Made In Vintage

Made In Vintage
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Oct 14, 2016, 04:45 PM EDT | Updated Oct 19, 2016
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“ Don’t mistake mystique for capitalist returns. Don’t be controlled or fooled. For me, it’s unromantic to be manipulated, purposefully confused or lured into supporting brands that employ harmful, unsustainable and non-transparent labor practices. ”
Keep the Romance, Ditch the Mystique
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“ Transparency of information is key to making sustainable choices. ”
I’ve been watching Netflix ’s Stranger Things , and it’s spurred my affection for all things 80s.
As a vintage apparel buyer shopping those styles, I’m finding some strange things: clothes that are a dead ringer for vintage but “Made in China.” Contemporary brands are making vintage-inspired styles using increasingly extreme tactics, like frayed labels, to increase sales.
Because transparency of information is key to making sustainable choices.
Knowing what looks vintage versus what is vintage is important. You can’t beat vintage’s sustainability: a post-consumer product satisfying the three R’s of sustainability— reduce, reuse, recycle —and providing jobs, to vintage sellers like myself.
There is a mystique about vintage—more than the romantic aura of the past. Like Friedan’s Feminine Mystique , there’s a fuzziness about its meaning exacerbated by profit motives and a desire to maintain the status quo.
A photo posted by Amy Rubin (@bepolymathic) on Sep 10, 2016 at 3:03pm PDT
The term “vintage” is relative; it changes with time. So, from the start, the term is elusive. Meaning “from an earlier time,” functionally it refers to items at least 20-30 years old and as far back as anything not yet “antique,” generally 100 years old or more.
Currently, the sweet spot for vintage items is mid-century, the 1950s-1980s, with the earlier decades leaning closer to antiques and the 90s closer to contemporary. The tail end of a vintage period would normally register a weak signal on the vintage meter, but the 90’s interest in vintage, which had been brewing since Bowie, grew into a popular street style, making it an unusual decade destined to become a vintage period about vintage .
Quality and production are defining factors to consider when shopping. When you find yourself asking “Is this vintage ?” consider the following.
Antique clothes were custom made; early 20th-century clothes were custom made or mass produced. Mid-century clothes were custom or union made; and, from mid-80s to today, most mass produced apparel in the U.S. is outsourced for cheap-labor production abroad—using non-transparent processes rife with sweat, blood and child labor.
1. The label says “vintage.” Unless the brand incorporates vintage fabric into designs, remember items weren’t vintage when they were made. They were new.
2. The label looks vintage but says “Made in China.” The fancy label is about brand; the tag underneath is information. Sometimes the brand label includes “U.S.A.” or “Established 1968” or “American.” Unless it states “made in,” it’s unreliable. Know where the clothes were made. Look for the plain tag under the label or along a seam.
Before the mid 80s, mass manufactured apparel was made in the U.S.A., often union-made (tagged as ILGWU for International Ladies Garment Workers Union). The union tag is sometimes on a different seam.
Clothing has only been mass manufactured outside of the U.S. in recent decades, due to a combination of economic and policy factors. In the mid-to-late 80s, clothing was made in Korea, Hong Kong or the Philippines.
A telltale sign mass manufactured clothing is not vintage (unless you include the 90s) is if it was made in China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Guatemala, Mexico, Sri Lanka.
Companies are making clothes—and labels—look vintage, including vintage-sounding names (Faded Glory), vintage-looking names (script lettering for 1950s-60s, chunky fonts for 1970s-80s), purposely yellowed, antiqued or faded fabric, and torn or frayed edges.
A photo posted by Amy Rubin (@bepolymathic) on Oct 7, 2016 at 3:32pm PDT
3. It looks like designer vintage, but it costs under $50. In a thrift shop * recently, my heart skipped a beat when I saw a wrap dress. Just as I was getting excited (“My, how bright your colors are. My, how well you’ve aged”), I checked the tag under the label. “Made in China.” Nope, not vintage .
* If you’re going to buy fake vintage, go to your local thrift shop. All thrift is sustainable!
