Until I came upon an uber soft fabric while browsing through Jacob. I liked how the fabric draped so well but most of all, felt so soft to touch. I checked the label and it said 95% Lyocell, a fabric I wasn’t familiar with, and 5% spandex. It had a slight sheen to it and was very comfortable to wear. I bought it for $40.

I did some research on Lyocell to see what would pop up and shot an email to Fabrics.net to find out more. It’s a fabric closely associated to rayon, made of wood pulp (pictured above), and is said to be more expensive as the chemicals and solvents used to make the fabric are environmentally friendly. Best of all, it’s a fabric that doesn’t wrinkle as much and isn’t affected by washing (yay!).

According to Wisegeek, lyocell was said to be quite expensive, pricing at about $100 due to its manufacturing method and because only one US company, Tencel, makes the fabric in North America. Fabrics.net refutes that prices have gone down since its inception and noted that price should not determine the quality of fabric.

This little research brought into light a couple of questions:

If price doesn’t really determine the quality of fabric, how can you tell if a fabric is of good quality or not over time?

So far in my on-going quest for quality, I have encountered some of the finest fabrics ever made at Pellegrino Castronovo. Worsted fabrics made of silky Vecuna wool, Mohair, Merino and some sort of rare bison/buffalo wool only found in the far north that shot up the price to the sky heavens. Cotton so fine that it actually had a slight sheen to it. All of these came from the best fabric manufacturers from Europe like Dormeuil, Zegna, Scabal, etc. But for women, it’s always been a trickier business. I currently don’t have a mentor to teach me about quality fabrics in women’s wear, but it would be fascinating to study the ways of the cloth.

What does “environmentally friendly” or “organic” really mean in terms of fabrics?

I was told there are no current certification for organically made garments in the textile industry, therefore a heads up to shoppers: be aware of companies who claim to use organic cottons and fabrics. I hope in the near future there will be certification standards for this kind of practice. It would put at ease the minds of those who want to switch their shopping ways if something was certified.

My lyocell top is Made in China (though I believe a small percentage of Jacob’s line is Made in Canada), which could explain the relative cheap pricing, yet the fabric is really quite top notch in my book. We’ll see how this will fare after a few washings, but so far, $40 well spent.

What determines quality clothing anyway? Mass consumers have never been taught this. Ever. We don’t learn this in school, you can’t learn from your parents unless they’re in the garment industry, and we don’t really trust sales associates in clothing stores for these important facts. Consumers have a general consensus that luxury goods are better in quality, but I would bet you the majority of them wouldn’t know what defines “better quality.”

You Don’t Always Get What You Pay For….Evaluating Quality in Apparel by Fabrics.net

As per my experience while shopping with my boyfriend who used to work in the garment industry, my crash course has led me to appreciate and look for high quality garments. Fabrics.net is a plethora of articles that helps consumers by unraveling the truth of what to look for in quality clothing.

Some important tips to remember excerpt from the website:

• Before you even go into the dressing room, read the fiber content label, tug at the seams, make sure the garment is free of puckering and hangs straight.
• The yarns per inch in a fabric are a direct indication of quality. Higher yarn count translates into a higher quality fabric. Higher twist yarns in a fabric are stronger, indicating higher quality fabrics.
• Supportive fabrics should be fastened securely, finished appropriately, and should not wrinkle or distort the fabric. Linings should be caught at shoulder seams to prevent slippage and pulling. Linings should have at least a ¾” deep center back pleat to release extra fullness for movement.
• Plaids must match both vertically and horizontally. Matching is costly and may be difficult to find in low cost garments.
• Thread color should match the fashion fabric. Transparent thread, which easily unravels, is often used to cut costs.
• Puckering is a result of poor sewing techniques
• Check buttons to make sure they are fastened securely. (My personal pet peeve)

The list goes on. So the next time you’re out there shopping and wondering what’s quality, just refer back to this list and you should be on the right path.

Image credit: Net-a-porter, Alberta Ferreti Tweed Jacket