When it comes to vintage clothing, the “grades” refer to the condition of the garment.
You may have seen vintage sellers describing the condition of clothing as “good” or “fair” – but what do these words mean in a physical sense?
What is the vintage clothing grading system?
The grading system is a way to assess the quality and level of wear of a vintage garment, and it can be helpful for both buyers and sellers to determine a fair price for the item.
Although the grading system is a good way to get an idea of the item’s condition, it’s still a subjective system and is based on the seller’s personal assessment of the garment.
What are the different grades in the vintage grading system?
The grading system varies depending on the source and can use either words or letters of the alphabet.
Word-based grading system:
- Deadstock/new: This means that the garment is unused, unworn, and still has its original tags or packaging.
- Excellent: This means that the garment is in near-perfect condition with no visible signs of wear or damage. This is pretty unusual to find with vintage clothing – you would expect most items that have been around for years or decades to show at least some wear.
- Very good: This means that the garment is in great condition with very few signs of wear. At most, there may be minor marks on the fabric or slight wear.
- Good: This means that the garment is in decent condition, but may have some more noticeable wear and tear; there might be more worn areas of fabric, bobbling, water marks, small stains or flaws.
- Fair: This means that the garment is wearable but showing its age. There may be holes, stains or discolouration.
- Poor: This means that the garment is heavily damaged and may not be wearable without significant repair.
Alphabet-based grading system:
- A – Excellent: Expect near-perfect condition with no visible signs of wear or damage.
- B – Very good: The garment is in great condition with only minor signs of wear.
- C – Good: The garment is in decent condition, but may have some expected wear and tear and flaws.
- D – Fair: The garment is wearable but showing signs of its age. Expect some holes, stains or discoloration. Repairs may be needed.
- E – Poor: The garment is heavily damaged and may not be wearable without significant repair.
Within each grade, a plus sign (+) indicates a slightly higher level of quality, while a minus sign (-) indicates a slightly lower level of quality. For example, a B+ garment would be considered to be in slightly better condition than a straight B garment.
Can you trust the vintage grading system?
The vintage grading system gives a good idea about what you can expect to receive. However, it’s important to bear in mind that the grading system is subjective and can vary depending on the individual assessing the garment.
It’s always a good idea to thoroughly inspect the item and ask for detailed photos and descriptions before making a purchase.
Buying vintage from The Loop
At The Loop, we use the word-based grading system; we think it’s a good method for describing the quality of vintage clothing (and a bit less robotic than using just letters).
We make every effort to accurately describe our vintage items, including photos of any wear and detailed descriptions of each item.
It’s important to us that you feel comfortable making a purchase, so we always welcome questions and enquiries and are happy to supply additional photos or videos of any of our items.
Most of all, we want you to love your vintage piece as much as we do!
The Loop 
Leave a comment