Recently a not-so-attractive 1920s train engineer’s shirt sold on eBay for $7,100 and a 100-year-old pair of Levi’s sold for over $36,000. And while these items might have been rescued from life in a thrift store or landfill, there are many other valuable items that aren’t rescued because owners aren’t aware of their value.
Today’s VPOD features a gorgeous 1960s coat by Norman Norell in bubblegum pink. Even without getting up close and personal, you can see this garment just oozes quality. Norell was a master, producing couture quality garments for the ready-to-wear market. But I can imagine a 20-something cleaning out her grandmas’s or great-grandma’s closet, seeing this label, saying “Norell who?” and tossing it into the Goodwill pile.
And thrift stores don’t know the value of things either. I once found a Jones of New York dress marked $24.99 while a skimpy little Alaia dangling on the hangar next to it was marked $7.99!
So, if you think you might…possibly…could…maybe have something of value, do your research before just giving it away. A quick google of “Judith Leiber” would have kept one man who contacted me from being taken by an unscrupulous dealer who offered him $10 each for the bags in his deceased mother’s outstanding Leiber collection because “no one wants these anymore.”
If you google “online antique appraisal” you’ll find a number of websites that can help you. Sotheby’s and Christie’s both provide free estimates for items they typically sell at auction. And many furriers provide inexpensive appraisals also.
So do your homework first and then don’t forget to consider just what that item is worth to you. Sometimes the sentimental value far outweighs any amount of cash you’ll receive.
Remember, it pays to be a smart buyer (and seller) if you’re a vintage fashionista!
Available at Vintage Textile.
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Technorati Tags: Fashion, vintage, vintage clothing, 1960s, Norman Norell, Coat
Designers featured at the event included Charles James, Adrian, Giorgio Sant’Angelo, Claire McCardell, Sophie Gimbel and the designer of today’s VPOD, Norman Norell.
