Many women who are into fashion enjoy wearing clothing from different time periods, such as 50s clothing, but they may have a hard time finding authentic pieces. There are specialty shops that offer vintage clothing, but these shops are not always conveniently located for people who want the clothes. Vintage pieces can be found in other places, but you have to know how to identify authentic vintage clothing.
What is Considered Vintage?
Vintage clothing is identified as clothing pieces that are at least 20 years old. So, anything made prior to 1996 is going to be vintage, but if the clothes you find were made prior to the 1920s, then they will be considered antique, not vintage. Also, the term retro, short for the word retrospective, is often used for older clothing styles, but retro pieces are new items that are manufactured to imitate vintage styles.
Identifying Vintage Clothing
If you want to find authentic 50s clothing pieces, a good way to identify them is by looking at the details on the dresses or shirts you’ve found. For clothes manufactured prior to the 1960s, look for zippers that are metal instead of plastic, some dresses will have metal snaps on the side or you may see a union label printed in blue on the inside of the piece. If you want the stylistic look of the era, but don’t necessarily want to buy vintage, then you can buy new retro clothes to get the same look.
A real vintage item will often cost as much as a new piece from a popular fashion house, such as Chanel, so for many people retro might be the best way to buy 50s clothing. If you don’t have vintage shops in your area, you can find clothing stores online that offer real vintage clothing.
