Touching and inspecting garments in store makes it easier to gauge quality

Scrunch Time

Try deploying the ‘scrunch’ test: use your hand to scrunch up an area of the garment and then release. If the wrinkles that initially form don’t disappear and the fabric doesn’t return to its initially smooth appearance, there’s every chance that the quality might not be up to scratch – though bear in mind certain materials (linen, rayon) will crease more easily than others.

And if you’re buying leather, try giving it a shallow scratch with your fingernail; if the scratch holds (it can still be rubbed away with a slightly moistened finger afterwards), then you know it’s going to be soft and pliable.

The ‘scrunch’ test is a good indicator of fabric quality

The Importance Of Provenance

Few of us really know how or where our clothes are actually made, and the country of origin tag can be a clue as to whether the item was mass-produced in a factory, or hand-shirred by artisans. ‘Clue’ is the operative word here – just because something was made in the Far East doesn’t mean it’s bound to fall to pieces. Consider country of origin a rule of thumb, rather than one that’s hard and fast.

For tailoring, shirting, shoes and leather accessories, Italy is in many respects the padre of manufacturers. The brands that produce their clothes there, from Prada to Bottega Veneta, make use of premium raw materials that come out of the country’s mills, supported by years of production expertise.

Vitale Barberis Canonico Italian Fabric Mill

But just because something’s dall’Italia, doesn’t mean it’s always artisan-crafted in an atelier. The region is also home to well-known yet secretive suppliers such as Staff International and Pier SPA, who make clothing for multiple top-tier brands (Staff famously manufactures for luxury labels Margiela, Vivienne Westwood and Marc Jacobs) which, while good quality, might be more mass-produced than the price tags would lead you to believe.