Shopping for clothes is hard enough, but it's even tougher when shopping online. Outfits that look great on TikTok and Instagram don't always translate well to real life, and screens can easily hide thin fabrics and poor construction. As such, it can be difficult to spot quality pieces, and scary to spend your hard-earned cash on clothes you can't inspect in person.
Fortunately, you don't have to dive into the world of online shopping completely unarmed. Here are some tips to help you separate flimsy fast fashion from quality clothes you can pass to your grandkids.
Compare a garment's purpose with its material
When shopping for clothes online, one of the best and most immediate indicators of quality is its fabric composition. For Dr. Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne MA PhD, senior lecturer of Fashion Marketing and Enterprise at Torrens University Australia, her number one tip is to look at a garment's fibre content.
"I take offence to 'premium' products being sold with poor fabrics such as a blazer lining made of 100 percent polyester within a blazer retailed for multiple hundreds [of] dollars," Lamarche-Beauchesne told Mashable. "I would never buy this."
This doesn't mean you should only be buying high-end fabrics such as silk and cashmere. Rather, consider whether the fabric a garment is made of is suitable for its intended purpose.
Office attire should be made of materials that are comfortable on the skin for all-day wear, such as cotton or linen. Synthetic fibres such as polyester are generally less breathable, making them uncomfortable in warm environments. However, polyester does have the advantage of being durable, easy to care for, and typically more affordable than natural fabrics. This makes them well suited to workout outfits instead of corporate clothes.
"For activewear or swimwear, bar from a few brands, it will be difficult to find alternatives to true synthetics, like nylon, polyester, and spandex, and those products will likely perform very differently than what people have come to expect from the category," said Lamarche-Beauchesne.
You can usually find the fabric composition of clothes listed online in the product description. If you're buying second-hand, see if there are any close-up photos of the garment label. Platforms such as Depop or eBay let you message sellers, so don't be shy about asking about the fabric if the information isn't in the listing.
You should also consider exactly what part of the garment each listed material is being used for, such as whether they're in a jacket's shell or lining. Lamarche-Beauchesne states that while polyester may not be suitable for a lining, semi-synthetic material rayon (also known as viscose, Tencel, Lyocell, and a variety of other names) serves this purpose well.
"All [rayon materials] are derived from cellulose, and are very comfortable on the skin, including for linings or satin weaves closer to the body," said Lamarche-Beauchesne. "If odour is a concern, polyester lining traps odours much quicker than their cellulose counterpart."
Lamarche-Beauchesne also looks for fabrics that are completely made from one material where possible, such as 100 percent cotton knitwear. However, this isn't a hard and fast rule, as it heavily depends on what the materials are, what qualities they impart to the garment, and what percentage of it they make up.
"A pair of jeans with over two to three percent spandex to cotton ratio has a high likelihood of becoming distended, as the spandex fibre can stretch further, and are more prone to breakage," Lamarche-Beauchesne explained. "I would not buy a pair of jeans with polyester in it, but I would consider a two percent spandex to 98 percent cotton ratio."
Zoom in on the details and design
Choosing appropriate fabrics will go a long way toward spotting quality pieces when shopping online. However, materials can also vary in quality — even synthetic ones. IDA+S co-founder Kinsen Siu told Mashable that not all polyester is equal, varying in quality just like natural materials. IDA+S is an Australian clothing brand that focuses on versatile, practical, and long-lasting pieces, and is named for Siu's mother: Lafayette 148 co-founder Ida Siu.
"[Polyester can have] tighter weaving that gives it a more luxury handfeel, finishing treatments that improve softness or add features such as moisture wicking, [or] anti-microbial in categories like performance wear and athleisure wear," Siu listed. "The problem is that high quality and bad quality polyester is indistinguishable as a content [listed in a garment's description]."
As such, you should also look at clothes' details and design. In addition to potentially offering more information on the fabric, such details help indicate the care and attention put into making the garment. Online stores may include close-up photos of high quality clothes, showing off buttonholes and lining, or allow you to significantly magnify product shots without loss of detail. Other times, you'll only have a handful of full-body photos that don't allow for such scrutiny, and may be hiding lacklustre finishes.
"A simple [tip] is: can you zoom in on the product photo?" said Siu, comparing the maximum zoom on a faux leather jacket to that of IDA+S' Isolde Leather Bomber Jacket. "One gives you the overall look of a garment. The other shows you the minute grain of the leather and the button detail. If you look at the pattern of the button [on the Isolde Leather Bomber Jacket], this is what's called a horn button, which is a pricier but more sustainable and stronger button option.
