To a child playing in the attic, mother’s dresses are funny, grandmother’s are interesting, and great grandmother’s are fascinating. Every aesthetic movement goes through a period of disregard which lasts about one century. Whether it be clothing, or other aesthetics, the artifacts of the immediate past look merely “dated” but once the era is beyond the memory of even the oldest living people and has become “history,” appeal increases. A sign that one era is coming to an end is its rediscovery of the era, and aesthetics of the era, that it rejected.

If you want to collect vintage fashions, start by looking in your family's closets and attics; the clothing your parents and grandparents kept may be in remarkable condition. Both online and bricks and mortar shops are often the best resource for the beginning collector because you can generally ask questions of someone who may have something to teach you. Online auctions are a great resource while live auctions of vintage clothing are few and far between. Thrifts and flea markets were scoured clean years ago of pre 1940s clothing, but you can find post 1950 there and the occasional marvelous find.  Yard sales and estate sales are unlikely for high quality goods; you may luck into something if you arrive early, but you cannot try anything on. Thrift stores and estate sales may be cheap, but you will spend a great deal of time and may find nothing. Don't miss the Vintage Fashion shows, if you are fortunately to live in, or near, a community which hosts such an event; and if you become a real aficionado, you may want to travel to attend such shows.

First select a specific period or a specific type of clothing you are interested in collecting. Study your era or specialty. Know your specialty as well as any dealer, if not better. A focused strategy can help you make the difficult acquisition decisions and a clearly realized vision makes a collection ever so much more interesting.

There are fabulous finds and dismal duds in every period. Good labels are a plus, and for many serious collectors, a requirement, but most vintage clothing will not be labeled. Store labels started in the 1880s when dressmaking departments were active and these are often quite wonderful. Boned bodices, hand sewing, flat lining, bound buttonholes, handset zippers, covered buttons, piped seams, bias bound edges, bound seam allowances, and silk linings indicate quality construction in any era.

If you are collecting for display purposes, then size likely makes no difference. If you want to display pre 1920s, be sure to purchase XS mannequins as they will work for far more often than larger mannequins. If you want to buy with an eye toward future value or resale, do not accumulate too many tiny sizes. Larger ones are easier to display and have more value as a wearable. 

If you want to wear your vintage fashions, buy what fits with a bit of ease; don't strain these older textiles. Make sure you have a realistic idea of your size. Remember that sizes have changed over the years; if a vintage garment is marked size 10, for example, it is likely that it will fit more similar to a size 6 today. Gauge the size of the clothing more by its physical dimensions, or actually measure the garment, versus reading the size in the label. Vintage fabrics tend to be delicate, so do not try on clothing that is too small.

Mint condition is extremely rare for anything pre 1910; if you find it, be prepared to pay. Actually Mint is rare anytime, but the older and/or higher quality it is - the price goes up.

Assume that anything you buy will have a few flaws; it's the nature of vintage clothing, just like other types of antiques. Be sure that they can be mended or cleaned or that you can live with the flaws if they cannot be corrected.

Take condition into consideration when evaluating the price of a garment. Many dealers are meticulous about their merchandise and will point out even the smallest flaw and price the garment accordingly. Others are not as cognizant about details, so you need to be cautious and inspect vintage garments carefully before trying them on and especially before purchasing.

Look for textiles that still have strength and integrity. Look for clean clothing that smells good and isn't heavily worn. Check for wear, stains, holes, fabric deterioration, and obvious repairs. Check under the arms, at seams and stress points.

For pre 1910 clothing, avoid large spots or stains which will not come out. Avoid armpit stains, dry rot and shattering. If you find small splits developing in a garment - this means the fabric is beginning to deteriorate, so the piece will be good for study or gentle handling only. Pin dot holes are acceptable if they are not in noticeable areas such as the front of the bodice. Tiny holes and mends (under 1/2") in the folds of the skirt are certainly less annoying.

