Heads up: those 'restored' vintage wool blazers on eBay might be poly blend fakes

Bought a sweet plaid number last month that the seller claimed was 100% wool from the 70s. Tag looked legit, label was worn out. Got it home and did a burn test on a loose thread. Smelled like plastic and melted into a hard bead. 100% polyester. Ran into a guy at a knife show in Denver who said he's seen the same thing from 3 different sellers. Theyre taking old generic jackets, swapping the tags, and passing them off as vintage. Check the inside seams for a care tag hidden under the liner. If theres no trace of original labels or the stitching looks too clean, walk away. Anyone else run into this?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_park67d ago

23 years ago I bought a "vintage" leather jacket from a flea market in Tucson that turned out to be painted vinyl. The guy swore it was buffalo hide and even had some old dude next to him backing him up. I feel your pain on the burn test trick, I always carry a lighter now just in case I find something at a swap meet. Found a real 60s Pendleton shirt last week though so the good stuff is still out there you just have to dig more.

alicecooper7d ago

I used to roll my eyes at the burn test thing but @sage_park6 being a fellow lighter-carrier makes me feel a lot better about it, especially after I got burned on a fake wool blazer too. You're right, that clean stitching is a dead giveaway every time.