How to assess the quality of garments (2014) • Hacker News Board

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#121

Post by deepakhj » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 6:52 AM UTC

dlivingston wrote: post #17

dhd415 wrote: post #15

In a previous life when I wore suits to work on a frequent basis, I got interested in this topic and spent way too much time learning about it. I now have a closet full of quality clothes that I wear much less frequently, but, for whatever it's worth, they'll last me the rest of my life. There's a lot of good info in this article, but there's also a lot more beyond it. For example, it mentions (accurately) that the f…

Do you have any high-quality clothing stores that you recommend?

My favorites are Outlier, Taylor Stitch, Alchemy Equipment, and Mission Workshop.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#122

Post by djhn » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 6:53 AM UTC

Pimpus wrote: post #118

dhd415 wrote: post #15

In a previous life when I wore suits to work on a frequent basis, I got interested in this topic and spent way too much time learning about it. I now have a closet full of quality clothes that I wear much less frequently, but, for whatever it's worth, they'll last me the rest of my life. There's a lot of good info in this article, but there's also a lot more beyond it. For example, it mentions (accurately) that the f…

> I now have a closet full of quality clothes that I wear much less frequently, but, for whatever it's worth, they'll last me the rest of my life. > Or rather, they're expensive upfront but often turn out to be more economical over the life of the garment. Okay, but this is assuming that your body composition does not change and the clothes continue to fit you. Your body is more important to how you look than the clo…

You can improve body composition without altering external dimensions. That's the steady state you inevitably reach after years of training anyway.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#123

Post by huac » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:01 AM UTC

deepakhj wrote: post #120

mc32 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a rough proxy for fabric quality is the mill a textile comes from. Speaking in very general terms mills in Italy and Japan produce some good textiles (and not so good ones), but because they are expensive countries they tend to be on the higher end. Some east coast denim mills tend to be good too. Stitching done in Portugal is pretty good too. Of course, you can find good cheap tailors in underdeveloped count…

Taylor Stitch and Mission Workshop makes some of their clothing in Portugal.

outlier (similar to MW) does as well -- their reasoning is that the factories in Portugal are the ones which are able to do the highest quality work at their scale

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#124

Post by huac » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:04 AM UTC

jboydyhacker wrote: post #78

dhd415 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of clothes are you looking for? In general, it's hard to find stores where you can walk in and be assured that anything they carry is high quality. Even the high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Ave. and Neiman Marcus are going to carry a lot of "fashion" brands that are expensive but not necessarily good quality. Some local boutiques (e.g., Louis Boston though it too has declined in recent years) m…

Any opinion on Outlier dungarees. They are expensive but the quality seems darn good.

I have the slim and strong, they are very solid and worth the investment IMO. Fills two niches for me: part of a one-bag for travel, and a comfortable pant to wear while biking.

I've had them for two years now and they've helped up well; recently I wear them less because I think denim is more fashionable and I don't need the performance most of the time.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#125

Post by huac » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:07 AM UTC

mrspuratic wrote: post #103

ValentineC wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Proper denim jeans are quite hard to mend though even if you know what you're doing, especially if you've worn through/blown out the inner thigh region. Wherever you've sewn will become a new point of stress on the denim and it is likely to just pull away the weave of the fabric from that point. This happens to every pair of mine, and is always the reason I am forced to retire them. Do you think it'll help if I rei…

Should do, if it's stitched down properly. Have a look at Levi 511 "commuter" to see how it's done, basically two extra triangles of fabric.

this is known as a "gusset"

outlier pants also have this feature, makes biking or just walking around a breeze

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#126

Post by huac » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:09 AM UTC

IgorPartola wrote: post #40

I mostly dress pretty casually: jeans and a T shirt is pretty typical. My shirts “fail” not because of stitching or things like that. Most of the time they get armpit stains from deodorant after probably 20 time I wear them or so. At that point I toss them. I don’t see how higher laity fabric would result in anything different, so I stick to cheaper basic shirts for everyday wear. I like clothes, but I like variety.…

try aluminum-free deodorant to avoid the staining. you're right that fabric quality won't make a difference here, but the deodorant quality will :)

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#127

Post by jesterson » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:13 AM UTC

kaishiro wrote: post #62

I find this article and it's premise interesting, mainly because quality actually isn't my primary metric when buying clothes. I'm a raving fan of Uniqlo. I love that they offer simple, unbranded merchandise and that they're conveniently situated in most of the major cities that I frequent. I split my time between the US and Australia - and a few other places in between - and the most important thing for me is replac…

Uniqlo has strange quality difference between countries. Uniqlo in any Japan city can boast decent quality items for reasonable prices, but if we take Singapore for example, most items are much lower quality for exorbitant price.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#128

Post by depressedpanda » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:18 AM UTC

ValentineC wrote: post #80

buttikin wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't have a sewing machine, and you're interested in repairing/tailoring your own clothes (and most importantly you have the time) it's well worth looking into historic sewing methods. Hand sewing can be just as strong if not stronger than machine sewing, it just takes the right techniques and the time and patience to sit there and do it. I've found the two most useful stitches I've picked up are the felling…

> Proper denim jeans are quite hard to mend though even if you know what you're doing, especially if you've worn through/blown out the inner thigh region. Wherever you've sewn will become a new point of stress on the denim and it is likely to just pull away the weave of the fabric from that point. This happens to every pair of mine, and is always the reason I am forced to retire them. Do you think it'll help if I rei…

My jeans always unravel in the groin, in the fabric just next to the seam. I was thinking it was because of bicycling, but it still happens (though at a lower rate) even though I no longer bicycle to work.

Maybe I man-spread too much? :-)

I would love some advice on how to deal with this, since I'm tired of shelling out $100+ for jeans several times a year.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#129

Post by FDSGSG » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:20 AM UTC

tsunamifury wrote: post #33

Textile quality, tailoring and fit, or a good price: in general with very few exceptions you pick two. I am a fanatic about my clothing quality and have searched high and low to find the right quality. Fit is, in general based on taste, and price is really limited by your time to search sales. I’ve arrived at the conclusion that Loro piana, Brunello Cuccinelli and to a lesser degree Zenga provide the very best qualit…

> I’ve arrived at the conclusion that Loro piana, Brunello Cuccinelli and to a lesser degree Zenga provide the very best quality generally available

Why not go bespoke at this point? I keep asking myself this, laziness seems to be the only reason.

Re: How to assess the quality of garments (2014)

#130

Post by JohnBooty » Tue, Jul 23, 2019, 7:26 AM UTC

mrandish wrote: post #32

dlivingston wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any high-quality clothing stores that you recommend?

I'm not a connoisseur of fine clothes but I have noticed that out of cheap places to buy clothes Costco seems to have a consistently high hit rate of good value for money, at least in men's clothes. They seem to curate their clothes suppliers pretty well.

As far as "cheap, durable" clothes go I have been shocked by the decent quality of certain clothes that Old Navy has been putting out. Specifically their activewear that is made from synthetic blends.

Old Navy's clothing has typically been disposable trash. And most of it still is - generally anything they make out of cotton.

But their Old Navy Active line, specifically their "Breathe ON" fabric, is pretty durable and has really kept me cool throughout this crazy hot summer. They also sell tall and extended sizes which I appreciate. Tall sizes are typically so hard to find. These are not heirloom clothing items, but they've shown little wear over several summers.

This is functional clothing, not anything particularly fashionable. And lest this seem like an viral marketing post, let me restate that most of their lineup is still trash.