From 1910 to ‘30, condition becomes more crucial. Watch out for weak shoulders and armpits and especially shattering in beaded dresses. For the ‘30s and ‘40s - very minor flaws can be forgiven (tiny picks, minor wear to a buttonhole), but holes and stains won't be. Where a faint armpit stain may be acceptable in a 1860 ball gown, it is a problem in a 1940s day dress.

Most 1930s and 40s blue and purple garments have irreparable color change caused by fugitive dyes.

After the 1940s very few flaws other than light wear are acceptable.

Expect to pay a fair price to the seller who has found the vintage item, cleaned it, steamed it and researched it. Don't bargain a dealer down just because you think it's expected. If an item is fairly priced, then pay the asking price. If it's a bit high for the condition it's in or if you're buying several garments from the dealer, then politely ask if she can do a bit better for you. Also, if you are paying cash, you can often negotiate a discount because cash is a lower risk transaction for the dealer.

Commonly available items include: black Victorian skirts and bodices; tiny size black Victorian boots; plain black capes; 1918 Armistice blouses; post 1900 camisoles, petticoats and bloomers; brown 1940s suits and dresses; top hats; straw boaters; men's formal vests 1900 - 1920s; later 1940s and ‘50s satin wedding dresses; and 1960s wedding dresses. This is not to imply that you should not purchase these items; however, unlike other vintage fashions, you might want to be more particular about the quality, condition and price before you buy. With the exception of these few commonly available items, even when mass produced, there are not that many left of the really fine things. Be decisive. If you see something you want, don't think you can come back later and find it still there. Good merchandise goes quickly, and vintage fashions cannot be “re-ordered” or “store transferred” like department or specialty store merchandise.

Collecting Vintage Buttons

To begin a button collection, start with your own family’s button boxes, then old clothes you find in the attic. To purchase buttons, start at garage sales, flea markets, swap meets, antiques shops and antique shows. Some fabric stores, or jewelry stores, carry vintage buttons. And, collectible buttons are also available through various online auction services.  The National Button Society and local button societies are good resources for additional information about buttons and collecting.

Though collectible buttons are getting more difficult to find, those available to us now in quantities great enough to find affordably are those made between 1850 and 1950. Novelty buttons of the 1930s and ‘40s are avidly sought by collectors today and often command higher prices than the older Victorian era buttons. Moonglow buttons are the most popular of all modern glass among button collectors. Because of the variety of buttons out there, collectors often specialize in one kind or another.

Selling Vintage Fashions

The introduction of the Internet has proven to be hugely beneficial to the selling (and buying) of niche market wares such as vintage clothing.  Many sellers have turned to eBay to sell their goods, some have joined other sales forums such as the VC-Mall, and others have set up their own independent web sites. 

All internet selling options have one thing in common - low overheads.  Owning a vintage shop requires that you pay rent, insurance, heating and lighting.   

When deciding whether to sell on a web site or from a bricks and mortar shop you need to weigh all of the advantages and disadvantages.

A shop provides you with a location to house your stock.  And, people will drop in with items they want you to consider selling.  But, in order to go out to find the majority of your stock you will have to employ staff because you won't be able to shut your shop and expect customers to come back time and again only to find you are closed. 

Most vintage shop owners find that the foot traffic they can attract is fairly limited, so selecting where you set up shop is important.  An area with a university or college nearby is good news if you sell very reasonably priced items but not so viable if you sell high-end couture.  The latter is better placed in a major city where you can build a reputation that attracts both well-heeled locals and city visitors. 

It is likely that you will achieve better prices on the more mundane items sold from a bricks and mortar shop than from a web site.  If you market a rare or valuable item on a website, you will increase your potential audience, and possibly a better end price, than that of a shop.  

In a bricks and mortar shop, your buyer can examine items and try them on.  This means that once they have left your shop the transaction is generally over.  On an internet transaction a customer's first opportunity to examine and try on an item is following their purchase - not before. 

Another advantage of shops is that there are no postage costs to customers.  Online customers will likely consider the cost of postage as part of the total price they are willing to pay for an item.  Therefore, an item that retails in a brick and mortar shop for $50 may have to sell for $42 on the web to off-set the $8 shipping fee.