Just read an excellent blog post by Jody Steinman of Couture Allure that covers the unfortunate practice of label fraud in the vintage fashion industry.  I feel it is my duty to direct anyone who is new to collecting/buying vintage clothing or knows someone who is,  to read her article on fraudulent label switching for invaluable information on how to detect counterfeit designer vintage fashions.

The majority of  dealers in the vintage clothing industry are very hard working, reputable people who really care about their business reputation.  But vintage fashions, just like other popular collectibles,  are prone to being misrepresented by the  few unscrupulous sellers looking to make a quick buck or even by  inexperienced sellers who have just jumped into the market without any prior education in their field .

I have witnessed this first hand and touched on it briefly in my website article,  Insiders Guide to Buying and Wearing Vintage Clothing. One example that comes to mind is the  dealer who tried to sell me a lovely 1950s prom dress with a  Valentino label sewn into it.   She claimed that it was worth the high price she was asking  because it had a designer label.   It had a designer label all right, but it was from the 1980s!

Another very informative buyer beware article to read on this subject was written by Hollis Jenkins Evans who owns Past Perfect Vintage.

If anyone reading this post has ever witnessed examples of label fraud please feel free to share.  The more aware vintage consumers become, the less  disreputable dealers will be able to get away with their shady practices!