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SIMPLE TRICKS FOR DATING & DETERMINING THE AGE OF VINTAGE CLOTHING

A Buyer and Seller's Guide To Vintage

In the world of vintage fashion, looks can be deceiving. It is very easy to clash decades together. What appears to be from the forties could really be from the sixties, and what appears to be from the sixties could just as easily be a modern retro style. More and more, we see beloved fashions from the past reintroduced on today's runways. So now, while there is no degree for dating vintage clothing, you can learn a few tricks of the trade and with enough experience become an expert. For me, I've read several books and price guides and spent hours and hours (literally) on the internet doing research. Whether you're buying or selling vintage, you can use this guide to help determine the age of a garment. While most of these are the exception, not the rule, it can at least help you narrow an item down to a decade.

GARMENT LABELS ARE YOUR FRIEND

1. WPL (#) NUMBERS: WPL #s are the predecessor of the RN number. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) issued WPL numbers after The Wool Products Labeling Act Of 1939 began. WPL #s were used from 1941 to 1959. These numbers began at 00101 and ended at 13669 and were issued upon request to U.S. companies. So what does a WPL number on a label tell you? Only that the garment was not made before 1941. Any company who was issued a WPL number between 1941 and 1959 may still use it today in place of an RN #. However, a WPL number combined with other 'clues' can be very helpful in narrowing down the date.

2. RN (#) NUMBERS: An RN number (registered identification number), like the WPL number, is issued by the FTC upon request to U.S. companies. Textile and garment manufacturers may use their RN number in place of the company's name. RN numbers were first issued from 1952 to 1959 under the Fur Products Labeling Act. These RN numbers begin at 00101 and end at 04086. Beginning in 1959, WPL numbers were no longer used and only RN numbers were issued. The first RN number in this series issued in 1959 was 13670. Now it is estimated that an average of 2,635 numbers were issued each year by the FTC. Therefore, with a little basic math you can figure out the RN issue date. Let's say that your clothing label has an RN number that is 16627. You would subtract 13670 (the 1st number) from 16627 (your RN) then divide it by 2,635 (average issued numbers each year).

16627-13670=2,957 2,957/2,635=1.12

With this calculation we can estimate that this RN number was issued one year after this series began, so 1960. That tells us that this particular item was made no earlier than 1960. Furthermore, any garment with an RN number will not be any older than 1959 unless the number is between 00101 and 04086, then it MAY be dated no older than 1952.

In 1998 the FTC created an RN database. With your RN number you can search their database and find the name of the company that the number is issued to. You can also search by the company's name to find their RN number. This can be very helpful with mystery labels! When you research your garment's RN # in the database it will show that the RN was issued in 1998 or after. This is not the case. All RN numbers registered before the database was created will have the issue year as 1998 by default. Expired RNs are not in the database

3. TEXTILE LABELS: In 1960 the FTC created The Textile Products Identification Act. This act states that a company must properly identify the fabric content's percentage on the tag, label, or stamp of a textile garment exclusive of decoration that is less than 5%. That does not mean that clothing before 1960 did not have the fabric contents on their labels though it would be rare to see a percentage. It just wasn't required. My general rule is that a garment which states "Rayon" or "All Rayon" will often be older than a garment that is "100% Rayon". Once again, this is the exception, not the rule, as "All Rayon" may still be used today if the garment is in fact only Rayon. This, combined with knowledge of RNs and WPLs can be very helpful. If your clothing's RN # is 13699 and the label just says "Nylon", I think it is safe to place this item between 1959 and 1960.

4. GARMENT CARE LABELS: In 1971, the FTC, to further aide in consumer protection, created The Care Labeling Rule, which was amended in 1983. This rule states that a textile manufacturer must state proper garment care on the label. This includes washing, drying, ironing, bleaching, and dry cleaning. While some finer items predating 1971 may have garment care on the labels, it is not often seen. In 1997 this rule was updated and now allows companies to use symbols in place of writing for garment care. More often than not, clothing with garment care will have been produced after 1971. Clothing which uses a symbol guide on the label will have been made after July 1997.

5: UNION LABELS: Union Labels can be very helpful in dating vintage, as their labels have changed over time.

ACWA: The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America was formed in 1914 and joined the AFL(American Federation of Labor) in 1933. In 1933 the ACWA began including a union label in all the union made garments. From 1934 to 1936 the ACWA tag had an illustration of a diamond with the union's sewing machine symbol and scissors in the center. Across the center of the label are red letters, going through the diamond. On the left the label it will say "Union Made" followed by "Garment" or "Suit" or "Work Clothes". This tag will also have "Workers Of America" with copyright 1934 by ACW of A below it. This tag was also used from 1936 to 1939, but will have a 1936 copyright date. From 1939 to 1949 a similar tag was used with the addition of the union bug stamp with the number 80. The copyright for this label is 1939. In 1949 the label changed. The sewing machine within the diamond remained in the center, but the scissors were removed. The red numbers will be on the left, not the center, and the copyright date is 1949. This label was used from 1949 to 1962. In 1962 a circled R was added to the bottom left of the tag. The copyright will still be 1949. Years later the numbers were black instead of red.

ILGWU: The International Ladies Garment Workers Union was formed in 1900 and was a member of the AFL from 1900 to 1936. Labels from this time will say "ILGWU AFL". From 1936 to 1940 the ILGWU worked with the CIO (Committee for Industrial Organizations). The labels read "ILGWU CIO". They went back to working with the AFL from 1940 to 1955 so once again, the label will say "ILGWU AFL". In 1955, the AFL merged with CIO and formed the AFL-CIO. Labels from late 1955 to 1995 will say "ILGWU AFL-CIO". Other garments dated between 1975 and 1992 may also have a Union Label campaign tag. Union Labels from 1995 to 2004 will say "UNITE!". From 2004 on they will read "UNITE HERE".

While this information can help you greatly in dating vintage please keep in mind that labels were used until they ran out. Therefore, even though the ACWA labels changed several times, the older labels were used before the new labels. So a copyright 1939 label could have been placed on an item produced in 1949 after the new label had been issued.

6: COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Country of origin labels have been used in the U.S. since the McKinley Act in 1891.

To research an RN number or review any of the listed garment laws visit the Federal Trade Commission's website: www.ftc.gov

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