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Antique Clothing is 100 years old or older. This means before 1924! Retro is short for retrospective, or “vintage style,” usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. This clothing is a newly made copy of an older garment. Also called reproduction, repro, and vintage inspired.
- How to Date Clothing
- How to Date Clothing by Metal Zippers
- How to Date Clothing by Handmade
- How to Date Clothing by Garment Care Label
- How to Date Clothing by Made in California
- How to Date Clothing by Made in Hawaii
- How to Date Clothing by Sizing
- How to Date Clothing by Designer Tags
- How to Date Clothing by at Home Or Hostess Wear
Feel free to scroll through the post to read these eight tips for dating clothing as vintage, or click any of the links below to be taken immediately to the text within the article!
LOOK FOR:A metal zipper placed either in the side seam or back middle of the garment. APPROXIMATE AGE:1963 or earlier. VINTAGE HISTORY:Metal zippers were first used in garments in the 1930s, but during that era they were rare. Zippers became available in plastic (called “woven” zippers) beginning in 1963, and beginning in 1968 nylon (plastic) coil ...
LOOK FOR:Handmade garments without labels or tags. APPROXIMATE AGE:1950s to 1970s. VINTAGE HISTORY:The American sewing industry boomed beginning in the ’50s, despite ready-made clothing available from mail order catalogs and department stores. In 1955, 52 million women in the U.S. were active sewers of their own clothing. Between 1960 and 1968, the...
LOOK FOR:The garment care tag stitched onto the interior of the garment. APPROXIMATE AGE:1971 or later. VINTAGE HISTORY: In 1971 the Federal Trade Commission released the “Care Labeling Rule” which required all manufacturers (including importers) of apparel to include garment care instructions on an interior tag. The care label tag is required to i...
LOOK FOR:Clothing brands “of California” as seen on the garment’s tag. APPROXIMATE AGE:1930s to 1970s. VINTAGE HISTORY:Beginning in the 1930s when casual clothing became more popular for women, clothing companies found their home and style inspiration from the Hollywood glamour associated with the west coast lifestyle. Companies like Alice of Calif...
LOOK FOR:Clothing brands which list Hawaiian cities or islands as origin of production (such as Honolulu) or use “Hawaii” in any shape or form in the brand name. APPROXIMATE AGE:1930s to 1960s. VINTAGE HISTORY:While Hawaii officially became an American state in 1959, its influence on American fashion began in the 1930s when tourism to the Pacific i...
LOOK FOR:The size of a garment and comparing it to your modern size will help determine whether it’s vintage. APPROXIMATE AGE:Without a size listed, earlier than 1958. With a size listed, you need to look at other aspects of the garment to determine its age, as sizing was used before 1958 just not in regulated fashion. VINTAGE HISTORY:It wasn’t unt...
LOOK FOR:The tag of a prominent designer or in-house line, such as Emilio Pucci (above) or Lilly Pultizer (below). APPROXIMATE AGE:Depends on label design. VINTAGE HISTORY: Like the styles of clothing they created, the look of a designer tag changed throughout the history of the brand. Use the Vintage Fashion Guild’s label resource guideto compare ...
LOOK FOR:“At Home Wear” or “Hostess Wear” written on the garment’s tag. APPROXIMATE AGE:1960s to 1970s. VINTAGE HISTORY:When women began to dress more casually for their by-day lifestyles, clothing companies marketing more relaxed styles of clothing through the branding of “at home wear.” These styles of clothing usually included muumuu dresses, ju...
- UNION LABELS. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Below the inside brand label near the size is a “union” label that looks similar to what you see above. They’re usually square and about 1/2-inch-by-1/2-inch; red, white, and blue; and state the name of the union, like “The Ladies Garment Workers Union” which is abbreviated on the label with LGWU.
- ONE SIZE FITS ALL. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Tags that proudly state “one size fits all” VINTAGE INSIGHT: Have you seen a tag that says this lately? Chances are, probably not.
- LOT or STYLE NUMBERS. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Below the brand label, an additional label that gives a “lot” or “style” number. VINTAGE INSIGHT: Factories of decades ago kept track of clothing production not by computerized high technology, but by appending a numerical value to each item produced so that it was sorted and distributed properly.
- EXTRA LARGE TAGS. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Extra large price tags. VINTAGE INSIGHT: I’m still researching why this was a trend of the ’80s, but “extra large tags” were found on almost every single piece of clothing sold in stores.
Jan 29, 2024 · One of the easiest ways to identify vintage clothing is by examining the garment's tags and labels. Many clothing manufacturers include a label with the garment's brand, size, and washing instructions.
Dec 29, 2023 · Identifying authentic vintage clothing isn’t just sifting through the dusty racks but also about decrypting the hidden clues in vintage labels and vintage tags so that you may become a detective and curator of your own style!
Dec 12, 2023 · Vintage labels are a square of information that while tiny, are huge clues for performing the detective work a good vintage lover knows and loves: Dating the era of one's vintage piece! To help accurately date your vintage clothing, here's your go-to reference for tips and tricks to reveal a garment's probable vintage era based on the details ...
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Aug 5, 2024 · Exploring How You Can Identify Vintage Clothing Labels. Look for a Copyright Year. Check for “Made in USA” or “Made in Mexico”. Use Union Tags for Information. Take Note of Half Sizes. Look for Lot Numbers. Reference the Address. Check for a “Woolmark”. Take Note of Material Brand Names.
