Valuable Vintage: The Insider's Guide to Identifying and Collecting Important Vintage Fashions

Rating:
Summary: This book really cuts to the bone of the Vintage Business
Review: I have purchased many books about vintage which are somewhat "Dated" in style, and yes Mason dresses big name celebrities, and that seems to be the major driving force behind the vintage industry today, as well as the designers who are using vintage to inspire their latest incarnations. If you are interested and have the money to shop at this level then this is a terrific book, with great photographs and wonderful biographies on important designers from the past who carved the way for the new designers from Zac Prozen, to Rick Owen or Imitation of Christ. It looks like there was a lot of hard work poured into this reference guide and I have found it to be extremely valuable at setting the record straight, giving great insight to an industry and lifestyle I can only dream of. This is not `Goodwill Shopping' or for the person with a `Beer Bottle Pocket', this is vintage for the Privilege class. I have seen Ms. Mason interviewed on television many times and she seems to be speaking from the heart with an abundance of knowledge and true passion, you can really tell she loves what she does and it certainly comes through in her book.

Rating:
Summary: I Love Your Book
Review: I love your book! (Valuable Vintage) I've been collecting designer vintage for some years now because I love to wear it! After filling all closets in my home I decided to establish my hobby and passion into a profitable business. I recently picked up your book and have happily discovered unfamiliar labels in my collection listed in your book! How fun! It has been a super reference-thanks!

Graciously,
Tina

Rating:
Summary: Forget this book!
Review: This book has it all (or has nothing, depending on how you look at it): Unhelpful "advice" on how to find and sell vintage clothing, a price guide for clothing that isn't even illustrated in the book (come on... Pucci made a million of those now famous "mod" dresses... a vague description isn't going to cut it!), pictures of only HER clothing with no estimated value next to them, and an overall arrogant tone throughout the entire book. She basically states in so many words that you will fail in this business unless you can open up a posh boutique in L.A. (like her) and cater to the Hollywood elite. There is a nice short biography section on various designers, but that's not the point of this book, now is it? This book is nothing more than a 350+ page advertisement for her own store's clothing. She shouldn't include retail sales (from her store and a couple of others) in her price guide. Some values go back as far as the early nineties, that's too far back, and she also includes Christie's Oscar Dress Auction, which was a media-hyped charity auction from the late nineties. It's not a reliable source for pricing. I give this book two thumbs down, WAY down.

Rating:
Summary: Forget this book!
Review: This book has it all (or has nothing, depending on how you look at it): Unhelpful "advice" on how to find and sell vintage clothing, a price guide for clothing that isn't even illustrated in the book (come on... Pucci made a million of those now famous "mod" dresses... a vague description isn't going to cut it!), pictures of only HER clothing with no estimated value next to them, and an overall arrogant tone throughout the entire book. She basically states in so many words that you will fail in this business unless you can open up a posh boutique in L.A. (like her) and cater to the Hollywood elite. There is a nice short biography section on various designers, but that's not the point of this book, now is it? This book is nothing more than a 350+ page advertisement for her own store's clothing. She shouldn't include retail sales (from her store and a couple of others) in her price guide. Some values go back as far as the early nineties, that's too far back, and she also includes Christie's Oscar Dress Auction, which was a media-hyped charity auction from the late nineties. It's not a reliable source for pricing. I give this book two thumbs down, WAY down.

Rating:
Summary: I Have Been Waiting For This Book!!!
Review: Wow, I have to say I have been waiting a long time for this book. I have been collecting for many years, but never was able to find a satifactory referrence guide to important designer vintage. This book has it all! I just wish I could afford all the wonderful vintage that is out there in the world. This book sets you straight on the vintage industry as a whole, from the fashion design business to the little girl collector like me! The value listings are very helpful and the hundreds of biographies on the designers simply cut to the chase....where were they and when, as well as the puntuation marks of their careers. I also found the referral to the best vintage businesses worldwide very useful, now if the book only came with a plane ticket to Paris I would be thrilled! In my oppinion a must have for any serious vintage collector.