How to Identify Quality Clothing

How to identify quality clothing (written by a tailor for Broadway, film, and television, but trained in creating garment quality one of kind suits....)

• Fiber content Read the label. Natural fibers breathe better, wear better, wash better and last longer. Sure, there are some great manufactured fibers out there, but they have been manufactured because they are cheaper than the real things: cotton, wool, alpca, bamboo, silk. Natural fibers do tend to wear down more over time, though, so you have to be more judicial with your washing schedule. That being said, you'd be hard pressed to afford something with a silk lining. Stick to rayon over polyester; it's pressed fiber pulp as opposed to plastic. 
• Lining Should NEVER be tight on the inside. Contrary to what you might think, the inside of the garment should be slightly larger than the outside. This allows ease or give, so that it won't tear or rip as easily.
• Pattern Matching Look at the pattern (stripes, flowers, dots, etc.) on the garment. Any article of clothing that has a pattern design can easily be checked for quality craftsmanship by looking how the pattern lines up at the garment seams. If pattern matches at the seams and makes the garment look as though it was made from one piece of cut fabric, that will indicate quality. Patterns that don't align at the seams indicate the garment was made hastily and with an eye towards saving the manufacturer money instead of producing quality made clothing. Good striped trousers should chevron at the side seams.
• Real pockets Obviously putting in fake pockets is a cop out. Don't fall for the idea that fake pockets keeps the silhouette smooth. If they were going for that, they would stitch them closed and leave it up to you as to whether or not you open them. Inspect all pockets to see that they have adequate length pocket bags, and neat, tidy stitching along the edges to reinforce the opening.
• Tug on the buttons They should be secure; look underneath them to check for several threads keeping them where they belong. On that note, there should be at least one extra button on the tag or at the hem in case one does fall off.
• Look at the hem If it isn't topstitched (like a hem on a pair of jeans, with the threads showing) then the hem should look like it is being magically held in place, beautifully pressed, with no crookedness or puckering. A good garment will have extra hem in case you need to tailor it to be a bit longer.
• Stitching Look for stray threads, loose stitches, or seams that look like they could pop open. A serged seam is like what you normally see on the inside of a side seam of a t-shirt. This is a super easy, fast, cheap way to finish a garment. It means that the tension of the seam is placed exactly where it lies without any protection, and once that stitch goes, it's on it's way out. Look for garments that have a more finished seam, like a flat felled seam, hong kong finish, or french seam.

Take a look at the side seam. You’re looking for single-needle stitching, or lockstitch, where an upper thread “locks” with a lower thread. This gives a nice, flat seam and a clean, finished appearance. And, as you might expect, you’ll only see a single line of stitches on the outside.

Double-needle stitching, done to save time and money, will have two rows of stitches side by side. Sewn this way, the seam has a tendency to pucker.

• Buttons generally: the harder and shinier, the better
• Good leather will look soft and supple rather than shiny
• Details What makes this garment unique? A button placket? An interesting cut that makes the pattern come together at the shoulder in a unique way? Slanted pockets? Pocket flaps? Shaped collar? Applied trim? Topstitching? Extra buttons? Find something that makes it stand out from the rest, or see if it is so perfect in it's simplicity that it needs nothing else.

Although quality clothing costs more, you will end up getting more wear out of it, making it a more economical choice.