passion. I have watched the world of vintage fashion evolve from youthful experiment to a full-fledged fashion niche, attracting fans from every age group and walk of life.

      Why? What is it about vintage that holds the interest of so many? The reasons are myriad. For me it began as a love of creating from textiles. I was a hat maker and dressmaker first, with a background in sculpture. I found vintage to be a rich source for studying unique design, beautiful materials, and skillful techniques. I also learned early that beautifully crafted clothing is a joy to wear, and vintage is often superior in this regard. Vintage also provides an intimate connection with our history, an element of nostalgia. It is a rare area of fashion where the person on the street creates the trends instead of following them.

      Vintage is filled with choices, and there are lots of great places to find it, so buying just the right piece can be overwhelming and at times a little confusing. This little guide will help you through the process and answer all your questions. It will address the what, why, where, and how of vintage shopping. Along the way, I’ll explain how to make smart economical purchases and how to care for your treasured vintage to make it last.

      Everywhere I go I meet vintage enthusiasts. Some are seasoned old timers like me, but many are eager newcomers. This book is intended for both. I hope you enjoy it and learn from it, but most of all I welcome the chance to share my passion!

      VINTAGE IS A LOT OF THINGS. It’s classic and stylish. It can be fun and campy. It’s even practical and green. Is it old? Yes, to a certain degree. Is it previously worn? Very often, it is. What, then, differentiates vintage from just plain-old old clothes? Why do celebrities and models proudly grace the red carpet in vintage gowns? Why do major fashion magazines regularly feature vintage wear? Trendsetters and fashionistas consider vintage to be an essential element in their wardrobes. So what then is vintage, really?

      ANY SUBJECT ASSOCIATED WITH FASHION is fraught with intense opinions, and vintage is no different. Definitions vary widely, and some can be quite extreme or rigid. I once read an interview in which a high-end collector insisted that true vintage must bear an important designer label. I think it’s safe to say that very few people would concur. I challenge anyone who claims that an authentic 1950s circle skirt or 1920s flapper dress is not really vintage, simply for lack of a designer label.

      On the opposite end of the spectrum is the broadly accepted idea that vintage is simply fashions from the past—anything that’s at least twenty years old. As a professional vintage dealer, I’m uncomfortable with such a vague and arbitrary classification. Vintage is not just about age. It has evolved to become a fashion term. It is about essence and style. There is a lot of clothing on the secondary market that is more than two decades old but that I do not include in my personal definition of vintage fashion. As a dealer I pass over volumes of such nondescript clothing, mainly dating from the 1970s to the 1980s. I think we can all agree that not every piece of twenty-year-old double-knit polyester deserves to be resurrected. It may meet the age requirement, but that’s about all.

      Conversely, there are a few styles that are not very old but that I do consider to be vintage fashion. Certain wonderful designs from the early 1990s are being revived today, such as poufy mini cocktail dresses and Madonna-esque bustier tops. So, the true definition of vintage has something to do with age and previous popular appeal, but that’s not everything. For me a key concept is what I like to call Enduring Style. That can mean several things. It can mean classic, like the boxy tweed suit made popular by Chanel, or it can be something innovative, like the sensuous bias cuts that Madeleine Vionnet created in the 1930s. Be they old or not so old, vintage fashions are about styles that are pioneering, classic, or iconic as well as reflective of their era. And although their day may have come and gone, there is renewed interest in wearing them. That, for me, qualifies them as vintage.

      Antique and Retro

      Occasionally I hear people confuse the terms vintage and antique. These are really two separate categories, and it’s useful to know the difference, especially as you venture into the marketplace. Antique clothing and textiles are generally those that date prior to the 1920s. Some say that one hundred years old is the rule, others think as few as eighty years, to qualify something as antique. Whichever number you choose, antique clothing is not usually purchased to be worn. As textiles age, they become more fragile and begin to disintegrate. In order to preserve them, they must be stored and handled properly. The beautiful silks and beaded dresses from the 1920s are seldom strong enough to withstand the stress of wear. Although some Victorian and Edwardian garments are still fairly sturdy and will hold up under gentle use, antique textiles are most often sought as collectors’ items or for design reference. Another term for this older category of vintage is antique-vintage. Most of today’s dealers who sell vintage offer some antique clothing as well and there are a few dealers who specialize in antique textiles exclusively (see Sources for Great Vintage).

