Vintage Restoration - Your thoughts, Please!

Restoring vintage clothing: This is a subject I continue to ponder. And I would love to hear some open discussion on this.

As you all know too well, we constantly run into vintage clothing with issues. Particularily pre 1930s garments.

Now I am not referring to restitching loose hems and buttons or popped seams, or restitching snaps or that sort of minor repair.

My ponders are in terms of dealing with major issues - such as Victorian bodices that are great on the outside, but the interior lining/structure is in shreds. Or 1920s opera coats where the exterior velvet is grand, but the silk lining has shattered. That sort of thing.

Now how do feel about this as buyers? Would you rather the restration work was already done ? We will assume well done in appropriate fabrics and colors. Or would you prefer to do the the work yourself? Or have done under your supervision?

Are you willing to pay a higher price for the work? Or would you rather go with the garment as is and pay less?

On the flip side, do you find things like lining replacement a turn off?

Now in my case, I can do the work myself at a pro level, so it's not a question of laying out dollars to have it done. I just wonder sometimes if I am wasting my time, and possibly making the garment <i> less </i> attractive to the potential buyer/collector.

Anyway - your thoughts. please!

Hollis

 

Excellent topic Hollis!

As a seller, aside from simple things like tacking up a loose hem, or tightening a button, I do not have the expertise to replace linings or do any type of restoration work on a garment....particularly an older one.

As a buyer, I would actually prefer that the seller sell the garment as is. I'm always wary when a seller has stated that "blah, blah, blah" has been done to the article.......unless it is stated on her 'me' page that she
has the knowledge and experience to tackle whatever the condition
problem is. For example, I would purchase anything from you with confidence if it was stated that the lining had been replaced, because
I know that you would be using a complimentary fabric from the correct
era to the garment, thread, etc - and knew what you were doing. I also
know that you have the background for this type of restoration work.

I don't think a lot of sellers do however, and there is nothing more jarring then a 1920s opera coat with a cotton polyester lining.

Sue

 

I think for me a lot would depend on the integrity of the piece and its intended use. It makes a big difference if it is an item to add to a collection or something my daughter might wear for Halloween.

For an historical, or rare clothing item, I would like it as is. As with antique furniture, a bad restoration job could render it worthless. I would prefer to have it as-is and contact a local museum to see who they use for textile restoration. The exception would be if I know the seller. Knowing you, Hollis, I would trust work you have done. The problem with anonymous online sales is that I can't be sure if the seller is qualified to make repairs.

If it is an item I want to wear and a seller has revealed what restoration has been done, I have no problem with that, especially if the restoration has rescued a piece that would have been trashed. For a 20's, no label, opera coat with an excellent exterior, if the lining was replaced ( preferrably with vintage fabric, if not , a quality modern fabric ) I would be happy to pay the extra to have the work already done.

One thing that sellers must keep in mind is that once a piece has been altered, in any way, the history of that piece has been forever changed. That could be good or bad.

What can bother me no end is buying something that turns out to have been restored and not revealed. That is another risk with buying from anonymous online sellers. Without being able to handle a piece prior to buying, I think sellers have an obligation to describe anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, that may have been done to an item. Thats why I stick to sellers I know rather than random online buying.

Mary

 

I agree full disclosure is crucial.
I am asking this partly because I have a lovely lavender Edwardian gown hanging on my rack. The interior is shot. I would have to pin it on the form. But replacing that boned interior is a lot of work. And I just wonder if a lot of collectors would prefer it was left alone.
Hollis

 

Good question. Well I am lucky enough to know of a good seamstress so I will buy items even if they need a repair, but if it's something like a button falling off, I appreciate the selling fixing it..

But on the whole I buy to wear or buy to sell to a buyer to wear.

If I was buying as a study piece I would prefer that it came in its original version.

 

I am fascinated about the whole topic of restoration. I would love to learn how to do a professional job on a piece.

I learned that unfortunately I can't work on art works, but I can certainly work on costume.

