Buying a perfect garment that is also well-made can be tricky as price alone never guarantees the quality. Reduce your frustration by getting a better understanding of what to look for when making a purchase. We have gathered 7 tips to help you spot quality in clothing. 

1) SEAMS & STITCHING
Take a close look at the quality of the stitching. 1. Cheaper garments usually have plain seams with edges separately overlocked or overlocked together. High-quality brands mix different seams and stitches that have clean finished edges that make the garment durable and also look nice on the inside. 2. Pull a seam from the inside of the garment and you will see a lot of daylight between stitches in a poorly made garment. Better quality garments have tighter and straight seams (unless designed differently for contrast). Sometimes overlock stitching is necessary as it provides a bit more elasticity than other finishing techniques, but make sure that there are no obvious loops or loose ends. 3. Well-made buttonholes are stitched tightly and look solid. 4. You may also want to check how much seam allowance is available – you may later want to lengthen sleeves or hems or let out a waist.

2) FABRIC CONTENT & GARMENT LABELS
Be well informed so you can take care of yourself and the garment by determining the fabric content and care instructions. We love natural fabrics and an eco-friendly lifestyle, so, we don´t promote dry cleaning and all of KiRiVOO items can be washed at home. Nevertheless, it is wise to check if a product can or shouldn´t be washed at home before making a purchase.

3) COMFORT
If you want your body to feel happy and satisfied, comfort is the key. If you can, try on the garment or touch it/feel it against your skin. If you can not try it on (purchasing online) then read the description – there are many adjectives that can be used to describe the feel of a fabric, such as soft, smooth, rough, stretchy, stiff, heavy, thin, light-weight, etc. 

4) PATTERNS/PRINTS MATCH
Look to see if patterns, prints and embroidery match at seams, plackets, yokes, sleeves, etc. This is a bit trickier with large patterns or with garments with a lot of seams, but shouldn´t be an issue for vertical stripes or smaller scale patterns.

5) EXTRA TRIMMINGS
Look for garments that come with extra button or trims to save time and money later if such details that come attached to the garment pop off.

6) LININGS
Some garments work well without linings, some don´t. Well-made garments that have linings are made of comfortable fabric, make the product more durable, professional and skin-friendly, and allow movement (sitting, walking, etc.).

7) WRINKLING
Some natural fabrics (cotton, linen) wrinkle more than others, but it´s not necessarily a sign of poor quality. However, it is good to be aware how much a fabric will wrinkle by giving it the scrunch test. In our opinion well-made garments can wrinkle a little (reasonably) or are designed in a way so wrinkles do not distract. Wrinkle free fabric isn´t the best choice either as it is treated with chemicals that pose a danger to the environment and human health.

We have used KiRiVOO Tritikale jacket and Riis/Hirss dresses to demonstrate a clean finish on the inside of the garment: