Introduction
Vintage fashion and accessories provide a tangible record of changing styles, materials, manufacturing techniques and social customs.
Clothing, gloves, handbags, scarves, hats, footwear and other accessories can often be approximately dated and identified through a combination of their construction, materials, labels, hardware, country-of-origin markings and overall design.
Some pieces were produced by important fashion houses and designers, while others represent the high-quality department-store, specialist-maker and everyday clothing industries of their period.
For collectors, surviving labels, original tags, distinctive hardware and documented provenance can be particularly valuable when identifying and assessing vintage fashion.
Museum fashion collections preserve important examples of twentieth-century clothing and accessories and provide useful reference material for understanding changes in fashion, construction and materials. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Materials Used in Vintage Fashion & Accessories
A wide range of natural and manufactured materials has been used in fashion and accessories.
Depending on the garment, accessory and period, these may include:
- leather
- suede
- wool
- silk
- cotton
- linen
- rayon and viscose
- synthetic fibres
- fur
- corduroy
- velvet
- metal hardware
- decorative embroidery and trims
The type and quality of material can provide useful clues to both the period and intended market of a piece.
Luxury garments may combine several materials, such as leather with corduroy, silk linings, branded metal fittings or specialist decorative finishes.
Labels, Tags & Country-of-Origin Markings
Original labels are among the most useful identification features found in vintage and collectable fashion.
Useful markings may include:
- maker or designer name
- retailer label
- size label
- fibre or material composition
- care instructions
- country of manufacture
- model or style number
- original retail tags
- price labels
Label designs often changed over time, making them useful for approximate dating when compared with documented examples.
Original swing tags and price labels can be particularly desirable because they help establish how a garment was originally marketed and sold.
Country-of-origin markings such as Made in Italy, Made in England, Made in France or Made in Australia may also assist identification.
Dating Vintage Fashion & Accessories
Useful dating clues include:
- silhouette and overall design
- garment length
- sleeve and collar shape
- pocket design
- stitching and seam construction
- materials
- lining
- buttons, zips and other hardware
- maker’s or designer’s label
- country-of-origin markings
- care labels
- original packaging
- original retail tags and price labels
No single feature normally provides a precise date.
The most reliable assessment usually comes from considering several characteristics together.
Collecting Vintage Fashion & Accessories
Collectors may look for:
- recognised designers and makers
- unusual or characteristic designs
- high-quality materials
- original labels
- original belts and accessories
- branded hardware
- original retail tags
- good construction
- attractive colours and patterns
- wearable sizes
- strong condition
- unusual provenance
- historically representative examples
Condition is particularly important with leather and delicate textiles.
Dryness, cracking, staining, moth damage, weakened seams, missing fastenings or deteriorated linings can significantly affect both value and practical wearability.
Original components such as belts, buttons, buckles and branded zip pulls can materially improve desirability.
Vintage Gloves
Gloves were an important fashion accessory throughout much of the twentieth century and remain an important specialist area within vintage fashion collecting.
Gloves in Mid-Century Fashion
During the 1950s and into the 1960s, gloves remained a familiar part of women’s wardrobes.
Different styles were worn for:
- everyday town wear
- driving
- formal occasions
- evening wear
- winter wear
- church and social occasions
Lengths varied considerably, from short wrist-length gloves to long evening gloves.
Leather was particularly suitable for tailored day and winter gloves because it combined durability with a close, elegant fit.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute preserves numerous twentieth-century glove examples, demonstrating the continuing importance of gloves within fashionable dress during this period.
Leather Used in Vintage Gloves
Fine gloves were traditionally made from relatively thin, flexible leather.
Depending on maker and period, this could include:
- kid leather
- lambskin
- goatskin
- nappa-type leather
- suede
“Nappa” generally refers more to the character and tanning of a soft, smooth leather than to one particular animal species.
For an unmarked vintage pair, it is therefore safer to describe the material visually as soft nappa-style leather or simply genuine leather unless the original label specifies the animal hide.
Fur-Lined Gloves
Winter gloves could be lined with a variety of insulating materials, including wool, cashmere, fabric and natural fur.
Natural fur was traditionally used in better-quality cold-weather gloves and can add considerably to both warmth and luxury.
Decorative Points
The elongated stitched details commonly seen on the backs of traditional gloves are usually called points.
They are a classic glove-making decorative feature and can vary in length, number and stitching style.
Glove Construction
Vintage gloves can also be distinguished by their seam construction.
Traditional terminology includes hand-sewn, piqué, inseam and other methods.
The Vintage Fashion Guild describes piqué construction as an overlapped seam commonly found on finer women’s gloves, while inseam construction conceals the seam by sewing the glove inside out before turning it.
Dating Vintage Leather Gloves
Useful dating clues include:
- length of glove
- shape of cuff
- finger proportions
- decorative points
- stitching
- leather type
- lining
- maker’s label
- country-of-origin markings
- packaging
- original retail labels
As with other vintage clothing and accessories, no single characteristic normally provides an exact date.
Collecting Vintage Gloves
Collectors generally look for:
- supple leather
- matching pairs
- intact stitching
- complete linings
- attractive colours
- unusual decoration
- recognised makers
- original labels or packaging
- desirable materials
- wearable sizes
- minimal staining or deterioration
Condition is particularly important with leather. Dryness, cracking or hardened leather can greatly reduce both desirability and practical wearability.
TMC Emporium Examples
c.1960s Tan Leather Fur-Lined Gloves
This pair from the TMC Emporium collection demonstrates several characteristics associated with mid-century winter gloves: supple cognac-tan leather, three stitched points across the back of each hand and a full natural-fur lining extending through the hand and fingers.
Dimensions: approximately 25 cm long × 9 cm wide
Index finger: approximately 8 cm
Weight: 87 g per pair
Mulberry Cord Trim Poacher Jacket
The Mulberry Cord Trim Poacher Jacket provides a useful example of later luxury designer fashion in the TMC Emporium collection.
Made in Italy, the jacket combines ivory leather with contrasting cream corduroy detailing and extensive Mulberry-branded rose-gold-tone hardware.
Distinctive features include:
- ivory real-leather construction
- cream corduroy shoulder, collar and belt detailing
- matching waist belt
- four front utility pockets
- branded Mulberry zip pulls and press studs
- patterned Mulberry lining
- UK 10 / US 6 / EUR 40 sizing
- Made in Italy label
- original Mulberry swing tags
- original retail price label of £1,379
The combination of original labels, branded hardware, construction details and retained price tags provides particularly useful evidence when identifying and documenting designer fashion.
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