KnowYour Measurements: Vintage Size VS Modern Size

We know how hard it is to judge clothes online, let alone vintage

​and handmade clothing. 

Always check your measurements against an item.

If they are not posted or only partially posted, ask the seller

before buying.

Off the rack, vintage does not always mean it is an unaltered garment. 

Especially with designer clothing from 1940-'50s where 

The department stores often had in-store seamstress' 

 to make any alterations per customer.

Already know your waist & bust measurements?

Employ this little time saving trick

Click Here For Quick Instructional

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Step 1: Roughly know your own numeric U.S., EU, and letter size

Read

How To Size Yourself: Instructional Blog

&

How To Size Yourself: Vintage Slacks n Jeans

Step 2: Guess The Decade By Style

Can you guess the era?

Nautical is hard having a resurgence in vintage fashions every 10 years it seems. Use tags from this point on

Step 3: Check the tags for size and identifiable markings

read blog post regarding ILGWU tags and dating clothing

Many designers sign and date their work. Ex: Robera di Camerino Silk Shawl/Scarve 1976

If you have found a size tag and guessed your era...

All you need now is basic subtraction

Step 4:

Subtract 4-5 sizes for anything that looks like it could predate 1970...

a fairly broad range of 1940 to late 1960's.

Subtract 3-4 sizes if it looks to be from the '70s 

There's a bit more "wiggle room", literally, in dating garments from 1980-90s

the look was over sized and baggy   

So while it might still fit, the intended size should equal about 2 sizes less

than is noted on the tag

*This is ONLY an estimation tool*

Example:

A dress that looks to be from the mid 50's, and the tag is labeled as size 7...

if your dating estimate is right, the vintage size 7 dress will equate to a modern size 2. 

We often come across clothing that has a correlating modern size handwritten on the original tags. As seen in the photo of a late 1950s Tea Gown.

The printed size was 7 then noted, probably 30 plus years ago, to be a size 4.

Our estimate puts this dress closer to a modern dress size 2 - 3. 

We use this trick to date clothing, along with the ILGWUnion tag before we

research even further; by designer name, materials, RN#s, seams, zippers, and so on...

Remember, it was not only clothing that was smaller.

sheets were made for smaller mattresses...

a goodwill SCORE

WishbookWeb is one of my favorite resources when solving a fashion history mystery.

All WishbookWeb.com content is (c) 2017 click to view catalogs

Coming Soon: Vintage Bedding: How to resize for modern bed & fun ways to re-purpose the vintage fabric