How to look after your vintage

Our vintage items are lovingly cared for in store meaning you get to take home a stylish piece of fashion history. We’ve pulled together some of our top tips below that will help avoid stretching, marking and other permanent damage when caring for your items at home.

Store your vintage clothes away from direct sunlight in a dry and dust free environment.

Let your clothes breath, don't keep them in plastic dry cleaning covers

Delicate woollen and heavy items should be folded and stored on a shelf or in a drawer to avoiding stretching

If storing vintage pieces together you can avoid creases and permanent damage by placing your heavier items at the bottom. For extra protection, fold them with acid free/unbleached tissue paper as well.

As Joan Crawford said “No wire hangers!” - always use cloth covered padded or wooden hangers

Delicate fabrics such as silk should be stored folded over the hanger bar, or carefully folded and stored in a drawer or on a shelf. The same applies to beaded, sequin or heavy items.

Delicate fabrics such as chiffon, tulle and voile should be turned inside out when storing to avoid snagging. Always do up any hooks or fasteners and avoid contact with heavily beaded or sequin items.

Help maintain hat shapes by stuffing them with acid free tissue.

Vintage bags should be stored in cloth bags when possible. Avoid squashing to protect their shape and any delicate beadwork.

Moths are the enemy of vintage clothing. We find lavender sachets and cedar wood blocks work for us but do your research and find the right product for you.

The main rule in terms of washing your vintage clothing is that if you are unsure what to do – do your research or seek professional advice. There are so many different opinions so below I’ve shared some of the ways that we use to clean and care for our vintage pieces before they reach us in store and online and some insight as to how items can last the test of time.

The best way to preserve vintage clothing is to wash it as little as possible…although this is not always possible. If you need to wash them try to do this as little as possible. A good airing can often work just as well for removing odour without damaging the garment.

Clothing care labels didn’t generally appear in the UK until the 1970s but if your vintage piece does have a care label then do heed its advice.

Just because there is a label with a guide it doesn't always guarantee success, especially if it's from the 1970s or before - sometimes a hand wash is the safest option

Many fabrics are not suitable for machine washing. Some can cope with a short light wash and a quick spin but others definitely won’t be able to so check for labels or research before doing so.

It is generally advisable to hand wash vintage clothing, unless there is a care label which states the garment can be dry cleaned.

If you have access to a professional steam cleaning tool, then this is also a good option for cleaning clothes if you are 100% sure the fabric will cope with this method.

For dry cleaning make sure your dry cleaner understands the delicate nature of vintage clothing.

A good dry cleaner should ask you if you want them to remove buttons or trims pre-cleaning, this helps to avoid damage or loss during the process

If you are going to machine wash a vintage piece, then do so on a short cycle at 30 degrees instead of a higher temperature. This will help prolong the garment’s life.

Allow items to dry naturally. Never use a tumble dryer for vintage clothing

Some fabrics will melt under a hot iron so always use a low setting and put a cloth between the iron and the fabric and take care.

Avoid ironing over fastenings (zips, buttons, hooks etc.) or appliqué details added onto a garment.

Let your vintage clothing breathe. Try not to wear the same item two days in a row without airing it.

Deal with stains immediately, if left untreated it can cause items to be permanently damaged.

Repair small rips and tears immediately, as they will only get bigger and more damaged if you don’t.

Open and close metal zippers slowly and gently to avoid snagging any of the teeth.