Vintage Haute Couture – How To Identify It

Posted by admin on March 16, 2010

Haute couture vintage is rare, and when you are lucky enough to find a piece, you are going to pay for it (unless you are lucky enough to find the deal of a lifetime from a seller who doesn’t really know the treasure they have).

So, if you are ready to plunk down some serious cash for a haute couture piece, you better know what to look for. Especially true if you are buying it online from somewhere like eBay or Etsy; you need to know the questions to ask and the details to check.

Haute couture is a term used for a garment that was ordered specifically for a wealthy client from the design house directly. It is often a one of a kind piece, and thus the high price tag. This differs greatly from mass produced ready to wear designer vintage; these are pieces you would have found in the stores for the general public. Even most high end vintage labels like Channel are mostly designer vintage, not haute couture.

Check to see if the haute couture item in question has a small label with an inventory number on it. This is usually by the designer label. Sometimes you will find the number written in ink so it may be faded and hard to see. This number was linked to the client who ordered the piece. Sometimes though the wealthy client would remove the labels if they traveled overseas to avoid having to pay import duties on the garment when they entered the country.

Check the details of construction of the piece. Is the fabric a high quality? Is there hand stitching? Stunning hardware? Buttonholes that were hand bound? Do the snaps and zippers appear to be sewn in by hand? These are all details you would find in a haute couture piece. French seams are also a good indicator an item is haute couture. A French seam is a method of craftsmanship where the selvage edge is hidden. This is a very labor intensive construction method, usually never seen in massed produced clothing.

If there is embroidery or detailing on the piece, look at it carefully. Thinner, finer threads mean more work. Check the back of the piece; are the knots visible and do they appear hand created? They should. (You may need a magnifying glass to check for sure).

Hopefully, if you are serious vintage clothing collector you will get to have at least one haute couture item in your collection over time.

If you have one already, what is it? I’d love to know!