How do You Know if a Piece of Vintage Apparel is Real or Fake

If you think about it, vintage apparel is extremely valuable, which is probably why a lot of organizations try to manufacture clothing that’ll look vintage. But, this can put you in a dilemma, especially if you end up buying something that looks like it’s from the past century but isn’t. So, how can you tell if a piece of vintage apparel is real or fake? To make things easier for you, here are the top things you should check before making a purchasing decision:

1. Check The Typography on The Label

Specific periods of time come with their own, unique tags. For instance, font expired by the art deco style was extremely popular in the 40s and 50s, however, a few decades later, manufacturers started using bold and round fonts. A good fake will most likely feature a font from this century, hence, the first thing that you should look at is, of course, the tag.

2. The Copyright Symbol

Yet another thing that’ll tell you if a piece of vintage clothing is real or fake is the copyright. Let’s say that you’re looking at a vintage Adidas jacket, if you want to ensure that it’s authentic, it should have copyright year on the tag and it also needs to be manufactured before 1991 or 1992. This means that the piece is vintage, thus, you could buy it.

3. The Tags That Explain How to Wash The Clothes

The How-to-Wash tag is also important when browsing through vintage clothing. Before 1971, these tags weren’t mandatory, hence, if a piece doesn’t have it, it’s quite possible that it was manufactured before 1970. Of course, a lot of people cut these tags off because they’re itchy, nonetheless, always look for it.

4. The Materials is Crucial

If there is one thing that you should take away from this article, it’s the fact that most vintage clothing pieces will have a material description on the tag. If there are material names such as Veyron, Celanese, or Dacron on the tag, it is most likely made before the ’70s. Hence, check and see what materials were used for producing the clothes.

5. Check For Buttons And Zipper Made From Metal

Whether you’re thinking about buying a purse or a leather jacket, most clothing manufactured before 1965 will have metal zippers and buttons. Hence, if one of the items you’re looking at has a plastic zipper, it’s quite possible that they were made anywhere after 1965, meaning that you won’t know whether or not it’s real or fake.

6. Lastly, Look at Handmade Sewing Jobs

Last on the list of tips is that you should look for unique construction techniques and handmade sewing jobs. Why is this important? Well if the construction is handmade and done with a lot of details, it’s highly possible that you’re looking at a vintage piece of clothing. Look at the fabric edges, if there is a zig-zag trim, it is quite old.

Conclusion

No matter what piece of vintage apparel you’re thinking about purchasing, you should ensure that it’s actually authentic before buying it. To do so, you should follow all of the tips we’ve mentioned above and by doing so, you’ll know exactly whether or not it’s the real deal. Since you now know what you should look for, don’t lose time, instead, start looking for a piece of vintage apparel that’ll make you stand out from the crowd!