When you are looking to buy vintage, you will hear a lot of terminology that may make you think there is a whole new language. It's true that a vintage buyer can be exposed to some unusual terms, so here's just a few that come up fairly often that are good to know about... NOS, Deadstock, Mint, Documented, Horsehair hem Let's start with NOS, this stands for New Old Stock. Sounds like a contradiction but the item is exactly what it describes. It's old stock, but new. So it's stock from a store that has not ever been worn, it generally still has it's original tags attached. Sometimes (depending on the item) the tags are cooler than the garment! The down side with NOS items is that because they have been stored for such a long time they can have a musty odour. Not always of course, but in my experience more often than not because they have never been laundered.  Deadstock is another way of saying NOS. It means the stock was still in the store and unsold, so it's "dead". It's not always safe to assume that deadstock or NOS is unattractive, in fact that's not the case at all. Sometimes these items were purchased by their owner and the tags were left on as the owner never wore the item. It could have been a special piece that was being "saved" for that special occasion that never came. So even though it was owned, it was not ever worn, tags are still intact so the item is deadstock. Mint means in absolute pristine condition. The item may have tags on or tags off. Sometimes you may see the item described as Mint NOS or Mint Deadstock. This simply means the item is in perfect condition with no flaws, faults or issues. There has been a new word "trend" that I've noticed that some sellers are using and that is the new term called Minty. This is, in my view, a bit of a deceptive way of saying it's like new, but not really. It's new-ish. Mint-ish. Minty. But not mint. This makes no sense to me! Documented - a documented item is one that comes with a historical record of its past. This is a word that is commonly (in my opinion) misused in the vintage clothing community. Some people refer to a documented item as one that has an advertisement from the past showing the same garment modelled. Whilst this may provide some context and information about the year of the garment's production, it is not technically documented. For an item to be documented, it should have provenance. An item with provenance has a written historical and/or photographic record of the specific item's history. For example, this may include an original receipt of purchase, photographs of the previous owner wearing the garment, letters that refer to the specific garment or records of sale through things such as auctions or private sales. This can help date the item and also reveals information about its past. To find a documented item is a thing of joy, and these items often have immense value, not always because of the specific garment itself, but because of the historical significance around it. Horsehair Hem is a very strange term as it generally doesn't involve horse hair at all. It is actually a braided or plaited netting that is usually used in the hem of a garment to give it structure, weight and shape. I believe that originally back in very early times this trim was made with the hair from the mane or tail of a horse, hence the name. However in garments made in the 1950s and later this is usually made from a fishing line type nylon that is woven into a very fine netting. Horsehair hem is not common on garments from the mid century but does exist particularly on higher end pieces or designer garments. Modern day designers still use horsehair hem or trim and you can purchase this trim in lengths from fabric stores. I hope this summary has helped you interpret a few vintage terms and what they really mean. If you have any others, please let me know in the comments.