Collecting Vintage Clothing

As all fashion magazines illustrate, nothing is more in vogue than garments and accessories which were considered things of the passé until recently. Designers have always turned to previous decades for inspiration, but as the fashion trends seem to repeat themselves every time faster (aren’t the ‘80s back already?), passionate fashionistas throughout the world are abandoning trends for good and go back to the source for vintage fashion.

As such, more and more often vintage rags become very hot merchandise. And although their prices have gone up a lot, people are still interested in collecting vintage garments, shoes and accessories. One of the top reasons is the fact that with vintage clothing you can still get an exceptional level of quality for a price point which would otherwise be impossible to obtain in today’s highly marketed fashion world.

Over the last few years, vintage clothing has expanded from the preferred style of artists and alternative musicians to the fashion statement of young professionals and society ladies. In fact, Julia Roberts and Renee Zellweger both looked resplendent in their haute-couture vintage dresses which they wore for the Oscars. Even New York’s famous Barney’s has adapted to the trends and now has a vintage section for collectors.

And since more and more retail stores include vintage clothing in their inventory, it becomes less necessary to sift through the racks of your local Salvation Army or thrift store to find that special, one-of-a-kind item for your collection. Even so, vintage fashion has managed to retain its bohemian flavor. In fact, even people from upscale neighborhoods are proud to be buying and wearing vintage these days, since vintage fashion is not as recognizable as fashion gurus Gucci or Versace.

Nevertheless, if you are starting your own collection of vintage clothing, bear in mind that names do matter when it comes to vintage items as collectibles. Decades after they first saw the market, labels such as Chanel, Hermes, Pucci or Courrèges are still worth more than new garments, footwear or accessories from JCPenney. Collecting vintage clothing is perfect for those who have a detailed knowledge of fashion history. For instance, you can look for items made during the period when a famous designer was working for a certain couture house – like when Yves St. Laurent was the designer for Christian Dior haute-couture house for several seasons in the late 1950s.

However, if you are willing to look beyond names, you will find that vintage clothing from high-end department stores offer more value for money. That is because in the 1930s and 1940s these department stores used the same designs and fabrics which were fashionable in Paris at the time. Finding items by department store designers who later became well-known, such as Sophie Gimbel, who was a designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, is yet another element of challenge when searching for valuable vintage items for one’s collection.

Apart from the labels, other aspects which determine the value of vintage clothing include condition, provenance and quality of material. Out of these three, condition is of huge importance, and often depends on the original construction and quality of the material used. Another paramount factor is celebrity appeal. For instance, if a famous person owned a certain item or was photographed in it, you will have to pay a considerably higher price to get that item for your collection.

The rarity of the item also plays a role. Just like with any other collectibles, the rarest vintage couture items have higher prices than items you can find pretty much everywhere. In any case, as you are about to see once you enter the world of vintage clothing collectors, prices vary enormously with year, condition, and label. While a simple Missoni knit dress from the ‘70s might cost a few hundred dollars, a late 19th century dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth sold for over $100,000 at William Doyle Galleries in May 2001.

Even so, you may find that the real value of vintage clothing items may lie beyond their story or the satisfaction of putting together a designer wardrobe. In the end, it’s more about developing your eye for quality and your sense of style than about collecting vintage clothing.

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