So yes, I hope people do restore pieces and do a good job of it. Better that than a dress disintegrating into fragments.

I'm going to be checking into courses over the summer. Does anbody know of any good ones in the NY area?

Thanks,
Arlaine

 

I'm hoping Pratt Institute will be offering a course. It's just up the street from me.

Ar

 

Hi Hollis

Personally as a buyer, I prefer if a seller leaves a garment alone (aside from sewing on buttons, fixing seams, etc). If a garment is left alone, the buyer has the option of doing the major work themselves (or having it done by someone else to their own preferences) if it is to be worn or just leaving it as is to take a pattern from or study the construction.

Even though my sewing skills are amateur at best, I don't know how someone else's skills are going to be if they attempt to fix a piece (they may be worse than mine!). I'd rather try and do it myself (and then if I make a mistake, it's my own fault) or get my friend who is able to restore things to do it.
I bought an antique corset off a website recently and the back grommet holes were noted as being ripped out. The owner of the site said she knew someone who could fix it but I declined even though it was going to be free as I did not know what kind of work they did and would have rather got the corset in the original state than have modern additions.

There is a certain website where if you pay extra, they will reline and alter an antique garment for you but as a buyer that turns me off.

As a seller, I don't bother doing any major work (aside from washing, ironing, sewing buttons etc) on an item as 1) my sewing skills aren't good enough, 2) I don't have time and 3) I feel it's better to leave the choice to the buyer and send the item in it's found form.

When it comes to shredded tin loaded linings, if they are just hanging down in shreds and nothing can be done with them even to take a pattern or use as doll's clothes, I remove the lining completely. If the shattering is just starting and everything is more or less intact, I'd leave it in and alone.
I had a c. 1907 walking outfit which had a skirt and jacket lined tin loaded taffeta. The taffeta was all hanging down in shreds and useless so I ripped it out (which was easy!). The missing lining didn't make any difference to the display or strength of the garment and I still got an excellent price for the outfit. I noted in my description that the linings had been removed due to them being completely shredded and unuseable though.

However, if you feel that your dress will be too delicate or won't display well enough to sell or wear without it's lining, then by all means if you can reline it exactly like the original lining (and reusing as much as you can from the original lining like the bones and sweat sheilds, if any), then go for it!

That's my thoughts on "to repair or not"

Lei

 

As a buyer, I have seen too many repair attempts that were
really very bad. A black silk dress underarm seam stitched in
green thread? Cheap polyester lace added to an Edwardian blouse? I am very leery now if something is
listed as having lace, etc replaced.

Sue

 

Good food for thought. Thanks you guys!

Anybody else?

Hollis

 

Great question, Hollis. I've been pondering it myself concerning a teens dress I've got - great exterior, pitiful bodice lining.

The answers here have convinced me to leave it alone. The dress is great enough to sell even with the damaged interior, and someone may benefit by studying the way it was constructed.

On a more modern garment, if the repairs are time consuming, I usually offer to do them if the buyer prefers. But repairs of a delicate nature can very quickly make you invest more hours than the price realized for the item warrants.

I've got enough sewing to do just working on my own collection! Right now I'm replacing some shattered segments on a 20s dress. But I'd not have trusted anyone else to do the repairs, except maybe you, Hollis;)

Lizzie

 

I haven't chimed in on this thread yet because I was thinking about it...
For me, as a collector, I first of all always look for items in excellent condition with the least amount of alterations or damage. That solves much of the problem right there. However, we can't always get that and have to accept some problems.

If I am positive I know what I am doing I go ahead and do it (such as returning a hemline to its original length, or taking out a bad alteration that is sloppily done and obviously not original). If I am not positive I may still do what I think is correct, but try to make it obvious that the alteration I did was an assumption, not positive by using a different coloured thread for example, or purposefully choosing a modern material, like a rayon lining instead of silk.

