Vintage Buying Guides

[Daisy Buchanan]

I really enjoy collecting and dressing vintage. But, I haven't been doing it long enough to just be able to look at a dress and date it. Some items are more date obvious than others.
I often turn to you ladies in the Powder Room and your previous threads to help me date the items I purchase.
I thought it would be a good idea if I had a few source books. I have the re-prints of the Sears catalogs, and these are helpul. But, I would like to know more about the items I'm buying, and at some point would like to readily be able to date an item that I see in a shoppe or on ebay.
I have found a few books on-line on this subject. Does anybody have any of these? Before I purchase one, does anyone have a book that they really like and find useful for dating vintage items?
I know there are websites out there that are helpful, but I'd rather have something more tangible that I can refer to while shopping on-line or take with me when I go to vintage stores.

Your help and suggestions are appreciated
Here's what I've found so far:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812992008/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-7626598-3106340?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671027131/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-7626598-3106340?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764303023/ref=pd_sim_b_3/104-7626598-3106340?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887409865/ref=pd_sim_b_4/104-7626598-3106340?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486402932/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_2/104-7626598-3106340?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...6598-3106340?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
Thanks in advance for any help you can give,
Daisy

 

[Lauren]

I have the first two and they're really aimed at those that want to incorporate vintage into their modern wardrobe. The first one has good stain removal tips, and has great advice for selling, but has no pictures really. The second one is aimed at thrift store and vintage shopping, but is not very informative on the history and dating.

The third one I've seen and is rather good. The fourth is lovely. You can't go wrong with anything from Kristina Harris, but her pricing is off. The first book I bought on historic clothing was her Victorian and Edwardian Fashions for Women book- which you'd probably love, Daisy. I've heard she has updated it a few years back. If anyone remembers Lady's Gallery magazine (which is definately worth having if you can find some on Ebay) she used to write every issue for them, and that's how I found the book. She has great insight, great pictures, and I think she goes into the history a bit.

Most books on vintage collecting are about incorporating them into a modern wardrobe and offer very little advice on dating, but rather what is easy to mix with jeans and whatnot. If you get into the Collecting books you'll have more luck.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I have found that vintage and reproduction catalogs offer the best resource for learning to date vintage clothing. You see the widest range of clothing styles listed by year, which gives you a good sense of what was popular at the time. I have also learned a lot from studying vintage magazines, illustrations and patterns (and dated photographs), which also give a good feel to the era.

Two books that I have and enjoy for dating hats and accessories are:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...ef=sr_1_5/102-7898755-5336150?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574320289/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/102-7898755-5336150?ie=UTF8

This is another good book that I do not own, but have read and did enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076430304X/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/102-7898755-5336150?ie=UTF8

Otherwise I find that the books do not offer enough information (because they tend to cover many eras at once), and the pricing does tend to be off.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Thanks so much Lauren and Jitterbug.
I'm gonna search the web under those titles to see if I can get them for a little less.
First the price of vintage dresses sky rockets, now the books about collecting them are too expensive!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

You might be able to find some of them at the library (which would let you read them before buying.) Also, photography books are very good resources to consider as well--they don't necessarily talk about fashion, but they help you develop an eye that can be applied to your shopping trips

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I ended up finding the "Vintage Style" book for a much better price at Shop.com
Here's the link if anyone else is interested in buying it
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p30059970-k24-g4-~Vintage+Style+1920-1960-nover?sourceid=13

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm another big believer in old catalogs -- I was lucky enough to pick up a bunch of Sears and Wards books from the thirties to the sixties when you could still find them for $5 or $10 at flea markets. Sometimes you can find cheap copies on eBay -- ones with tatty covers or the occasional missing page will often go for a lot less than the current market prices, so they're worth looking for still.

One caveat with catalogs though -- they do tend to be slightly behind the curve so far as fashion trends are concerned. They were targeted mostly to rural folks, and the styles they offered tend to be on the conservative side fashion-wise. It might have taken a couple years for a trend to trickle down to the Sears shopper.

Old magazines are another excellent resource -- and again, if you're collecting for content rather than cover art, you can often find coverless or damaged copies for very little money since the tear-off-the-cover-and-frame-it crowd won't touch these. McCalls and the Ladies Home Journal, especially, are excellent guides to what average middle class women wore during the Era.