5 ways to tell if your garments are good quality or not

OK. Be honest.

You have, at some point in your life, ordered clothes online.

The ad popped up in your newsfeed, it looked SUPER cute on the model, and you threw your money at them.

And when it arrived it looked something like this:

Or this

Or maybe even like this poor fellow who gave into fashion trends

There is not much you can do about such an egregious online shopping fail.

However, there ARE several ways that you can spot the difference between good and bad quality clothing!

Here are 5 quick hacks for checking your clothing quality.

Easy ways to check the quality of your clothing

How tight is the stitching?

As a general rule, the tighter the stitching, the better the quality.

If something has been made fast and in bulk, the stitching is usually uneven or too far apart.

(Of course, some sweaters are made like this- Hands up for cozy winter knits!).

Checking the sewing patterns on the garments is the first step for spotting bad quality manufacturing.

What happens when you scrunch it?

You want to make sure that when you scrunch the material, it falls back relatively easily.

Bad quality material will usually not do this.

If it crinkles after two seconds, it will probably struggle to last a whole day of wearing it.

Be careful though! If you have a delicate silky material (like the satin our Cleome Dresses are made out of) then it will need to be ironed no matter what event you wear it to!

Does it warp?

Poor quality material is probably the most obvious sign of low quality clothing.

Give the garment a gentle pull in along the fabric grain. Does it lose any of its shape? Or does it fall back naturally?

Bad quality clothing will warp and stretch- avoid these garments if you don’t want to spend silly amounts of money replacing your clothes!

Psst- worried about the quality of your dress fabric? We’ve got you! Baby’s Breath Bridesmaids has fabric swatches available so you always know what you are purchasing in advance! Check out our dress swatches here.

Does everything line up?

If you look at the seams (especially around the base), they should all match up.

Give the inside seams a quick check while you’re at it. Are they neat, or do they have exposed threads?

Like the stitching, messy, mismatched seams is an instant indication that a garment is poorly made.

As well as the seams, any patterns should line up. Higher quality garment manufacturers will take the time to make sure things align!

Can you see the zipper?

Unless it is an obvious design feature, you should not be able to see the teeth of a zipper.

It does not have to be an invisible zip, but it should at least be covered by a placket.

Another giveaway for poor quality clothing is if the zip catches along the seams.

Have you ever had a dress with a zip on the side that doesn’t quite get over the seams? If it is the right size, it should easily slide over the seams on the waist.

Baby’s Breath Bridesmaids ensures you don’t have any online dress shopping fails! With our dress sample boxes, you can try on dresses and check swatches from home. Click here to find out how you can have the convenience of online shopping with the satisfaction of shopping in-store.