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❦   downloadable references  ❦

The Shop

Era cheat sheets, identification flashcards, designer compendiums, the sizing wheel. PDFs you can print and carry to the fair.

Sold through Gumroad. Instant download. The site's editorial content is and will stay free — these are reformats of the deep guides, designed for offline reference at fairs, in shops, and in conservation work. Disclosure.

The Complete Library

Every PDF on the shop, one price, save the most.

The Complete Library Bundle

$79

All era cheat sheets + all flashcard decks + designer compendium + pocket guide + sizing wheel. Save $140.

Coming soon

Era Dating Cheat Sheets

Four-page laminate-ready references, one per era. The fastest way to date a piece in the field.

Victorian Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Four-page laminate-ready PDF: silhouette by sub-era, construction tells, label cues, fabric palette, common fakes.

Coming soon

Edwardian Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Four-page PDF: S-bend corset silhouette, lace construction, hand-applied insertion identification.

Coming soon

1910s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Pre-war Poiret silhouettes vs wartime utility, hobble-skirt diagnostics.

Coming soon

1920s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Flapper-era beadwork construction, fringe identification, dropped-waist diagnostics.

Coming soon

1930s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Bias-cut diagnostic test, Vionnet vs Mainbocher vs Augustabernard distinctions.

Coming soon

1940s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

CC41 utility labels, L-85 American restrictions, Dior New Look construction.

Coming soon

1950s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Couture vs ready-to-wear vs home-sewn diagnostics, Balenciaga gazar identification.

Coming soon

1960s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Mod vs Mary Quant vs Courrèges, Saint Laurent Mondrian construction.

Coming soon

1970s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Halston Ultrasuede vs JC Penney era, DVF wrap-dress diagnostics.

Coming soon

1980s Dating Cheat Sheet

$9

Mugler shoulder construction, Alaïa spiral seaming, founder-era vs reissue identification.

Coming soon

Identification Flashcard Decks

Print-and-cut decks for the four most common dating diagnostics: closures, labels, fabrics, seams.

Closures Flashcard Deck

$14

Talon · Conmar · Crown · Lightning · YKK zippers; Dot/Gripper snaps; lacing; velcro. 36 cards.

Coming soon

Labels & Designers Flashcard Deck

$14

ILGWU label generations, RN/WPL numbers, country-of-origin date ranges, 22 designer labels. 48 cards.

Coming soon

Fabrics & Dyes Flashcard Deck

$14

Burn test results, weighted-silk shattering, synthetic dye timeline, printing technique identification. 30 cards.

Coming soon

Seams & Construction Flashcard Deck

$14

French / flat-felled / Hong Kong / pinking / serging — date the seam, date the garment. 24 cards.

Coming soon

Compendiums & Pocket Guides

Longer reference works — every designer in one place, phone-pocket field guide, sizing wheel.

Designer Identification Compendium

$29

Every designer profile compiled: 22 houses, label evolution timelines, auction citations, authentication notes. 80 pages.

Coming soon

Decade at a Glance — Pocket Guide

$19

Phone-screen sized PDF, 1900-1989 silhouettes and tells in one place. Field reference.

Coming soon

Vintage Sizing Conversion Wheel

$12

Printable circular reckoner — 1940s size 14 to modern, with bust/waist/hip cross-reference.

Coming soon

All products are downloadable PDFs delivered immediately after purchase. Refunds within 14 days, no questions asked, on request to hello@antiquecostume.com.