No, there is no magic land where we dealers go to find decades old fashion items in such remarkable condition. I wish there were!
The truth is much less exciting. Most of us who offer vintage in such good condition work at it. Plain old fashioned hard work… cleaning, mending and restoring. Even items that were stored away in perfect condition often need attention, as time and the elements have a way of taking their toll. The most dramatic results I have had when restoring vintage has been with handbags.
The first thing I do before I purchase a vintage bag is to look beneath the tired and dusty exterior for quality of materials and sound construction. I then look to make sure there are no “fatal flaws” these would include dried cracked leather, broken hardware and significant holes in the lining. Once a bag is found to be redeemable and if the price is right I bring it home and get to work. The first step is to remove dust and dirt. I keep cut up rags around for this purpose since paper towels tend to disintegrate. If the bag is leather or vinyl dampen the cloth with plain water and wipe the bag down. If there is stubborn dirt use Windex then wipe with just water. Murphys Oil soap is also a good cleaner especially for greasy dirt. ALWAYS test a product in an inconspicuous area before using. This would even apply to water since a few leathers, especially older ones spot easily. If the inside if the bag has debris turn it upside down and shake then wipe with a barely damp rag. You can also use a Dust Buster if the bag is large, but be careful not to damage the lining. Sometimes this is all you need to do to restore a bag back to it’s lovely self but more often there are other issues to be addressed.
Scuffmarks are common and require special attention. I use a product called Goo Gone, which removes most scuffmarks and does not seem to harm surfaces. It can be found in almost any hardware store. I would recommend though that you again test in an inconspicuous area. You may have heard that lighter fluid is a good scuff remover. In the old days when I was young and felt indestructible, I used lighter fluid.. It worked fine but is VERY flammable and can be sooo…. Dangerous. Not to mention the fumes are awful. My Mom tells me they actually used kerosene to “dry clean” clothing when she was young. YIKES!!! There are plenty of safe products on the market so there is no need to use anything dangerous.
Another very common flaw is worn edges especially with leather. I have had so many bags (black in particular) where the color has worn off the edges. This makes the bag look tattered and tired. If the material is still in good condition and just the color has worn off this is easily remedied. Pick up some shoe dye in the color of the bag and if there is none to match buy a package of artists’ markers (make sure they are indelible). Gently touch up the faded places with the proper color and make sure to blend the edges. VOILA! Your bag will look 100 times better.
Once you have cleaned and touched up your bag it is time to work on the finish. Here you will treat the surface the same way you would fine shoes. Leather can be nourished first with mink oil then polished with good shoe polish. I invested in an electric rotary brush for shoes and it is amazing the luster it puts on leather bags as well. Vinyl can look as good as new with any product you use on car interiors (again a good hardware store). Patent leather will shine with a Windex wipe and a tiny bit of Vaseline worked into the surface.
One of my best discoveries came when I had purchased a number of vinyl and patent leather bags. They had been stored for years stuffed in a cardboard box. The surfaces were warped and dented and no amount of cleaning helped. I was about to give up on them when I had a bright idea. Since I was a hatmaker for a number of years I knew the magic of steam. There was nothing to loose; the bags were not usable in their current condition so I tried an experiment. I put on a kettle of water to boil and brought up a good head of steam. The first bag I tried was a cute black patent vinyl number from the 1950s. I held the bag a few inches from the spout and kept it in motion while the steam hit the surface. The results were immediate AND miraculous. The entire surface became smooth again. I was able to restore nearly every bag in the box this way. The key here is to keep the bag in motion so the steam does not hurt the material AND be very careful not to let your fingers get burned. You should do this with oven mitts on but still do not get too close with your hands. Steam burns are just as bad as scalding water AND they happen in a second. (Yes, I am a Mother)
Another great discovery I made was how to brighten up the hardware on vintage bags. A lot of vintage handbag frames are as beautiful as jewelry but the finish can become dull and drab looking. You can use chrome polish to brighten the dull ones but there did not seem to be anything I could do if the finish was worn off. One afternoon I was gilding an old picture frame with a product called Rub and Buff. Sitting on the sideboard next to me was my favorite Koret bag from the 1950s. It has a stunning Florentine goldtone clasp but the gold had worn down and it made the whole bag look drab. For the heck of it I tried the Rub and Buff, in gold on the clasp and it came out great. I thought, well that’s nice but will it wear well. The answer is YES! I have used the bag many times over the past couple years and it still looks great. Art and craft stores carry Rub and Buff and it comes in different shades of gold and silver.
Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to bring a vintage handbag back to life, often it is more involved. Each and every time though I find tremendous satisfaction in restoring these vintage treasures.
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