Shopping clothes can take too much time. And why not? There are plenty of options to choose from. And in the era of online shopping, it is much more difficult since we get thousands of brands and designs in one place. While we always try to get the best clothes in the best price, we often forget to check few things and later regret when we get not so fitting or a faulty piece delivered in home.
So I have few of the basic things you should check before finalizing what to buy whether you are shopping online or from a store.
1. Fabric
Fabric is the most important thing you should check before buying any type of cloth. It should be appropriate as per your requirement. You can check by touching the fabric if buying from store or check the product specification when buying online to know which fabric is used. Ask the shopkeeper or salesperson if you don’t know the fabric and its basic properties.
Here are some common fabrics you can check before buying.
- Natural fiber fabrics– Cotton, linen are most common natural fabrics. Both are comfortable to wear but linen is expensive than cotton. The blend of cotton and linen would be little cheaper than a whole linen fabric. There are other types of fabrics made from animal fibers like silk and wool. Silk fabric also comes in many forms and have different price as per the construction of the fabric.
- Man made Fabrics – Man made fabric or unnatural fabric is a fabric which is not available naturally (aha I didn’t know that). Man made fabrics like polyester is cheaper than the natural fiber fabrics. But if you find a polyester garment which is expensive, check for the construction. It could be a customized fabric like waterproof or coated like performance fabrics.
At the end, it is up to you which type of fabric clothing you are comfortable to wear. There are so many types of fabrics available in market, so do a little research on what type of fabric would be good as per your requirement before buying.
2. Stitching
Stitching is essential if you are looking for quality clothes. Check how stitching is done, is it rough? are there random threads coming out from stitching? is it loose in some places? If the stitching is not done properly, chances are the cloth will not last longer. Also, the look of your cloth will not be as good as it should be if the stitching is not proper.
Look for stitching where it is visible when you wear the cloth specially around neck and shoulder. An even and clean stitching is a must.
3. Cutting
Cutting in the clothing means how the different pieces of fabric were cut before stitching the complete cloth. If the cutting was done without proper measurement, the fitting will not be good when you wear it. You will see the neckline of the cloth is falling down more from one side of the shoulder than the other side, the crease is not even, fitting around your chest might be uncomfortable and so on.
So it is always recommended trying on the clothes before buying them. If shopping online, go for clothes which are showed on a model rather than just a picture of cloth. So you can see the fitting properly on the model.
4. Embroidery
Embroidery clothes are beautiful. They add an extra layer to the cloth and give a luxurious look. But make sure to look for embroidery work closely before buying the cloth. When there is embroidery on the cloth, the fabric should not be visible under the embroidery work. The designs should be properly filled otherwise it will look old and worn out.
When buying a beading work, run your hand lightly over the work. If you feel any beads moving along with your hand, the beading is not done tightly and it can be easily damaged when you will wear them.
5. Buttons and zippers
Buttons and zippers are important and most overlooked things on cloth when shopping. They are the essential parts of the clothing since they are used for closing.
Check if the buttons and hooks are stitched properly and are not loose. Buttons on thick fabric which is used for closing should be stitched with a gap from the fabric it is stitched on so the other layer of fabric can fit into the gap when closing the garment without struggling and making the fabric look tight near the button.
Zippers should be stitched properly and should be smooth when opening and closing. We already know this but still forget to check when buying the clothes.
6. Other Small Things
There are other small details you should look for such as the lining and vents. Lining is the inner layer of the fabric if you are buying warm or multilayered cloth like coats and jackets. The lining of the cloth should be soft specially in sleeves so that you can wear it smoothly.
Slits or vents are most commonly found in bottom of the cloth. Check if the slit looks clean and evenly spread when wearing the cloth.
Conclusion
So those were few things to check before shopping clothes. I hope you have found them useful. These would be more useful for people who don’t do shopping very often or tend to do everything fast and end up buying faulty clothes. The best thing to do when buying clothes is trying them on. You should not feel itchy and uncomfortable wearing the cloth. But since we are shopping online more, it is not possible to try them on before buying. Still take a close look on the cloth pictures and read specifications before deciding to buy them.
Write below your tips for shopping clothes and your experiences.
