Vintage clothing | What is the meaning of vintage [A full guide to understand the concept] - Part 1

This guide will give you a full and quick overview of the concept of vintage clothing and, therefore, help you to make better choices when searching for your new vintage items.

Elegant closet

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Definition of "vintage"

The word "vintage" comes from 2 Latin words "vinum" ("wine") and "demere" ("remove") and defines the best time of the year when grapes can be harvested from the crops. It appeared in the Late Middle English language in the 15th century and possesses two forms: an adjective and a noun.

Grapes ready for harvesting in Bordeaux, France

In its nominal form "vintage" has five meanings, four of which are related to wine making and the last one is the one related to this article:

"Vintage is the time that something of quality was produced," (Source: Google Search Dictionary powered by Oxford Languages).

The use of the word quickly grew starting from the 1950s, certainly, due to the expansion of the Internet.

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What clothing is considered vintage?

Vintage, antique, retro and modern clothing

Couple dressed in 1920s style

"Vintage" is a casual communication term commonly used to refer to all old styles of clothing. A generally accepted industry standard is that items made between 20 and 100 years ago are considered "vintage" and they clearly reflect the styles and the trends of the era they were produced in.

Items old of 100 years or more are considered antique ("antique" definition in Wikipedia).

Retro (definition of "retro style" in Wikipedia), short for retrospective, or "vintage style," usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era.

Clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion.

(Source: Wikipedia Vintage Clothing)

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Can vintage clothing be new?

Yes, it can! "Vintage" doesn't mean "used", even though it can be second hand. New vintage items come from companies' dead stocks (unsold stocks of new items) that are re-introduced on the market in a different era.

Vintage clothing can be Haute Couture (French for "High Fashion") or from quality mainstream brands. It can be manufactured or handmade.

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What is the difference between "vintage clothing" and "classical clothing"?

Vintage clothing is supposed to bear distinctive style traits from the era it was designed and made in while classical clothing are timeless pieces that have been part of the fashion through all the years since 1920s/1930s till today.

These classical pieces might have style adjustments, different cuts or shapes but they fundamentally remain what they have always been.

Audrey Hepburn wearing a little black dress

A great example of a classical garment would be a black cocktail dress (later - a little black dress so popular in the Parisian style guides today) ("A Little Black Dress" article on Wikipedia).

Conclusion

In this first article of the vintage concept series you could read about the definition of the vintage concept in relation to the clothing and about some of the basic principles the name "vintage clothing" relies on.

In future articles we will explore more deeply the differences between vintage and second hand, mass production and designer labels, materials used for clothes manufacturing, quality over time and much, much more!

Thank you and stay with us for future articles!