How to Date Vintage Bags + Sneak Peek

2012-08-19T18:43:00.000-04:00

Dating vintage pieces can be a tricky affair. I'll share a few helpful tips and tricks I've learned. Then, I'll put them to work to show you how I determined the age of some vintage handbags. Each of these purses will soon be available for purchase in my shop!

Tips & Tricks for Dating Vintage Items:

Is there a brand label? How about a trademark (™) or registered mark (®)? The following sources are great for researching these identifiers.

Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource - Fairly comprehensive list of vintage designers and brand labels. Each designer or brand has its own page that tells the history and lists examples of labels from different eras. This website has many other useful pages that are chock full of information.
Trademarkia - Just type the mark into the search bar. As long as a registration has been applied for at some point, you should be able to find what you are looking for. The thing I love about this resource is that you are able to see when the particular mark was first used commercially. For example, even if a registration wasn't applied for until 1980, you can still see that the trademark was first used in 1968. They also list if/when the registration expired. Say it expired in 1990. You now know that your item had to have been made between 1968 and 1990!
US Patent and Trademark Office Search (I've found this to be a bit more difficult to use than Trademarkia, but it has also been more informative at times.)

How is the piece constructed? Does it have pinked or serged seams? What type of zippers are present? I've only mentioned two of the many ways that the construction of a piece can help to identify the era in which it was produced. Here are a few amazing guides by other bloggers. I reference these often!

	Estimated Era: 60s/70s Label: Bags by Patricia First use of TM: 1968 [Bags by Patricia on Trademarkia] TM Expired: 1992 Other details to note: Metal zipper, vivid colors, cursive script on logo We know this bag was made pre-1992, so it is definitely vintage. The use of the metal zipper, the typeface of the logo, and the vivid colors all suggest 1960s. However, this could have been early 1970s.
	Estimated Era: 1960s/1970s Label: John Romain First use of TM: 1959 [John Romain on Trademarkia] Registered: 1987 TM Expired: 2008 Other details to note: No ™ or ® present. Woven raffia/straw. John Romain bags of this style were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The lack of a trademark symbol indicates this bag was made pre-1987.
	Estimated Era: 80s Label: The Original T. Cappelli Plano, Texas First use of TM: 1986 [T. Capelli on Trademarkia] TM Expired: January 1993 Other details to note: Bright colors, southwestern flair Since the TM expired at the beginning of 1993, it is safe to say this is a vintage bag. The color scheme and theme of this bag are suggestive of 1980s trends.

I hope this helps someone at least a little. :) If you have any questions or sources to share, please place them in a comment below!

5 Reasons to Read VintageSmash

2012-08-16T19:05:00.000-04:00

Are you into vintage fashion and decor? Maybe you'd like tips on how to find the "real deal," big-ticket items during your thrift shopping adventures. Or perhaps you want to start an Etsy store and don't know where to begin. Here are 5 reasons why this blog should be on your reading list.

Get exclusive sneak peeks of my Etsy shop inventory! There will be the occasional post where I giddily describe the items I just found at the Goodwill outlet. Said posts will probably be accompanied by pictures of said items. You'll see what's new before I even post it for sale in my shop!
Keep up with runway trends and learn how to wear vintage! Hey, fashionistas! I try to keep up with current runway trends to tie them in with my shop listings. I'll give you the scoop on the latest trends and how to rock your vintage frocks with newer pieces in your wardrobe. Love Tory Burch? Check out this photo from her fall 2012 ready to wear runway show:

Credit: Imaxtree

Now check out this lovely set from the VintageSmash Etsy shop:

VintageSmash on Etsy

The mod look is very in this year. And here is an excellent example of how to get this season's looks for less - with vintage pieces!

Be entertained! If you like quirks and a good sense of humor - I'm your girl! Plus, I have a really cute cat (Sam), a really cute dog (Jackson), and two really cute little cousins (Chloe & Liam). All of them entertain me on a daily basis, so I might include a Chloe & Liam story of the day or the occasional SamGram. I should trademark that. Chloe SOTD: the other day my aunt said, "I'm getting too old for this, Chlo." Chloe looked at my aunt like she was crazy and exclaimed, "But, MOM, you don't even have a beard yet!"
Go behind the scenes on my quest to find amazing vintage items! The occasional video/photo-gallery of my shopping adventures will provide an insight to my methods for finding great items. I'll show you what to look for and what to avoid. While I consider myself most knowledgable in the area of vintage clothing, I also hunt for glassware, jewelry, books, and more!
Learn as I learn! I am always researching my items. Clothing labels, a fine china producer, an author... the list goes on. AND, we can't forget about Etsy sales tips and tricks. From SEO to blogging to taking photographs, I will fill you in! Research can be a daunting task, especially when you are just beginning. I will compile resources on various topics and post them for you to reference. Have a request? Just let me know!

I hope these are persuasive enough to keep you coming back for more! Have another idea for me? Leave a comment below! I plan to post 2-3 times a week. Be sure to connect with me on twitter and subscribe to my feed! Links are to the right. Thanks for stopping by! :)