How to Date Vintage Clothing Like A Pro
What to look for when labels and Google Lens fail you.
Even when immersed in the world of vintage, it’s hard to escape the digital age. Google is an invaluable resource for researching and dating vintage, with it’s Lens tool allowing complete novices to price and identify a multitude of objects set before them. It’s adoption by the masses has turned any regular Joe Shmoe into a self proclaimed vintage expert.
You may find yourself disillusioned by this shift in public knowledge — but what happens when an item can’t easily be recognized by the app, or the piece is lacking a label? That’s where the real experts step in!
As a seasoned vintage dealer, many of my most valuable and coveted pieces have been discovered simply because the majority people passing over the garment had no idea what they were looking at.
In this guide, I cover six key elements to be aware of when you’re out looking for vintage, online or IRL. Whether you are sourcing for your personal closet or a green dealer wanting to level up your game, these tips are essential for anyone searching for a diamond in the rough for an unbeatable steal!
The Vintage Lover’s Handbook is a monthly series dedicated to providing you with a professional arsenal of techniques to care for your beloved vintage treasures. With a decade of experience buying and selling vintage, I’ve made the mistakes for you and discovered what actually works.
Previously on The Vintage Lover’s Handbook…
A note before we begin, these are not hard and fast rules, and like all things in life, sometimes there are contradictions. However, when combined with a general knowledge of what styles were popular during certain decades, they can often get you to absolute certainty when pinning down a garment’s age. Dating a garment is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, and that’s where so much of the fun lies!
These elements are most powerful when they are cross referenced and used in conjunction with one another. Practice makes perfect, and the more time you spend touching and examining garments, the more comfortable you will become identifying and dating them — so go get some practice in at your local vintage shop!