Condition grading is the least standardized aspect of the vintage market. One seller's "excellent" is another's "good with flaws" — and the difference matters considerably when spending several hundred euros on a single piece. At ALE PARIS, we use a four-tier grading system applied consistently across every piece.
Pristine
Pristine means the piece shows no signs of wear. No pilling, no fading, no marks at the collar or cuffs, no tension at the seams, hardware intact and unmarred. Pristine pieces are typically unworn or worn once.
Pristine with Tags
A subset of Pristine: original retail tags are still attached. This is the rarest condition grade and carries the strongest signal of provenance.
Excellent
Excellent is the most common grade for quality vintage pieces. It means the piece has been worn but shows minimal evidence. Acceptable under Excellent: very faint wear at collar points, mild loss of structure in tailored pieces, light discoloration of lining. Not acceptable: visible pilling, marks that haven’t responded to cleaning, hardware with significant scratching.
When we grade a piece Excellent, we’re saying: wear it as is, no intervention necessary.
Very Good Condition
Very Good condition means the piece shows visible signs of wear that do not affect its wearability. This might include light pilling on a wool jacket, minor color variation at tension points, or a replaced button that closely matches the original.
Good Condition
Good condition means the piece has character. Visible wear, possible minor repairs, hardware that shows its age. We stock good condition pieces only when they are otherwise exceptional — a rare Mugler silhouette, a Galliano print found nowhere else.