4. The fabric is contemporary. Spandex, poly/cotton and blends are newer; pure rayon, nylon, wool are older.
A photo posted by Amy Rubin (@bepolymathic) on Oct 7, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT
5. The whites have a bluish tint. If it’s a muddy, gray or bluish white, or has cheap look to it, or makes you feel depressed, it’s not vintage .
6. The colors are muddy or offensive. Cheap, modern fast-fashion clothing is made on the cheap. The fabrics, prints and designs will have that more mass-produced look. Colors will be cheaper-looking. Prints may feature colors not complementary. It may attract you like eye candy, but the effect wears off quickly and can make you feel depressed, irritated, or nauseated. Not vintage.
7. It has cheap plastic zippers and buttons. In general, cheap and lightweight buttons and zippers indicate a later period—mid-80s or later.
8. It has cheap metal buttons or snaps. Vintage metal buttons of the past won’t look or feel like a cheap alloy, or be hollow.
9. It has cheaper, less luxurious lining. Acetate and nylon are more contemporary; rayon and silk more vintage.
10. The fit is boxy, or just bad. By the late 80s, styles got increasingly boxy and ill-fitting. Cheaper designs, manufacturing abroad, the drive for greater profit. You wonder whether a boxy, oversized trend was a cover for bad construction. Higher quality vintage clothes have a more tailored fit.
Don’t mistake mystique for capitalist motives. Don’t be controlled or fooled. For me, it’s unromantic to be manipulated, purposefully confused or lured into supporting brands that might employ harmful, unsustainable, non-transparent labor practices.
Including vintage in your sustainable apparel strategy is smart and responsible. Equipped with information, you can approach it more intelligently. If you haven’t incorporated vintage into your wardrobe, I think these tips will help build your capacity to participate in this earth-friendly choice that empowers individual style and creativity.
I’m looking forward to watching the last episodes of Stranger Things over Halloween.
Inspired by the show, I’ll be featuring 70s and 80s vintage on our Instagram page as well as posts on fake v. real vintage labels, using hashtags like #IsThisVintage #VintageOrNot #RealVintage #FakeVintage. Follow us on @bepolymathic.
(P.S. Don’t forget to shop sustainably for Halloween: thrift for pre - made costumes, vintage for the real thing.)

Download My Book: The 100 Best Vintage Shops Online
Hi! My name is Sammy and I created this website as a place for myself and others to share their love for finding, selling and styling vintage. I believe that all woman can make vintage fashion a part of their wardrobe, and I hope that you’ll join me on this journey as we spread vintage love together!
Fashion & Home Décor by Sammy D Vintage
Your fingers stroke the fabric along a garment’s back and neck, hoping to find a label or tag and your much-needed clue to its vintage authenticity. Your search comes up empty, so you turn the garment inside out to look along the side or bottom seam.
“ A-ha !” you squeal. A label was sewn into the bottom side seam, a square of fabric that while tiny, is a huge source of information for performing the important detective work a good vintage lover knows and loves: Dating the era of one’s vintage piece!
Over a year ago I shared my “11 Ways to Tell It’s Vintage by Labels & Tags.” The story was such a hit that it inspired me to write stories on how union labels and the construction of your vintage garment can help when determining a garment’s era and fashion history.
This article is your go-to reference for tips and tricks to reveal a garment’s probable vintage era based on the details of its labels and tags alone!
Not all vintage pieces have a label or tag, however — especially if it was handmade, which vintage prior to the 1980s often was. Be sure to visit my How to Date Clothing as Vintage article for tips beyond the tag.
According to my tips, what is the probable age of your favorite vintage garment?
I’d love to know, so please leave me a comment below the post or by saying hello on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram or by subscribing to my newsletter (which emails content not on the site — including behind-the-scenes of thrift stores and vintage photoshoot pics!)
Feel free to scroll through the post to read these 13 tips for using your garment’s tag to help identify its vintage era, or click any of the links below to be taken immediately to the text within the article!
LOOK FOR … the most obvious: A copyright year.
HOW OLD? Approximately the year noted on the tag, or a few years later.
NOTE: The catch to consider is that the copyright date isn’t always the production year of the garment itself, but rather the date the brand or logo was copyrighted.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: If you’ve got a garment with a copyright year of 1992 or earlier, then by industry definition you’ve got yourself a huge piece of the puzzle dating your garment as vintage!
