The Story of Quality in Fashion

Shopping for well-made clothing is more than just going through a rack - and try before you buy is so true when it comes to fashion.

Fashion has always been a fluid field with different styles, trends, garments depending on timeline, season and region.

How to Recognize Quality in Clothes

First, have a look at what's inside...

Inspect the seams to make sure they are snugly sewn and that the stitching is small, which lasts longer.

Feel the fabric, especially for stretch, hold it to the side of your neck where the skin is more sensitive. High quality fabric will feel better on your skin.

Composition

This is tricky... Cool wool fabrics breathe if you are hot and keep you warm if it's cold.

Cottons and linens won't keep you warm so they are good next to the body. They do crease, but are easy to wash. Synthetics have their place in activewear so it depends on how and where you will be wearing the outfit.

Seams Good to You?

Take a look at the seams. Good quality fashion will have seams which eliminate raw edges of cloth. Seams say a lot about the time and skill which went into clothing.

Consider our Amina Rubinacci Sunset Knit blazer, which takes a full six hours to produce but only 10 minutes to seduce a woman!

To Line or Not to Line?

If your skin is sensitive to the fabric - a jacket made of wool, for example - then lining is essential. But lining, we've learned from our Italian designers, can restrict movement - and so for a summer blazer, it's probably easier without lining and much cooler.

Try On!

Yes, you really cannot assess the quality of a garment without trying it on. Ensure that your arms are free to move and sit in a chair to make sure everything works. And, if it fits well, it's likely to have been made well!

Finally, look in the mirror - preferably a 3-way - to see how the garment looks on the body - it should flow downwards from the shoulders without pulling into the neck or arms much like our Botanical Rainforest Dress.

Pants should not have creases and are checked in-store for fitting well on the body from every angle. Let PK worry about your alterations - tailoring your dream fit to suit your body.

Do This.

So do what we do on our fashion buying trips to Europe. Feel the fabric and try it on sensitive skin; look for quality of manufacture on the inside; confirm the composition of the material; finally try it on - you will know good quality when you see it. After all, details glow.