Condition Lexicon

Click me!

deadstock

UNWORN, ORIGINAL TAGS

Never worn, sometimes with its original tags still intact • a time capsule.

“Deadstock, with its original Jaeger price tag still looped through the buttonhole. Someone bought this and never found the occasion. Their loss is yours entirely.”

exhibition condition

EXCELLENT, NO FLAWS

As close to new as a vintage piece can honestly be • no signs of wear, no alterations, no apologies.

“Exhibition condition. The lining hasn’t creased, the buttons haven’t loosened. It has been waiting for someone who deserves it.”

well-loved

GOOD CONDITION, SOME WEAR

Honest wear from a life being lived. Nothing structural, everything characterful.

“Well-loved, as all the best things are. The collar has softened slightly and there is a gentle pulling at the left cuff, evidence of someone who wore this often and well.”

archive-ready

VERY GOOD, MINOR AGE

The kind of piece a museum textile department would accept without hesitation.

“Archive-ready. Minor age throughout, as expected from a piece of this era, but structurally immaculate. The kind of garment that rewards care.”

patina of use

SURFACE SHEEN FROM WEARING

When fabric has developed a particular glow from contact with skin and movement: not deterioration, transformation.

“The elbows carry a patina of use, that characteristic sheen that only comes from years of leaning on interesting surfaces.”

memory seam

LET-OUT OR TAKEN-IN ALTERATION

Evidence that this garment has been adjusted for a body: a form of intimate history.

“A memory seam at the waist suggests this was once taken in; it can easily be let out again for a contemporary fit.”

loved-in softness

FABRIC SOFTENED FROM WEAR

When a collar, cuff, or hem has worn to a state that is arguably better than new.

“The collar has a loved-in softness that no new garment can replicate, the kind that happens only with years of contact with someone’s particular warmth.”

press memory

OLD CREASE OR IRON MARK

A ghost of a former pleat or crease, visible in certain lights.

“A press memory at the front pleat: visible at certain angles, invisible in motion. Steam will coax it out entirely, should you wish.”

ghost press

FAINT IRON MARK ON FABRIC

Faint residual marking from an iron, lighter than the surrounding fabric.

“A ghost press on the inner left cuff, barely visible, and only mentioned so that nothing surprises you.”

light traveller’s crease

FOLD MARKS FROM STORAGE

Creasing from being folded in storage: not a flaw, a journey.

“Light traveller’s crease throughout from storage, which will drop out naturally with a day’s wear or a cool iron.”

moth kiss

SMALL MOTH HOLE

A tiny, singular hole, evidence of a wardrobe with wool in it.

“One moth kiss at the lower hem, approximately 3mm, barely visible against the texture of the tweed, but here it is, in full disclosure.”

sun blush

FADING FROM LIGHT EXPOSURE

Differential fading where light has caught a garment, usually on shoulders or backs.

“A sun blush on the upper back where the fabric has faded slightly: a lighter version of itself, as if remembering a particular afternoon.”

character marks

MINOR SURFACE SPOTS OR MARKS

Small marks that do not compromise the garment, the kind that tell a story.

“Two small character marks on the left breast, faint, the size of a thumbnail, visible on close inspection. We imagine ink; we cannot confirm it.”

whisper of a stain

VERY FAINT, TREATED STAIN

Evidence of something that was dealt with: present but not intrusive.

“A whisper of a stain at the inner hem, barely perceptible against the lining’s pattern. We mention it; you will likely never think of it again.”

honest mend

VISIBLE REPAIR OR DARNING

A repair that does not hide itself, and is more interesting for it.

“An honest mend at the right elbow in a slightly darker thread: someone who valued this piece enough to keep it.”

buttonhole fatigue

STRETCHED BUTTONHOLE(S)

One or more buttonholes that have widened slightly from use: functional, fixable.