LOOK FOR … “Made in U.S.A.” or the design of an American flag on or near the garment’s brand tag. The verbiage should be up front and not behind the tag.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: While statistically speaking I don’t have the numbers to back it up, we can all agree that only a small percent of garments today are actually Made in U.S.A.
Secondly, the production country of a modern garment is typically found behind the tag — not frontside, as seen here on this 1980s Jeanne Marc label.
LOOK FOR … a boutique’s address with the absence of a zip code.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Zip codes weren’t invented until 1963, when the growth of America made it necessary to institute zip codes for the postal service to more easily track addresses.
Today, (Manhattan) New York has more than 40 different zip codes. Clearly, “De Pinna” wasn’t aware of theirs when they made this garment before 1963!
RESOURCE: The history of zip codes.
LOOK FOR … either the absence of, or the design of a “Woolmark.”
HOW OLD? Pre-1939 if the made-from-wool garment has no label identifying it as wool.
The garment isn’t older than 1964 if it has the first Woolmark logo (100% wool); no older than 1971 if it has the second (60% wool) and no older than 1999 if it has the third (50% wool).
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: The Woolmark logo was first placed on the tags of wool clothing in 1964 as a marketing technique to encourage consumers to buy the natural fiber of wool over synthetics polyester and acrylic.
NOTE: Because the Woolmark logo is licensed and therefore costs money to use, not all garments made from wool are labeled with a Woolmark.
RESOURCE: The Vintage Fashion Guild’s Woolmark guide.
LOOK FOR … the type of material noted on a garment, particularly if it has an unusual name like “Dacron Polyester.”
HOW OLD? 1958 to 1970 if labeled with Dacron Polyester (shown above).
POLYESTER: Invented 1941, first commercially used 1953 but most popular 1970s or later. Look for vintage names Celanese , Kodel and Vycron .
NYLON: First commercially used in 1939. Look for vintage name Qiana Nylon , found on garments approximately 1968 to 1970s.
LYCRA: Invented 1959, also referred to as Spandex .
ACRYLIC: First commercially used 1950. Look for vintage names Orlon , Acrilan , Zeran and Creslan .
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: The invention of synthetics during World War II was an exciting time for American fashion — and for the clothing companies themselves!
Chemical companies like DuPont released these marketing names to create incentive for consumers to buy a garment, labels included trade names like “Qiana Nylon” (versus just Nylon) or “Dacron Polyester” (versus just Polyester).
RESOURCE: Fabric Link’s history of materials.
LOOK FOR … countries or colonies which no longer exist.
HOW OLD? Pre-1999, considering the British Colony of Hong Kong gained its independence before the dawn of the new millennium.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: While dating a garment to 1999 doesn’t make it vintage, you can date garments with countries like “Yugoslavia,” which divided into Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia in the early 1990s.
RESOURCE: Missing Countries guide of About.com.
LOOK FOR … the use of “half” sizes with 1/2 after the whole number size, i.e. 16 1/2.
HOW OLD? Pre-1970s and no older than 1940s.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: According to one of my sources, half sizes were introduced in 1940s sewing patterns for “shorter” women. The half size denoted the garment’s shorter length.
The sizing was with an even whole number and “1/2” because odd numbers were denoted for junior sizing (at that time, petite women and not teenagers).
My other source references half sizes as indicators of a vintage plus-size garment beginning at size 20 1/2.
RESOURCES: Explanation of Half Sizes on Sewing Patterns by The Hem Line & Explanation of Vintage Plus Sizes by Charearl.
LOOK FOR … an RN number of five to six numbers, proceeded with “RN.”
HOW OLD? 1959 and earlier for numbers listed 00101 to 04086 and post 1959 for numbers listed as 13670 or larger.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: RN numbers were first used in 1952 and listed from 00101 (first number) to 04086 (last number).
In 1959 the numbering system changed and began at 13670. Thus, you can “take a guess” at how old a garment may be by comparing its RN number to 13670. Shown here is 17272, which I would guesstimate puts this garment in the mid ’60s.
HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE: RN numbers do NOT necessarily identify the year a garment was made. They rather identify when the RN number was first issued for the company to use.
Thus, a ’70s dress may have a RN number closer to 13670 than another ’70s dress of comparable production time.
BEST RULE OF THUMB: I’ve personally decided that RN numbers of 6+ digits are from the ’80s or later, while RN numbers of 5 digits are of the ’60s and ’70s.
RESOURCES: The WPL, RN & CA Labeling Guide on Ebay .
LOOK FOR … the verbiage “lot” usually followed by a number or number with a letter.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Lot numbers were used to process and track garments as they were produced in factories.
For whatever reason, lot numbers ceased use around 1979. I assume the outsourcing of clothing to more countries abroad had something to do with it!
LOOK FOR … odd sizes, i.e. 3, 5, 7, 9.
HOW OLD? Pre-1980s. Vintage junior sizing was invented not as a sizing system for teenagers (traditionally seen today) but rather petite ladies!
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Odd number sizes ceased use around the 1980s when the production of separate petite lines began.
Odd sizing became more standard for pre-teen and teenage women of modern day — remember the store 5-7-9? One of my favs growing up, because all sizes were 5, 7 or 9!
LOOK FOR … “Made in Mexico” verbiage.
HOW OLD? 1950s is the probable era of a vintage garment that was Made in Mexico.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Although you can certainly buy modern clothing that was made in Mexico, vintage clothing made in Mexico is most likely from the 1950s.
Reason being that travel to Mexico was quite popular during the era and Mexican styles (particularly circle skirts) caught on as a trend. If women weren’t vacationing to Mexico and buying them there, they were being bought and sold in American boutiques.
NOTE: Best to use this tag tip if you already know that the garment is vintage to prevent confusion with a modern piece also made in Mexico.
Also, for more vintage geographic know-how read more about the influences of California & Hawaii in my Dating Clothing as Vintage article.
LOOK FOR … a care label or the absence of a care label.
HOW OLD? 1971 or newer if the garment has a care label with at least one suggested instruction on how to wash/”care for” the garment.
Pre-1971 if there’s absolutely no care instructions to be found on a tag.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Read more on how to date vintage by its care label here.
LOOK FOR … a union label, either from the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) or from one of the other 6 unions or union subgroups, including
HOW OLD? Typically 1920s to 1980s, depending on the tag design you’re looking at.
WHY IT’S VINTAGE: Read more on identifying and dating the age of ILGWU union labels here, and how to date vintage clothing based on 6 other vintage union labels in addition to ILGWU here.
Oh … and that tag up there? Well you know it’s vintage cause it has my name on it!
Although clearly for a male named Sam Davis, I just about died when I saw this tag on a men’s jacket in The Family Vintage Jewels, who kindly let us shoot the tags of their vintage clothing!
Sam Davis, are you out there? Your jacket is calling your name!
Thank you to the Family Vintage Jewels for loaning vintage clothing for creation of this article.
QUICK TIPS: How to Know Your Clothing is Vintage
CLUES: How to Date Vintage Clothing by Construction
THRIFT: 3 Ways to Identify Vintage Clothing Labels
UNIONS: Your Complete Guide to Vintage Union Labels
ILGWU LABELS: A Breakdown of the ILGWU Label Designs by Era
Paper Past Vintage & The Vintage Traveler
The Vintage Fashion Guild’s Label Guide A-Z
Vintage Fashion & Textile Online Resources from Archivia Vintage
Dating Vintage Labels & Tags by Carmen & Ginger
Zip codes weren’t invented until 1963?!? How did I not know this?? <–mind blown. Another bookmark-worthy post. I'm going to have to print this (along with the fabulous ILGWU Label Guide), sit down with ALL my vintage clothes, and compare the details of the labels. I'll let you know if I solve any vintage mysteries!
Natalie, you are my biggest support when it comes to these educational-based articles. Thank you!! I’ve done so many these past few weeks as I wrap my head around it all, too. I would LOVE to hear what you learn. Perhaps you have a piece that is older than you think. I have too found this, myself, now that I have more knowledge. What I thought was late ’60s is in fact early ’60s, vice versa. It makes a huge difference! Thank you Natalie!

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