SERIES: 10 Things I Would Do Differently If I Started Collecting Today - VintageGriffin.com
VintageGriffin.com
This is an entry in an ongoing series. We're asking a range of vintage and antique clothing collectors what they would do differently if they began their collecting journeys today. Our experiences can make us better collectors and caretakers.
I have a pretty good track record with caring for vintage and antique clothing, but if you do this for any length of time, you're going to have mishaps. And many of those are avoidable. Moving more slowly would have saved a few pulls, torn hems and such. I've stepped on trailing clothes while I've been moving them and ripped hems and created tears. When handling multiple garments together, I've caused some pulls when hook and eyes get caught in the netting of another garment, or even its own. When handling vintage clothing, move slowly or you will snag or tear something. It will happen.
SERIES: 10 Things I Would Do Differently If I Started Collecting Today -
VintageGriffin.com
This is an entry in an ongoing series. We're asking a range of vintage and antique clothing collectors what they would do differently if they began their collecting journeys today. Our experiences can make us better collectors and caretakers.
I have a pretty good track record with caring for vintage and antique clothing, but if you do this for any length of time, you're going to have mishaps. And many of those are avoidable. Moving more slowly would have saved a few pulls, torn hems and such. I've stepped on trailing clothes while I've been moving them and ripped hems and created tears. When handling multiple garments together, I've caused some pulls when hook and eyes get caught in the netting of another garment, or even its own. When handling vintage clothing, move slowly or you will snag or tear something. It will happen.
2) Be Much More Aware of the Very Real Risks When Wearing a Vintage Garment Out
As I've said, I'm pretty careful overall. But sometimes we trust too much in our ourselves, and forget that we're also interacting with others. I've been very careful (so very careful!) when I've been eating when wearing vintage, but you also have to worry about the guy or gal moving past you at a party who might spill a drink on your dress, or folks who might step on your train. One of the most painful moments I've had with vintage was when I was wearing a +fabulous+, +mint+ Victorian velvet coat (with exquisite design) that I had bought in England and subsequently wore to a 12th Night event. I was moving slowly while I had it on, I was being so careful, no grand movements, but as I was leaving the old, Victorian house, the storm door had a "quick swing" mechanism on it (it was really old), and as it swung past me in a blink, the metal handle caught a bit of ribbon trim on my coat, tearing it. I was so mad. To this day, it's no one's fault but my own that that coat is still not in mint condition. You also have to be aware of how the clothing moves. Another time, I was leaving an old Victorian house on a Holiday tour. There were paper bag luminary lights with votive candles in them lining the pathway. As I moved down the path, my 1930s coat edges billowed out and caught the tops of the paper bags, tipping them some over and crumpling others so that some of the bags caught fire. There was a lot of snow on the ground, so there was no risk from fire, but it could have been worse, and it certainly was not good that I was unaware what was happening at first, because of the way my garment moved.
3) Be Super, Super Hesitant When Lending Vintage
I've lent vintage to friends on occasion. Extremely rarely, because I will only lend it to folks who are as super careful as I am. But even when you take this precaution, remember that your friends and family are not you. And they may surprise you. I lent a vintage piece to someone who was attending the same event as I was, and I knew this person to be very careful and respectful of the clothing in general. Unusually, this person got a little tipsy, and I had a petit heart attack when this person sloshed a drink. It came a hair's breadth away from spilling all over the front of the garment, but by the grace of some vintage god, it did not. All bets are off when you lend vintage.
4) I Would Not Be Beguiled By Important Labels As Much
I've been pretty satisfied with the choices I've made. I don't pursue labels in and of themselves, and try to go for quality or good and interesting design over a well-known or fancy label. There have been a few instances where I've been so excited over a really, really rare, old label that I've purchased something that wasn't in the best condition. I regret those acquisitions. Labels do not automatically trump condition or good design. But you can't torture yourself over keeping your standards, either. Once I was at an auction where an 1890s Worth ballgown was being offered. It was in really awful condition. All the ornamentation had been stripped. It had shattering. There was a lot of interest at first, but as a group, we all dropped out at $200. That's how awful the condition was. The person who bought it went on to sell it on eBay for $2000. While I'm really happy for that seller, that buyer wasted his or her money. And you shouldn't buy things you're thinking of reselling with the idea that you're going to meet up with ill-educated buyers with money to burn. That's a bad strategy. So, I don't regret not trying harder for that Worth. My money was better spent on garments of better quality.
5) I Would Catalog Everything That Came In Through The Door
I have a pretty good memory, so I can remember (almost) everywhere I bought something, and for how much. But what happens if I forget? That important information is lost. So, if I was going back to the beginning, I would photograph and document everything: where I bought it, from whom I bought it, for how much, and save every scrap of paper associated with that piece. I would also be more dilligent about asking about provenance. Ask a seller if there's any accompanying documentation. A name. Anything. I have a strong preservationist and conservator streak. I sincerely believe that clothing is an important part of history, and sheds a lot of light on how we lived. The intangibles. How much sooner would women's rights have advanced if women weren't encumbered by a corset (if you've ever worn one, you will know what I mean). You can't get that from a standard history book.
6) Make Safe, Responsible Storage A Priority
When you just have a few garments, it's easy to pop them in amongst your regular clothes. But some of these might not belong there. When your collection is small, it's easier to make responsible choices about storage -- acid-free boxes and acid-free tissues. Padded hangers wrapped in muslin. Archival boxes are a bit of an investment, but acid-free tissue and muslin is fairly inexpensive. Doing things right from the beginning, developing good habits at the beginning of a a collection is an easier way to go than suddenly realizing when you have hundreds of pieces that you need to get more organized.
7) Photograph Everything
This is a toughie, because photographing everything in high-resolution (whether with a regular camera or a super-duper high res digital camera) is an immense, and immense time investment. Doing high-quality photography takes a loooooong time. Set up, dressing the mannequin while moving slowly (see #1), taking multiple shots, processing the images, etc. But after you've taken the shot, you've got it, and you can repurpose it. Perhaps in a book that you or someone else writes. Or for research. Photography will be the only record you have left if you wind up selling a garment, and most vintage collectors have a regret or two about not having a photographic record of some favorite or important pieces that they've passed on to others.
8) Get a Business Card
It doesn't matter if you are a business or not. What matters is you have a supply of pre-printed contact information. Dealers, general folks, professional folks -- I've encountered many individuals who asked for a card or for whom I wished I had a card to give. How difficult is it for you to keep track of all those itty scraps of paper that people have provided you with email or telephone information? Make it easy for folks to connect with you.
9) Inform Everyone I Know I Was Interested in Aquiring Vintage
This goes hand in hand with #8. I wonder what great treasure troves I've missed out on over the years because I haven't been as proactive as I could have been.
10) Not Rescue As Many Flawed Pieces
There's nothing wrong with acquiring flawed pieces, if 1) you know what you're going to do with them and 2) you follow through, and don't let another project fall by the wayside. I've collected so many things for "design inspiration" that had flaws. I've collected so many things that just needed a little tlc that I never found time to provide. Life's too short and my closets are too small. I'd be better at balancing my time budget and vintage clothing budget.
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