The 6 Hidden Flaws to Check Before You Buy Vintage
Most vintage flaws aren't visible at first glance. The piece arrives, you photograph it, and everything looks fine — until you turn it inside out, hold it to the light, and find the dry-rotted underarm or the failing zip tape. By then you've already paid for it.
These are the six flaws I check for on every piece before it goes up on the shop. If a piece has any one of them, it gets repaired, discounted heavily, or sent back. The same checks work when you're buying from someone else.
1. Underarm dry rot
The single most common vintage flaw and the silent killer of pre-1990s silk and rayon pieces. Deodorant aluminium salts react with the fibre over decades, weakening the fabric until it crumbles or tears under tension.
What it looks like: the underarm fabric is slightly yellowed or stained, with a faint crinkled texture. In advanced cases, the fabric has tiny pinholes you can see when held up to a window. Sometimes the underarm panel is visibly thinner than the surrounding fabric.
How to check from photos: ask for a photo of the underarm seam from the inside, lit from behind. If the seller refuses or sends a photo that doesn't actually show the underarm clearly, assume the worst.
Is it fixable? Sometimes — a skilled vintage repair specialist can patch the underarm with matching fabric. For a silk blouse worth €150, this might cost €60. For a €30 piece, it's not worth it.
2. Moth damage
Tiny round holes, usually clustered near the underarm, the back of the neck, or the hem. Moths eat protein fibres — wool, cashmere, silk — and they go for the parts of the garment that have absorbed sweat or body oils.
What it looks like: small round holes (1–3mm) with clean edges, often in groups of three or four close together. Not a single tear or a slash — a cluster.
How to check from photos: moth holes show up best with the piece lit from behind. Most sellers won't volunteer this view. Ask for it.
Is it fixable? Yes, by a good invisible mender. Costs around €5–€15 per hole, more for tweeds where matching the weave is hard. Worth doing on quality pieces; not worth it on basic knits.
3. Failed zip tape
The metal teeth might still work fine, but the cotton tape that holds them in place can rot or tear away from the fabric. Most common on pieces with metal zips from the 70s and 80s.
What it looks like: the zip pull moves, but the tape is fraying at the edges where it meets the seam allowance, or it's pulling away from the fabric entirely.
How to check from photos: ask for an inside photo of the zip with the piece flat. The tape should look firm and attached.
Is it fixable? Yes — any tailor can replace the zip. Cost: €15–€40 depending on the piece. Standard repair.
4. Hidden stains and bleed
Old stains that were "set" before the seller bought the piece won't come out, no matter what the laundry says. Bleed marks from colour-running dyes in earlier washes are also permanent.
What it looks like: light brown or yellowish patches, often on the front of a blouse or the lap of a skirt. Sometimes a faint pink or grey shadow from a colour that ran in a previous wash.
How to check from photos: insist on natural-light photos of any pale piece. Cheap sellers use a yellow indoor light that hides stains. A piece photographed in bright window light shows everything.
Is it fixable? Rarely. Some specialist cleaners can lift very old stains with enzyme treatments, but it's expensive and unreliable.
5. Stretched-out shoulder seams and waistbands
Vintage pieces stretched on hangers or worn hard often lose their original shoulder line. Wool especially — once a wool shoulder is pulled out of shape, its hard to put back without re-tailoring.
What it looks like: the shoulders sag or curve forward; the seam between the sleeve and the body sits below where it should. On trousers and skirts, the waistband has lost its rigid feel and rolls or twists when worn.
How to check from photos: look for a clean, flat shoulder line on a hanger. The shoulder seam should be straight, parallel to the floor. If the shoulder droops, the piece has been stretched out.
Is it fixable? Sometimes, by re-pressing or partial re-tailoring. Usually not economically worth it on anything under €100.
6. Lining failure
The lining inside a vintage coat or skirt can fail before the outer fabric. Silk linings tear at stress points; rayon linings stretch and bag; acetate linings (post-1985) can shatter into dry, brittle pieces.
What it looks like: small tears at the armpit of the lining, a bagging effect at the back of a coat, or — for acetate — actual fabric flaking off when you handle the piece.
How to check from photos: ask for an inside view of the lining at the armpit and at the back panel. A failing lining is the most common reason vintage coats and jackets get returned.
Is it fixable? Yes — a tailor can relined a jacket or coat. Cost: €60–€150 depending on the size and the fabric. Often worth it on a structurally good piece.
How I work through a piece
When a piece arrives at the shop, here's the inspection sequence:
- Hold it up to a window. Look for thin spots, pinholes, dry rot, and moth damage.
- Turn it inside out. Check the lining, the underarm panels, the seam finishes, and any interfacing.
- Run the zip up and down twice. Check the tape, not just the teeth.
- Smell it. Old perfume, mildew, and storage odours need different treatments.
- Lay it flat. Photograph anything I'd want a buyer to see before committing.
If a piece passes all six checks, it goes up at its full grade price. If it has one fixable flaw, it gets repaired and listed normally. If it has unfixable damage, it's either deeply discounted with the flaw disclosed, or it doesn't go up at all.
What to ask before you buy
Three questions cover most flaws:
- "Can you send me a photo of the underarm seam from the inside, held up to the light?"
- "Can you send me an inside photo of the zip and the lining?"
- "Are there any stains, holes, or repairs that don't show in the listing photos?"
A seller worth buying from will answer all three within a day. A seller who deflects or refuses is telling you everything you need to know.
Where to see well-graded vintage
Every listing on the shop is photographed with these flaws in mind — inside views, label close-ups, lit-from-behind shots of any thin or aged areas. Browse all current listings or Designer Vintage for the higher-value pieces I grade most carefully.
If a listing is missing a detail you want to check before buying, email hi@bohemefolk.com and I'll send it.
— Victoria