      Dresses from the early 20th century are sometimes sturdy enough for wear, but you might be better admiring from afar.

      Retro is another term used (and confused) with vintage. Retro commonly refers to clothing designed to emulate past fashions. In the 1970s, for example, Gunne Sax created retro, Victorian-inspired dresses that became hugely popular. Retro-vintage is vintage clothing that evokes an even earlier time than its own. Today, retro clothing and shoes are being made specifically for the swing-dance and rockabilly crowds. Contemporary designers are heavily influenced by vintage styles, and they are always creating retro-inspired collections. Every era is emulated, from Victorian to Mod.

      With all this crossover and borrowing, there’s bound to be confusion. I’ve recently noticed a new definition of retro emerging on the Internet. The demand for simplified keywords for use in search engines and on online auction sites in particular has resulted in its own language. The Internet serves millions, so Web merchants agonize over what keywords to use to describe their merchandise: They want to be sure their item gets exposure and traffic—in short, that the buyers who want it, can find it. As a result, retro is now often used to describe clothing made after the 1960s. But, for the purposes of this book, retro will be used in the original, classic sense, referring to clothing or accessories that have been styled after fashions from an earlier era.

      NWT NOS & Other Initialisms

      While shopping for vintage, you’re likely to come across a few other terms and funny abbreviations you’re unfamiliar with. For example, dealers and online sellers may describe an item as NWT (new with tags), NBW (never been worn), and MIB (mint in box). With vintage, these words mean that the items were previously owned but never used. Similar terms such as dead stock or new old stock (NOS) refer to recently discovered and resurrected old store inventory that was not sold in its day. Never-worn and dead-stock clothing may not be thought of as secondhand, since it’s never seen wear, but it’s important not to assume that the condition will be just like brand new. Time and the elements always take a toll on textiles. Fading, water damage, creasing, and dust marks are just a few of the conditions that affect even the best-stored pieces. Even if a tag or description indicates that something was never used, make sure you examine it well. When shopping online, read descriptions carefully and ask questions if anything is unclear. You don’t want any surprises!

      TODAY’S TECHNO-VENDORS HAVE COME a long way in a short time. Things used to be quite different back in the day. In fact, the business of buying and selling vintage as street fashion began only around the late 1960s. Before that, textiles and clothing from earlier times were sought by only a handful of people, mostly theater and film costumers, fashion collectors, designers, museum curators, and occasionally the odd eccentric or artistic souls looking to mix vintage into their wardrobe. The average person might rummage through a relative’s attic or hit the flea market searching for a costume, but generally it was all considered just old clothes. At the end of the ’60s, though, there was a rebellion against established fashion, and people looked for alternative modes of dress. They began experimenting with used clothing found in thrift stores and flea markets. It wasn’t long before little shops selling pretty or interesting preworn apparel started springing up in cities like San Francisco and New York. In the beginning it wasn’t even called vintage—I don’t recall hearing that term myself until the 1980s—but vintage it was.

      The market for vintage fashion has ebbed and flowed over the past four decades, and recently demand has skyrocketed. Vintage permeates popular culture, both in reality and in influence. These days there are outlets for buying vintage everywhere you turn: brick-and-mortar stores in cities and towns, Web shops, online auction sites, and even major trade events, such as the Manhattan Vintage Show. Before the advent of such high demand, thrift stores and flea markets were a cheap and plentiful source for vintage. Sadly those days are gone, though you can still find a treasure here and there. And for some of us, the fun is in the hunt!

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