Send us a piece.
A piece reaches the rail one of two ways. Someone gives it to us, or we buy it. Either way it gets the same treatment: inspected, mended where it needs it, measured flat, and photographed exactly as it arrives.
Sammy Leigh Vintage is a business, not a charity. A piece given to us is a gift to a company and we cannot give you a tax receipt for it. The full statement is further down this page, and we would rather you read it first.
The best clothes have already been made.
That is the whole belief behind Sammy Leigh Vintage, and it is why we would rather ask you for a piece than buy a new one. The wardrobes we want already exist. They are hanging in houses where nobody is quite sure what to do with them, and the usual answer is a bin bag and a bin.
What happens to a piece after that is worth knowing. Clothing given to a bulk collection is weighed, baled and sold by the kilo. It is not looked at. A coat someone chose carefully in 1974 and a stained fleece leave the room in the same sack, and the coat is worth more as fabric than as a coat by the time anyone opens it.
We take one piece at a time, and we only ask for what we can actually place. Every item is one of one. When it sells it is gone, there is no restock, and it stays in the Collection afterwards as a record of what it was. That is the honest difference between sending a piece here and sending it anywhere that takes everything.
It gets looked at
Inspected, mended where it needs it, measured flat, and photographed exactly as it arrives. Condition is noted plainly, including the flaws.
It stays on record
Provenance is kept on file, and the piece remains in the Collection after it sells. It is documented rather than absorbed.
You get a straight answer
A yes, an offer, or a plain no with the reason. We do not leave you waiting to find out whether anything happened.
Donate a piece.
For a piece you want to see go on rather than sell. It is cleaned, repaired if it needs it, and listed with the rest of the collection.
- Send photographs and rough measurements by email.
- We reply with a yes or a plain no, and say why.
- On a yes, we arrange the handover or the postage.
- You get a note when the piece goes live.
Sell a piece.
For a piece you would rather be paid for. We buy outright. There is no consignment and no waiting to see whether it sells.
- Send photographs and rough measurements by email.
- We reply with an offer, or a plain no, and say why.
- On an accepted offer, we arrange the handover or the postage.
- Payment follows once the piece is in hand and matches the photographs.
What we are looking for.
Women's pieces. We do not take menswear, and we are not a general thrift drop-off. The collection is built around leather, structure and fabric that has held up. If a piece is already in the shop's world, you will know it from the shop.
Leather bags
Hobo and shoulder shapes, baguettes, top handles. Croc and snake embossing, patent, suede, studded hardware.
Boots
Slouch, ankle, platform and knee. Leather, patent, printed satin and metallic finishes.
Heels and sandals
Platform sandals, jewelled mules, wedges. Anything with a real shape to it.
Outerwear
Leather moto and shirt jackets, wool coats, trench coats.
Dresses and occasion
Slip dresses, bustier and corset tops, cocktail and evening pieces.
Fabric first
Silk, linen, wool, cashmere, leather and satin, in any of the above.
Condition.
Wear is fine. Most of what we list has been worn, and a piece with a small fault that we can mend is still a piece worth having. Send the flaw in the photographs rather than around them. It does not usually cost you the yes, and hiding it always does.
What we cannot use: mould, smoke or damp odour that will not lift, staining through the face of the fabric, cuts and tears across a structural seam, and missing hardware that is no longer made. If you are unsure, send the photograph and let us decide.
Where the money goes, stated plainly.
Please read this before you donate
Sammy Leigh Vintage is a business, not a charity. A piece given to SLV is a gift to a company. It is not a charitable donation and we cannot give you a tax receipt for it.
Where we run a collection together with a charity, that charity is named in writing at the point of collection, along with what it receives and what SLV's role is. If a charity is not named, the collection is ours and is operated as a business.
We would rather say this at the top than have you find it out later. If a tax deduction is what you need, give the piece to a registered charity instead. We will tell you that to your face, and we will still help you work out where.