I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but there’s a new player in the online vintage clothing marketplace and this dame is poised to shake things up a bit.

Salon of the Dames recently launched a beautiful new website and invites vintage dames of all ages to think and shop differently for their vintage clothes.

And yes, you can be a dame at any age!

Contessa Erhardt, founder of the site, says dames are just “sexy, sassy, classy women who know what they want.”

And this former eBay vintage clothing seller who studied fashion design and construction at the Art Institute of Portland, knew exactly what she wanted: a single gathering place for lovers of antique and vintage fashion that could connect and serve all the players in the market including collectors, enthusiasts, institutional buyers, dealers, stylists, and costume designers.

So Salon of the Dames is divided into very distinct departments:

The Salon of Luxury offers collectible couture and designer pret-a-porter garments as well as luxury handbags, accessories and jewelry. And no fakes, items with missing parts or items needing repair or restoration allowed!

The Everyday Marketplace offers a diverse mix of stylish ready-to-wear garments, all required to be in Very Good Condition or better.

The Sellers Annex features items in need of TLC or that are suitable for display, study or recycling and also serves as a treasure trove for ephemera, vintage textiles, sewing supplies, and fashion books.

The Artists Salon is home to recycled, reworked, reconstructed or vintage-inspired pieces.

Salon Home Interiors features exquisite vintage home decor items.

And finally, at the heart of Salon of the Dames, is The Collectors Showplace.

This department features the best of the best — rare and collectible pieces from private and institutional collectors that carry a Collectibility Rating of B or higher and that are shown in their best light through mandatory high-quality digital photographs. While direct sales in this department aren’t allowed, members and guests are both able to make an offer to buy or lease their favorite items.

Better yet, you don’t even have to be a member of the site make an inquiry or purchase. But members pay 0% commission on Showplace purchases and receive additional discounts on other Salon of the Dames products.

One very unique and refreshing feature you’ll immediately notice at Salon of the Dames is its proprietary Antique Costume & Vintage Fashion Collectibility Rating System.

Contessa says, “Through twenty years of buying and selling, market research and auction trending, we noticed significant discrepancies in price point and collectibility among comparable items. The Collectibility Rating System was devised to effectively address these questions of value and create a universal system to assist buyers and sellers in valuing vintage apparel.”

As you can see, garments are rated in four key areas including Age, Condition, History and Workmanship with other features such as Design, Wearability, Rarity and Ornate Features also considered. One hundred and fifty points are possible and only items receiving a score of 85 points or more are allowed to be featured in the Showplace.

Plus I just love that individual collectors can “show off” their collections while remaining completely anonymous if they wish. And they can accept offers on their items without ever formally setting a price and listing the items for sale. This allows the Showplace to act as a virtual vintage museum and reference source as well as a quiet marketplace.

But Salon of the Dames isn’t only thinking of vintage buyers.

They’re also addressing the loudest complaint of online sellers: increasing fees.

In the Salon of the Dames sales model, sellers select an annual membership based on which departments will offer their goods. Sellers are then able to list new items as frequently or infrequently as they like with NO commission, NO final value fees and NO restrictive contract.

Here’s a summary of the membership levels and where each level can sell their wares:

I’m also grinning from ear-to-ear because Salon of the Dames is placing a lot of emphasis on image quality — and quality in general.

If you’re going to buy vintage clothing online, it’s important that you have clear, well-lit photographs to allow you to evaluate the merchandise as well as clear descriptions of the items. At Salon of the Dames, each newly listed item is reviewed for its image quality, garment quality, accuracy of description and proper placement. Digital photography services as well as on-site photo sessions for members who have large collections are also available for additional fees.

There are already quite a few drool-worthy items listed on the site. With social networking, print and web advertising and good ol’ fashioned word-of-mouth beginning to build, I’m sure it won’t take long before both savvy collectors and smart consumers make this a go-to destination for vintage research and vintage shopping.

“Vintage has become mainstream, but buying quality has become more important than ever,” says Contessa. “The best of our fashion heritage has a proven track record, has withstood the test of time and will only become more valuable with the passage of it. Salon of the Dames hopes to be a solid reference source.”

FREE OFFER FOR ZUBURBIA READERS:

You’re all invited to take a test drive of the site for yourself. So surf on over to visit Salon of the Dames for a look-see and join them on Facebook or Twitter.

Then email [email protected], be sure to mention Zuburbia, and they’ll hook you up with a FREE one-month trial membership at the Collector level.

Offer ends 3/1/12.

(Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Post. | Images provided by Salon of the Dames. Used with permission.)