Most of the diddling done to items on ebay are pretty obvious and there are some sure fire ways of telling whether something is original or not - dirt lines along hems, even stitch marks, hat ornaments sewn on through linings, modern materials etc. but you can't always be sure, especially on a busy dress, like a Victorian draped 1880s dress, or a dress from the 1860s where the polonaise might have been sacrificed to repair the rest of the dress, and of course this is when I really want disclosure, which many sellers don't do, and I find excruciating to see some garments that I have handled at auctions being sold online with parts conveniently missing!

Of course when it comes right down to it. BUying off the net is scientifically impure for finding the most provenance sacred garments for a collection because its second hand information. I rarely get any provenance on anything I buy off the net, especially modern items that are sold exclusively for their design prowess and wearability. As a collector, I can't have that conversation with the original wearer or the wearer's daughter where I can get the background information and find out why the hem was raised 6 inches, or the sleeves removed... and sometimes the reason for the alteration is invaluable.

I have a bodice and skirt from the early 1890s where the remnants of the fabric used for making the bodice were included with the sale, and if you look closely, its obvious that the fabric was from a skirt of the 1880s. Interesting because there was a severe depression in 1893 and this dress dating from about 1893, is an excellent example of how even without money, an attempt was made to remain fashionable. I have similar dresses from the 1930s remade from earlier garments. Of course many 1950s dresses were hemmed and rehemmed throughout the decade, as the silhouette remained largely unchanged, but the hemline climbed. Also lots of 1940s clothes that were altered from 1930s dresses, especially ones of European origin. If the remake is successful and tells a more interesting story than the original dress might tell, then I keep the altered version, but sometimes you have no idea, and the alteration might have been for a Halloween costume.

A really good example of this are 18th century dresses that were almost always altered at some point in the 19th century for fashionable or fancy dress wear. Many times the alterations were minor and could be easily returned, but sometimes they were more drastic, and the entire dress was altered so severely that its value as an 18th century garment is completely lost. In the first case, almost every one of those dresses was conserved and returned to its former 18th century glory by museum professionals. They are just too rare to leave them as something more modern and where then their only real value is as an 18th century textile, and an example from a Victorian dress-up box for plays or a ball.

On the other hand, some museum curators refuse to alter more modern garments. A recent exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum of 1950s couture included many examples of Dior, some of which seemed far too short. The curator had decided that she did not want the garments restored to their former silhouette, which I found odd, considering the original design intent of the garment was altered by the wearer at a later date, and it would be unfair to offer up an altered dress as an example of the designer's work.

Anyways... food for thought. I don't know if there is a right or wrong answer here, other 1) If you have something which is perfect and original - LEAVE it that way, and 2)If you do something, keep notes and disclose it upon resale.

 

Wow Jonathan! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this
with us. Super information there!

This makes me think of another part of this whole subject - we now live in a throw-away society, but up until probably the late 70s, people were much more thrifty (particularly
pre 60s), and so many garments were remade as fashion and necessity dictated.

So (and gosh darn...I'm really stating the obvious here), vintage and antique clothing in their original unaltered state IS becoming more and more rare. Another reason why, as a collector I don't like to see repairs or restoration made.

I would much rather get the item, and then determine (depending what era it is from), where I want to go from there.

Sue

 

Yep mint or excellent is best, but ..............that is so hard to find. I am working my way through a huge lot right now. Most of the probelms are no brainers - popped seams, loose hooks, loose hems. A few raised hems, and if there isn't a dirt line, I like to set those back to the orignal length.

I do prefer to purchase from estates or estate auctions when possible. Then I know I am getting things in the condition they were worn. Now that might be for Halloween as Jonathan said, but the odds are better. And there may actually be a provenance with the item.

I have decided not to rebuild the interior bodice on the one dress. I will just show it as best I can.

I do have a new aquisition - a stunning rust chiffon and satin dress with beading and velvet roses - ca 1918? that is lovely, but the sleeves are dying. I will dye chiffon to match and replace them. Then I will save the originals.

I have also found a lot of early 20s dresses hemmed up to the later 20s lengths. I almost always let those hems back down as the silhouette is just to odd with the short hem.

Hollis