VintageGriffin.com

(Don't miss Part 2 -- You can find it at

SERIES: How Much Is It Worth? (Part 1) The BioBuyography of a Vintage Dress)


This is the story of a vintage dress. A real vintage dress. The names (but not the prices) have been changed to protect the-some-people-or-other. (Don't worry; this story is not about me.)

I know a story about a dress (a true story). An early Edwardian gown. Had all her original trims. Near-perfect condition.

A few years ago, before eBay revolutionized vintage, I was an auction in which hundreds upon hundreds of dresses, shawls, stoles, tippits, mitts, gloveboxes, and old sewing patterns were sold. Most of the dresses sold were between $50 and $200. When this Edwardian lady was on the block, she was clearly the highlight of the auction, and the audience crackled with bidding anticipation, paddles jaggling nervously in bidders' laps.

When the hammer (literally) went down, an honest-to-goodness Hollywood gasp whooshed out of the audience at the staggering sum -- $500. People were wondering...who bought this? Was it some have-to-have-it-at-any-cost collector? Some deluded dealer? How would that dealer every get a profit out of that (gorgeous) dress?

The next stop for this Edwardian beauty was a vintage show, the kind where dealers empty their vintage closets into their car trunks and haul metric tons of textiles 10 or 100 miles to a cavernous space, of which they are typically allotted 10 square feet. The Small Dealer put an $800 price tag on the Edwardian beauty. She was worth it. The Small Dealer knew it. The Small Dealer's Partner questioned whether $800 was too much. The Small Dealer said, "Let's see."

Before the doors open at a vintage show, dealers themselves make the rounds. Renewing old acquaintances. Buying and selling before the public even has a crack at the silky, woolly, cottony lucre. A Terrifically Well-Known Expert Costume and Textile Dealer came to the booth of the Small Dealer who had the Edwardian Lady. This Expert Dealer was Very Interested. She was even smiling a little at the dress, it was so lovely. But the Expert Dealer paused before the $800 price tag. Reluctantly. "She's beautiful," the Expert said, but it went no further, and the Expert drifted back to her own booth. The Small Dealer's Partner said, "Maybe we should mark her down?" The Small Dealer, still confident said, "I think she's worth more, I really do. She's in near-mint condition, a large size, and all her trims are still in place. I'm +upping+ her price to $880." The Small Dealer's Partner's eyes widened, but it was the start of the show, and there was the feeling that anything could happen.

The doors opened and the public poured in. Lots of them admired the Edwardian Lady, but there were no serious inquiries. The dealer and the dealer's partner were tense about the Edwardian Lady, but they kept their chins up.

A bit into the day, a Well-Known High-End Dealer came into the booth. The Small Dealer and her Partner were hoping this High-End Dealer would be visiting that day. The High-End Dealer ooohed and ahhhhed over the Edwardian Lady. The three chatted.

The High-End Dealer let slip that she had been talking with the Well-Known Expert over in the other booth, and both had agreed that the Edwardian Lady was the best thing in the entire show. The Small Dealer and her Partner felt a bit of pride. The chatting continued apace.

Finally, the High-End Dealer said, resignedly-but-happily, "I'll take her." She made a few more comments about not knowing how she was going to sell her and make any money, because of the price she was paying, but because of the condition and rarity, the High-End Dealer ultimately felt she had no choice.

A few weeks later, the Small Dealer was checking out the High-End Dealer's Web site (where she knew the Edwardian Lady would wind up). The Edwardian Lady had a new price tag of over $2300.

The Small Dealer and her Partner had had an idea that the markup would be dizzying, but nonetheless when they saw the new price in the flesh, they were flabbergasted (it's a word that's often overused, but in this case, "flabbergasted" was accurate). The Small Dealer and her Partner also knew that it wouldn't be long until the Edwardian Lady was sold. Even at that over-$2300 price.

And sell it did. About three weeks later.


(Don't miss Part 2 -- You can find it at

SERIES: How Much Is It Worth? (Part 1) The BioBuyography of a Vintage Dress)