1940s Edith Small jacket... Is it worth anything?

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avantgirl

Registered Guest
Hi everyone,

I'm brand new to this forum, so if I accidentally break any rules, or should post this elsewhere, please let me know...

I'm trying to start up a website, to sell the vintage and/or designer clothing I've collected for the past few years. (Sadly, I don't wear most of it, and I need the extra money and closet space...)

One of the items I'm putting up for sale is a vintage 1940s Edith Small jacket. I found the jacket at a thrift shop in Oak Park, IL (where I live) a couple of years ago. I didn't know anything about Edith Small, so I googled the name, and found this website. Using the label guides, I was able to date the label on the jacket to one of her 1940s designs.

(FYI, I'm not trying to sell anything to this forum. Just get some help on how to price this particular piece...) The jacket is in good condition. It has a couple of tiny pinholes on one shoulder, but is otherwise in excellent shape.

In addition to the Edith Small label, there's another label from Bramson's of Oak Park/Evanston/Chicago/Palm Beach. I looked up Bramson's, and found an article about their Palm Beach store opening dated 1947. It said that there were already established Bramson's stores in Oak Park and Chicago at the time. So, this helps me date the jacket to the mid-to-late-1940s. I'm assuming that it was originally purchased in Oak Park, where I bought it secondhand.

So, my question... What would this jacket be worth, in your opinion(s)? Since it's 70+ years old, in good, wearable condition and has remained local, does that add to the value? I have it up on my website for $10.00. (I only paid $5 or $6, if I remember correctly.) Should I charge more? Less?

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Again, not trying to sell it... Just asking for some appraisal advice!

Thanks in advance for your help!
Vanessa
 
Hi Vanessa,

Can we see a picture? you can attach a jpg on this forum. I would say take it off your site until you figure out what its worth. I would say $10 for any well made jacket of the era in excellent condition no matter who made it is a bit on the cheap side unless you were really just looking to get rid of it or the condition and style wasn't stellar, but that's just me. They also have a secondary value - if its in great condition, some vintage blazers are very "current" to wear with jeans, etc and a gal who doesn't know the history would certainly snap it up if its the right style.

Here is more about Edith Small
http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/...ection,6/cat,59/task,view/id,1425/Itemid,100/

Edith Small made some very smart clothes - I would be curious to see what it looks like. btw, age doesnt matter in of itself - its about condition, desirability, style etc....
 
Hi again,

Thanks so much for the advice... Patentleathershoes, I had found that link to the VFG's Edith Small page when I was researching the jacket, and that's how I discovered that mine is from the 1940s. So exciting! I had figured 1950s... plus, I thought the condition was too good to be 1940s... But I was proven wrong!

I also decided that it would be best for me to take the jacket off my website, so I can post pictures here, and get some good advice on it's value and condition before I part with it... Again, Patentleathershoes, it is a very *smart* blazer, and I originally bought it to wear with jeans and heels... but alas, it was too small for me...

So, without further adieu, here's my Edith Small jacket. (I'm a terrible photographer... but I got the labels, as well as the damage, pictured.)

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Thanks again... I'm really loving this forum! I stayed up till 1AM last night, reading all the posts and trying to educate myself about vintage fashion... It's been hugely helpful... Owning a designer and/or vintage consignment boutique is one of my "someday" dreams...

Today, I'm off to Goodwill to see what else I can dig up! Thanks!
Vanessa
 
Love the shoulder detail on that, Vanessa!

Not sure I can tell what the damage you describe is? (Sorry, I know taking photos of vintage garments is a very steep learning curve... ;) ) It seems as though a (self-fabric?) button may be missing, but other than that I can't really see enough detail to say.

Things to look for would be moth holes, "tea" or other stains, discoloration or fading to the lining (especially in the underarms).
 
Thanks, Carrie. I know it's hard to tell by my pictures... I really need to photograph the jacket as a whole... The shoulder details are amazing... It's hard to see, but there's actually a line of five fabric X's on each side, going from the shoulder, down the bust. So chic and pretty!

The only damage to the jacket is shown on the photograph of the shoulder detail. There are two smallish holes, near the fabric X. They might be moth-holes, but I think they could just be pin-holes because that area is a stress-point on the garment...

No stains, weird smells, or lining damage, otherwise...

Sigh... about 20 years ago, my mom had this cool, wicker dress-form/mannequin that she used for sewing. I remember having a "play room" in the attic of our house, where Mom kept a chest full of old 1960s-70s clothes for me to play "dress up," and she kept the mannequin out so I could "style" my outfits... :D

Sadly, the mannequin got badly beaten up, thanks to the fashion whims of a 9-year-old girl... It was thrown away during a move some years later... Really wishing I still had it, though, for photographing my clothing now...

Thanks again,
Vanessa
 
Sometimes you can fix moth holes, or at least reduce them. I have a few jackets that were too cute not to wear and I either closed the hole a bit or added am embellishment to cover them but it depends on what other material is around it. I am wondering if some similar colored threads can be used to cover it with an embrodiered stitch.

But what it is also going to depend on is the size. If it is really tiny across the back, the people who can wear it will be limited. Take a bust, waist, overall arm length, and the length across the shoulders. It doesn't have to be a large size for someone to fancy it, but if its medium at least, people who are smaller and love it will make due and wear a sweater under it or take it in. I do find tiny jackets do sell if they are awesome because there are just as many tiny girls who have a hard time finding stuff as larger gals. You just don't see all the teeny tiny dresses always sell because a girl can only have so many formals - but wardrobe staples are different.

This is totally the kind of jacket I would snatch up at an antique shop, give it a little love and wear everyday/
 
I admit to buying a 50s jacket with a hole like one of these - just because I loved it so much. And I ended up mending lotsa holes :lol: ... completely crazy, but that's me. If I came across this in a shop, it would fit and the price wasn't too high, I'd be tempted, I know. Keep telling myself not to buy things that take too much mending, but usually I can't resist if it doesn't look completely hopeless (or it were damaged lace as in the other thread here).

Karin
 
Can't see the jacket very well in your photos, but agree with everyone that Edith Small is a very good name in vintage apparel and generally does well, as well as that 40's jackets in general, if stylish and in good condition, are always popular.

I would not pay to have the holes professionally rewoven, but the weave of the jacket seems textured or "coarse" enough (i.e., not very finely woven) that they could likely be nicely mended by someone with some skill. I've had great luck repairing this type of hole in this type wool, and I'm not a professional! I would buy this jacket if I saw it in a store and it fit me (but wouldn't pay top dollar).

If you can sew, or have a friend or local seamstress who could mend these at a reasonable price, I think you could sell it for much more than $10! If you take it to a seamstress, you would ask for the holes to be mended as neatly as possible--without going through the more complex reweaving process (mending can be "reweaving," in a sense, with closely matching yarn or thread, but not the more time consuming process that high-end garments would warrant).
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the input. I decided to wait on selling the jacket, and first see if I have any luck selling my other vintage pieces on my site/shop. Thus far, nobody has taken the "retro" stuff I have up for grabs.

Also, I recently met an antique dealer who indicated some interest in the jacket, so I may end up selling it to her, since I think she'd understand it's worth better than most.

For now, it's sitting safely in my closet on a padded hanger :-)
 
Leisa's right--something that has moths can infect other clothing. But if you put in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer for 2 weeks, that's supposed to kill any larvae that are still lurking.
 
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