“Minor buttonhole fatigue on the two lower closures. A tailor will take twenty minutes and a glass of something to put it right.”

seam conversation

SLIGHT SEAM STRESS OR SEPARATION

A seam that has begun to speak, not split, but asking for a few stitches of attention.

“A seam conversation at the left underarm: a centimetre of separation that needs a needle and thread and nothing more.”

silvered

PILLING OR SURFACE WEAR ON DARK FABRIC

When dark fabric has developed lighter surface fibres from friction.

“Slightly silvered at the seat and inner thigh, the natural fate of dark wool trousers that have been worn as they deserve.”

napped and embracing

RAISED SOFT SURFACE: MOHAIR, FLANNEL, CASHMERE

Fabric with a soft raised pile that catches and holds, the kind that wants to be touched.

“Napped and embracing: this brushed mohair has a quality that makes you want to keep your hands in the pockets indefinitely.”

gossamer

VERY FINE, SHEER FABRIC

Weightless. The kind of fabric you hold up to the light.

“Gossamer silk chiffon, not for the uncertain. This is a garment that moves before you do.”

scratchy-beautiful

TEXTURED, SLIGHTLY ROUGH WOOL OR BOUCLE

The particular quality of fabric that is demanding on skin and entirely worth it.

“Scratchy-beautiful in the manner of the best tweeds. It will soften against your body within an hour, and become something else entirely.”

weighted silk

HEAVY, DRAPED SILK OR CREPE

Silk with unusual density: it falls rather than floats.

“Weighted silk crepe that falls in long, serious lines. This is not a shy garment.”

board-stiff with intention

STRUCTURED, HEAVILY INTERFACED FABRIC

Fabric that holds its shape by design, architectural rather than accidental.

“Board-stiff with intention: the kind of structured wool that stands away from the body, creating its own geometry.”

tobacco

WARM, DARK BROWN-AMBER

A brown with warmth and depth, the colour of something enjoyed.

“Tobacco wool: neither brown nor amber, but the precise colour of a cashmere sweater left in a good light.”

oyster

OFF-WHITE, WARM CREAM-GREY

The particular not-quite-white of good linen and old silk.

“Oyster silk: not cream, not ivory, but the colour of something coastal and considered.”

faded to beauty

COLOUR HAS SOFTENED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM AGE

When a colour has aged into something more interesting than it began.

“Originally navy, we suspect, now faded to beauty, somewhere between slate and midnight, with an unevenness that no dye house could replicate.”

ink

DEEP BLUE-BLACK

A dark blue so deep it reads black in certain lights.

“Ink wool, which will read as black in every room until you step into sunlight, at which point it reveals itself entirely.”

blush-worn

PINK THAT HAS FADED SLIGHTLY

A pink that has softened from wear or age into something more complex.

“Blush-worn silk: the original pink deepened by time into a colour that flatters everyone. Lucky accident.”

unsigned masterwork

NO LABEL, HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION

No label, but the construction speaks for itself: French seams, hand-finishing, the particular weight of good interfacing.

“An unsigned masterwork, no label remains, but the hand-rolled hem and French seams throughout suggest a maker who saw no need to advertise.”

label ghost

LABEL REMOVED, FAINT OUTLINE REMAINS

Evidence of where a label once was, sometimes more interesting than the label itself.

“A label ghost at the neckline suggests something was removed, perhaps by a previous owner who preferred anonymity, perhaps by a dry cleaner. The mystery remains.”

Continental provenance

LIKELY EUROPEAN-MADE

The particular quality of construction associated with French, Italian, or German ateliers.

“Continental provenance: the cut is too considered, the finishing too insistent to be anything but European. Our best guess is French, possibly late sixties.”

atelier whisper

HIGH-END OR COUTURE CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

Details that suggest the hands of a skilled couturier, without the documentation to prove it.

“An atelier whisper throughout: the sleeve head has been eased by hand, the buttonholes are worked in silk, the hem is weighted with a chain of impossible lightness.”