One of the attractions for many people of wearing and shopping for vintage fashion, is that there is a greater chance that you will be able to find a designer piece of clothing or handbag for a cheaper price. For most of us, buying a designer item is an investment; we aim to take care of it so that it retains its value. This was also true for those who bought designer products fifty or sixty years ago. Designer vintage pieces can be found in a plethora of places such as estate sales, charity shops, vintage clothing stores, Ebay auctions, antiques shops, and also on dedicated online stores. Most recently on my Etsy store, Swaby Collections (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SwabyCollections), I sold a 1960s black faux fur Harrods coat on behalf of my mother-in-law. She only wanted £80 for it, a fraction of its actual value (which I estimated with market research to be around £250).
However, there is always the risk when buying (or selling) a vintage designer item that it could be a fake. It is especially difficult to make checks when you are buying an item online. Below are my top five tips on how to identify designer vintage items, whether you’re shopping in real life or online.
1. Keep it simple and look at the design labels.
By design label, I mean the label that has the name of the designer on it, usually situated at the nape of the neck if the garment is a coat or a top. This is the quickest way to see who designed the item and it can also be a dead giveaway if the item is a fake. Stitching should be tight and neat with no visible gaps. Labels should also be fixed securely and shouldn’t have extra material. It is also helpful to look for a copyright year on the label, which genuine designer labels often feature. If in doubt, check the Vintage Fashion Guild’s label resource to see whether the label is appropriate for the time period of the garment, and whether it matches with other genuine labels for that designer, during that time period. You can find the label checker here: https://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/.
Image courtesy of My Closet Rocks.
2. Check the ‘made in’ labels.
The ‘made in’ labels are sometimes in a different place to the designer labels. In coats they’re often found off to one side, half-way down the inside of the garment. They also often include cleaning guidelines. These labels can be a dead giveaway as to whether a designer piece is real or fake. Pre-80s fashion wasn’t usually made offshore in places such as China. If you’re a fan of American fashion, then clothing was usually manufactured within the USA. If you’re from the other side of the pond, then designer fashion was most often made within Europe, such as Italy or France. Sometimes the labels will even include the town of manufacture, as well as the country. It’s always worth double checking the label (or getting the seller to send you a picture if it’s for sale online).
Image courtesy of Little Red Dog.
3. Check the finish.
The finish of designer items is second only to the brand name. If such items were finished in the same way that cheaper garments were, then they wouldn’t last half as long or be nearly as valuable. Some ‘designer’ vintage items will be obviously fake so look for the following finishing details:
· Stitching that is tight and finished professionally, especially on logos, it should not be gappy.
· Fixed labels (generally).
· Make sure that any stamps are not off centre.
· Spelling mistakes.
· Time check the logo and branding (use the label checker mentioned above).
· Check the fabric to make sure it doesn’t fade or bleed, and even weigh it if you are unsure as to whether it is genuine leather, for example.
· Designer items usually have engraved buttons, not cheap plastic ones.
· Fastenings on designer items are usually made with a matte finish and are heavy, not glossy and lightweight.
Image courtesy of 5 Feet of Style.
4. Mind the prices.
This tip is mainly just common sense, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. Unless you’ve made a gem of a find in a charity shop or an estate sale, then finding a ‘designer’ item for sale cheaply in a dedicated vintage shop is usually too good to be true. However, if in doubt, ask the seller for its origin and why the price is so cheap; it may have some damage to it.
5. Look for the packaging.
Most people who buy designer items, especially handbags such as Chanel, will keep the original packaging. The item should fit perfectly into its packaging and will often include things such as a branded cloth drawstring bag and branded tissue paper. Such items should be sold with their original packaging if it is still available.
Image taken from Etsy.
Please comment, share with your fellow vintage enthusiasts and let me know if there’s anything specific you want me to write about. To share this article, use the share buttons below. You can also use the social media buttons at the top and bottom of this page to visit my pages. If you want to keep up to date with my listings and discounts, then make sure to sign up for my mailing list and follow my store (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SwabyCollections) on Etsy.
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