Home / Assurance / Condition & Provenance
AssuranceWe photograph wear rather than hide it
The single reason people hesitate to spend properly on preloved is that they cannot see what they are buying. So here is exactly how we grade, photograph, measure, and describe every piece — and what each word means.
Four grades, and what each one honestly means
We do not use five-star ratings or invented terms like "mint minus". Four grades, applied consistently, plus one plain sentence naming any flaw on the piece.
Pristine
Indistinguishable from new. No pilling, no sole wear, no hardware scratching, no interior marks. Often worn once or twice, sometimes never.
If a piece is described as pristine and arrives otherwise, return it — we have made a mistake and will refund it in full.
Excellent
Worn and looked after. Perhaps light sole wear, faint hardware micro-scratching, or the softening a good coat gets at the collar. Nothing that draws the eye when worn.
The grade most of our floor sits in, and the best value on the site.
Very Good
Visible, honest wear that we name and photograph specifically — corner rubbing on a bag, a replaced button, patina on a chain, a small mark in a discreet place.
Priced to reflect it. Often where a genuinely rare piece becomes affordable.
Good
Wear that affects appearance and is described in detail — a repair, a hem alteration, thinning at a cuff. Structurally sound and entirely wearable.
We only take a piece to this grade when the piece itself justifies it.
What we will not do
Photograph in a way that flatters a flaw out of existence. Use a grade to avoid naming a specific problem. Describe an alteration as original. Sell a piece we would not be comfortable buying ourselves.
If we get it wrong
A piece that is not as described is refunded in full, including return shipping, within 7 days of delivery. That applies to condition, measurements, and authenticity alike.
Six photographs and a tape measure
Full front and full back
On a form or flat, in daylight, without filters or colour correction. What you see is the colour you receive.
Label and interior
Brand label, composition label, and where relevant the serial or date code. You can check it yourself.
Any flaw, close up
Photographed at close range with a note of where it is. If there is nothing to show, we say so rather than padding the gallery.
Hardware and fastenings
Zips, buckles, clasps, and buttons — the parts that determine whether a piece has another decade in it.
Measured flat, by hand
Shoulder, bust, waist, length, sleeve, rise, inseam, hem — whichever apply. A size label from 2014 tells you almost nothing; 44cm across the bust tells you everything.
Ask for more
Want a measurement we have not listed, or a photograph in different light? Email us and we will do it the same day.
Where a piece came from is part of what it is
Every listing carries a short note on the piece's history — its era, why the model matters, and what we know about how it was worn. Not marketing copy. The things you would want to know if you were buying it from a friend.
Making it last another decade
A well-made piece kept well outlasts three badly kept ones. This is what we tell every client who buys something serious.
Cashmere and fine knitwear
Hand wash in cool water with a pH-neutral wool wash rather than dry cleaning — solvent strips the natural oils that give cashmere its handle. Press the water out, never wring, and dry flat away from heat.
De-pill with a cashmere comb or a fine razor rather than a battery lint remover, which tears fibre. Fold rather than hang, and store with cedar rather than mothballs. Wearing a fine knit two days running is what causes pilling; giving it a day between wears is most of the maintenance.
Leather bags and outerwear
Condition twice a year with a cream made for the leather type — lambskin and grained calfskin want different products. Keep bags stuffed with acid-free tissue rather than newspaper, and store them in their dust bag, upright, not stacked.
Do not store leather in plastic; it needs air. Water spots are usually recoverable if dried at room temperature rather than with heat. For structural work — a corner rebuild, a relined interior, a replaced strap — we can recommend a leather specialist here in the city.
Silk and fine woven
Silk is more washable than people think — cool water, a drop of gentle detergent, no soaking, and roll in a towel to remove water. What silk truly cannot tolerate is deodorant, perfume sprayed after dressing, and direct sunlight, which fades dye permanently.
Press on the reverse at low heat while slightly damp. Store scarves flat or loosely rolled rather than knotted on a hook, which stresses the hand-rolled hem.
Tailoring and wool coats
Dry clean as rarely as possible — twice a season at most for a coat in regular wear. Between cleans, brush with a natural-bristle clothes brush and air overnight, which removes far more than people expect.
Hang on a broad wooden hanger that supports the shoulder line; a wire hanger will deform a shoulder within a season. Rest a jacket a day between wears so the wool recovers. Repair moth damage immediately — one hole becomes five.
Shoes
Cedar shoe trees straight after wearing, while the shoe is still warm — this does more for longevity than any polish. Replace heel tips before they wear into the heel block, which is a cheap repair that prevents an expensive one.
Rotate rather than wearing the same pair consecutively, and have leather soles protected with a thin rubber layer if you are walking Vancouver pavement in winter.
Storing seasonally
Clean everything before it goes away — moths are drawn to the traces of you in a garment, not to the wool itself. Use breathable cotton garment bags rather than the plastic from the dry cleaner, which traps moisture and yellows fabric.
Cedar blocks, refreshed by sanding once a year, work as well as anything and do not make a wardrobe smell of mothballs. Store in the dark; light fades dye whether or not the piece is being worn.
Shipping, holds, and returns
Straightforward, and written out in full rather than buried in terms.
Getting it to you
Holds
We will hold any piece for 48 hours at no charge and with no payment, so you can try it in the boutique or think it over. Pieces above $1,500 can be held for up to 5 days, including time for an independent authentication if you want one.
Returns
Every piece is one of one, which makes returns genuinely costly for a small shop. So we have split the policy by cause rather than pretending otherwise.
Start a return by emailing info@clothesnest.com with your reference number. We reply the same business day.
Ask us anything before you commit
Any measurement, any additional photograph, any question about a flaw. Same-day answers, and no pressure either way.