Talking to a tailor in Brooklyn changed how I think about fabric choices

I was getting a jacket altered last month at this small shop on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn, and the tailor started showing me how different weaves hold shape over time. He pointed out that my go-to poly blend would never drape like a wool-cashmere mix, even at half the price. That conversation made me realize I've been picking fabrics based on cost instead of how they'll actually move and wear. Has anyone else had a tailor or seamster totally shift your approach to design?

2 comments

2 Comments

brians2717d ago

I've been picking fabrics based on cost instead of how they'll actually move and wear" - you say that like it's a bad thing. Most of us are picking fabrics because we have a budget, not because we're trying to win a design award. Unless you're getting custom suits made every season, a poly blend that looks fine for a year is probably doing exactly what you need it to. Tailors want you to care about this stuff because it's their whole deal, but for the rest of us, "good enough for the price" is a perfectly valid approach.

wyatta3017d ago

Just a small point: a lot of polyester blends actually wear out faster than natural fabrics if you wash them regularly. The pilling and weird shine shows up around month six or seven, not after a year. So that "good enough for the price" calculation changes when you have to replace a shirt every eight months instead of every two years. Cotton or linen will look ragged eventually too, but they usually stay wearable longer and don't trap sweat the same way. You're right that budget matters, but sometimes the cheap option ends up costing more in the long run if you actually wear the thing.