why is quality essential?
why is quality an essential parameter in building your capsule?
how to spot quality? why is quality an essential parameter in building your capsule?
imagine spending your time and resources to find the perfect item, an item that fits well and works within your color palette, only to have it fall apart after a few wears… how dreadful
quality clothing, accessories, and footwear are more and more elusive
many will blame globalization for lower quality goods, but globalization has an underlying cause, the need for higher profits
goods must be made cheaper and cheaper so the profits will grow despite many countries raising the living wage, and therefore, the labor cost of manufacturing
luckily low cost/low quality goods are more and more fatiguing customers
fast fashion is great for many, but in the end, is far more costly than purchasing higher quality merchandise
lower quality goods purchased more often = goods that don’t last as long and must be replaced more often
over time, this higher frequency of purchasing and replacing, will actually cost you more than a capsule wardrobe of higher quality goods
you don’t need to be a fashion expert to be more knowledgeable of fabrics and construction
you also don’t have to spend a lot of money
higher prices do not automatically equate to higher quality
much of purchasing high quality goods is trial and error
almost every brand, and i do mean almost, has a strength
some footwear brands make low quality footwear, but decent quality costume jewelry
some clothing brands make low quality denim and sweaters, but great quality dress shirts
not all fabric blends are poor quality, not all pure fabrics are high quality
every material has low grades and high grades – there are different grades of cotton, leather, denim, wool, etc
even though quality can be subjective, there are some cardinal rules to spotting a quality garment that is worth your coin –
the weave of the material – is it woven tightly, if it is an opaque item, is it opaque or a bit sheer? if the weave is loose or an opaque item is a bit sheer, it’s woven poorly and not a good quality
the seams – are the seams straight? are the margins (the distance between the stitch and the end of the fabric) even? is the stitching tight or loose at certain points? are the seams nicely finished or are a lot of raw fabric ends visible? is there binding? french seaming? nylon tape? the more edges you see in a garment, the lower quality it is
aligned patterns – stripes, checks, plaids and other prints should be aligned as much as possible at the seams; this costs more money and time to the manufacturer when laying the patterns, this is a tell-tale sign
is the fabric soft or itchy? when a fabric is woven correctly with a high quality substance and finished correctly, the handfeel will be very smooth and soft to the touch
when you pull the fabric, does it bounce back? this also has to do with the weaving; if a material stretches out with a tug, sorry, the quality is no good
does the material, especially leather or faux leather, smell like chemicals? Normally chemicals are used in finishing, but high quality goods require less chemicals to finish, while
low quality goods require a cocktail of chemicals during the finishing process
is the item lined? what is the quality of the lining? lining is used less and less in modern clothing, but if the item is lined, if the lining easily tears and rips, the quality is poor, even if the quality of the exterior shell is great
are the buttons secure? I know this sounds strange, but are the buttons reinforced? especially if the material is heavy or if the button is at a high tension point, like the closure of a blazer or coat? the button should be secured with a thick thread, several loops, or even a smaller button at the back of material so it is not easily pulled off
is the fabric cut on the grain? is the grain of the fabric perfectly horizontal, vertical, or on the bias? material is woven on a grain, so if a pattern is cut properly, it will be matched up with the grain of how the material is woven, if not, the pattern was cut sloppily or cheaply to use as much of the fabric as possible, with no care to the drape or fit, which would be effected by being cut off-grain
for outwear, suiting, and formal clothing, are the pockets and pleats sewn closed? you should have to release thread closures to the pockets and pleats on high quality items
are rivets secure and tight and not cutting into seams?
do zippers open and close smoothly?
beads and sequins should be secured to the material especially when you run your hand over them
is the elastic strong and require effort to pull? that will determine the life of the elasticity
these are the basics to look out for and will save both time and money
maintenance is equally as important as the cardinal rules
check the wash requirements for all of the garments before purchasing or before deciding to keep
does the maintenance routine fit your lifestyle? do you have the time or budget to handwash or dryclean for instance?
if not, you should avoid items that don’t require complex, or time-consuming, or costly repairs and maintenance
all of the items in our wardwobe don’t have to be the highest quality but everything in your wardrobe should be worth your coin!
choose wisely
if an item doesn’t meet your standard of quality, no matter how much you spent or saved… return it! we are building a wardrobe to last!
