How To Take Care Of Vintage Clothing

Vintage clothing is not easy to find and is not usually reasonably priced. You should understand that this is logical because such items are rare finds. If your wardrobe’s profile is bolstered by several vintage fashion and accessories, you should strive harder to make sure your investment would last longer.

You should recognize and understand the fact that most vintage clothing sold today are comprised of second-hand items that have probably been used by other people perhaps 40 to 50 years ago, or probably more. You do not own retro and contemporary clothes (which technically were made in the 1960s to 1980s). You own clothes that are much older than that, perhaps as old as the Victorian era. So how could you possibly take care of such apparel?

To take care of vintage coats and jackets, remember the golden rule: do not store them in any plastic bag. Always remember that wool and many other natural fabrics should be able to breathe. Thus, the best practice is to store them in fine fabric dress bags. Before keeping them for some time, make sure they are clean and are free from any spot or stain. Have a reputable and reliable dry cleaner take care of cleaning them. To drive away insects like moth, put several sachets of rosemary and mint, which are good insect repellants. Such natural repellants could be bought at conventional stores as ‘Mothaway.’

Beaded sweaters could be hand-washed. They are usually made of silky nylon lining. Those with crepe lining should be dry cleaned instead because the material would further shrink upon contact with water. To store vintage sweaters, use cedar chest or other wooden drawers with natural insect repellants. Before storing, close all buttons and hooks prior to laying face down. Use tissue paper on the sweater’s back to cushion the fold.

Vintage furs could be taken care of easily. You do not need to use cedar or plastic as storage facility. Instead, take it to a good furrier to have it glazed and cleaned initially. Cleaning could be done as rarely as once every year. Do not forget to apply fabric conditioner before long storage. Hang it in a closet through a jumbo padded hanger. There is no need to store it in a cold area. Take note not to jam it next to many other clothes or suffer having to deal with smooched fur.

For hats, purses, and just about any vintage accessories, just make sure there is no dust. It would be ideal if you would keep the hats in good hatboxes that are usually available at conventional home decorating shops. To brush off dust, use soft brass with soft bristles. Purses should be stored in fabric bags, in a manner similar to how luxury purses are stored today. Vinyl and leather purses should breathe, so keeping them in plastic containers and bags would not be advisable. Compacts should first be wrapped in rolls of tissue paper or should be stored in small jewelry bags to protect them from dust.

Overall, there is one great lesson. All plastics are not good and ideal for storing vintage clothing and other vintage accessories. Some people regard plastic as among the most wonderful inventions of mankind, but in terms of keeping, storing, and taking care of vintage things, they are not useful.