"In general, the more detail a brand has put into their product, the more effort and confidence they'll have in showcasing those details. Along the same lines, those details allow you to see the detail and the density of the stitching."
While being able to magnify product photos will tell you a lot, full body shots are useful as well. Look at the model's pose, and whether they're positioned in a way that might be hiding details such as its drape. Carefully examining the garment's design, how it's cut, how the fabric falls, as well as how it sits on the model can help you determine if a purchase is worth it or a waste.
"[Look for] product design that adapts to the body in some way," said Lamarche-Beauchesne. Back waist elastics on bottoms are a non-negotiable for her, as they are comfortable and help clothes last longer. "It is very difficult to get a sense of the construction quality online, but the garment design, how it sits on the model, and considering additional design decisions, can support better decision-making when purchasing online."
Pricing is an indicator of quality, not a guarantee
Higher prices can indicate that a garment is of higher quality. Lamarche-Beauchesne stated that pricing often plays an important role in the type of materials used, and that a garment's price-to-fibre ratio is "the biggest red flag" when shopping for clothes online. It's highly unlikely that your $10 Shien dress was crafted with the care and materials needed to ensure it withstands the test of time.
However, while an expensive price tag means a garment is more likely to be well made, it isn't a surefire promise of quality.
"Fashion overwhelmingly functions on a perceived-value model, and that model means that we assign to garments the value that we assign to its brand," said Lamarche-Beauchesne. "A brand sold at a premium price is a branding decision first. It is about marketing and does not always translate to a durable fibre selection or manufacturing quality. Consumers always have to be vigilant here."
Last September, popular TikTok fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye posted a video of his new Miu Miu vest losing a button as he undid it for the first time. This was actually a replacement that the luxury brand sent Kaye after his first vest also lost a button shortly after he brought it home, with the zip on a jacket breaking as well.
The video went viral, racking up over 11 million views, and sparked conversations about perceived quality decline in luxury fashion. Few shoppers would have expected such issues from a designer like Miu Miu, which charges several thousand dollars for a single shirt.
It's a helpful reminder that a famous brand name and hefty price tag aren't necessarily guarantees of a garment's quality. Pricing is a useful indicator to help you draw a conclusion. Even so, you still need to do your own due diligence, and inspect clothes' material, details, and design.
Examine and take advantage of return policies
Unfortunately, there are limits to how much you can discern about clothes by scrutinising photos online. The quickest and easiest way to determine quality is to actually see and feel a garment in person. As such, Siu says your best bet may simply be to buy clothes with the intent to return them if you're underwhelmed.
"There are brands that are confident in their quality but understand that their clothes can't fit everyone," said Siu, speaking on return policies. "Check that return policy, buy it, try it on, and be diligent about returning it if it doesn't work for you."
When examining a store's return policy, look at whether they accept change of mind returns, how long you have to return your items, who's responsible for return postage costs, and whether there's a restocking fee. IDA+S' Try Before You Buy service gives customers three days to try on clothes while their payment is put on hold. However, you must remember to actually return them within the time limit, or else be out of pocket for clothes you don't want.
"Treat online shopping as if you are taking clothes into a fitting room," said Siu. "Be prepared to start the return process. Yes, it's inconvenient, but it is equally inconvenient for the brand. High returns is the signal to them that something is remiss in their product quality and it forces them to investigate it."
Siu advised comparing clothes from new brands to ones from designers you already know and trust. Look at details on garments from your favourite labels, consider the quality and features you like, and compare them to garments from new brands you're interested in.
He further suggested digging into unfamiliar brands' backgrounds to determine whether you can trust them. In Siu's view, a label with no visible face behind it may be cause for suspicion.
"My personal habit is to look at the 'about us,' find the founder's name, and google them. In particular I look them up on LinkedIn," said Siu. "This is an extraordinarily difficult business to succeed in [the] long term. Every single brand has a challenge of driving awareness of which the founder is responsible for. No details in the 'about us'? Nothing about the founder? That is a major red flag."
Buy clothes you'll actually wear
Fabric, details, drape, and pricing are all significant considerations when shopping for clothes online. These factors will help you find garments that not only look and feel good to wear, but will last you for years to come. However, the most important factor when shopping for clothes is whether you'll actually wear a piece, and have the capacity to care for it as needed.
"Given a poly blend that you wear on a regular basis for years vs a 100 percent linen shirt that you can't bring yourself to wear because you can't be bothered to iron it, it's clear that one has far greater utility," said Siu.
Fast fashion-fuelled clothes hauls and fashion trends can be fun to follow online. But if you want to get the most bang for your buck, help protect the environment, and elevate your look while at it, mindfully shopping for quality clothes will go a long way toward helping you achieve those goals.
