That business about lining drives me insane!! It's very common in the U.S. to see cotton dresses with a polyester lining, which just completely defeats the purpose of the natural fiber! You're right that it's probably because the cotton is cheap and too thin, but adding a polyester lining means the dress no longer breathes and becomes far less comfortable. I've also seen SILK dresses lined with polyester costing hundreds of dollars which is just mind blowing. If only everyone knew how badly they're getting scammed! 😭
The lining drives me INSANE! Who lines silk or cotton with polyester. You're exactly right, it no longer breathes and becomes far less comfortable. I just wish people knew more about their clothes!!
I agree about material (fabric), stitching, and finishing. I've followed that concept since a teen and I'm in my sixties now. Plus, back in the day, it was also about if a garment was lined and also properly lined. Decades ago, it was about selecting wisely and not constantly falling into a revolving door of fashion change and constant "It" items. One also selected one's clothing pieces to both keep for a long period of time and also to last for a long period of time. It was like an investment. As far as fabrics outside of the so-called natural ones, there are times when synthetic fabrics have to be used. I have been wearing (the now late) Issey Miyake since around the late 1970s or early 1980s and Issey designed parts of his collections in non-natural fabrics in order for the fabric to take on shapes that it needed to take on. I still have my original Issey Miyake collection from back when he was designing. And there's also still the Pleats Pleats part of the Miyake fashion empire. As for up-cycling fabrics, yes, it is easier to up-cycle natural fabrics. But, it comes down to balance as realistically there will continue to be fabrics that are not in the natural fabric category which also serve a purpose. As for linen, I buy a lot of it and high quality linen is very important. Since i machine wash my linen clothing items and hang them to dry, they need to be high quality as low-quality linen can be a nightmare when needing to wash and steam iron it. I love linen and also sleep on 100% heavy-linen fitted sheets. I buy various brands of clothing as there are some really good brands out there. One just needs to take one's time to find them and the selection is really diverse where I live. But, as for one French brand that I buy regularly, it's Sandro-Paris. I also buy Saint James-Paris which I've bought for decades. When in Paris, I stop by the boutique in my regular neighborhood. I'm very eclectic with my fashion as that's my personality. I don't stick to one specific design concept. But, when I'm into the Sandro/Saint James vibe, then it's those two brands and Sandro has decent sales. Greetings from Los Angeles
Such good tips. I do rely alot on how the material feels and the details. I'll make sure to check the stitching, buttons and seams in the future. I was in a Brunello Cucinelli outlet store recently. The pieces were amazing. Still quite expensive at 30 - 50% off but very beautiful quality.
Yes even in the outlet they’re very expensive but the quality is impeccable - particularly their linen. Sometimes during the soldes you can get really really good discounts on Brunello cucinelli but it’s getting harder and harder every year.
I concur! I also feel that I can rarely buy fast fashion garments, particularly online. The disappointment and betrayal felt when it arrives is real 😢😱😩 Zara is one of the brands I stay away from, even at their higher price point. They always scrimp on the fabrication, finish and/or labour cost. The one exception is their denim but the sizing is diabolical and there are no guarantees there either 🙄😐😕
I've found Zara's higher price point is just so bad; it's unreal. And fast fashion online is just such a disappointment. I have a H&M dress that I need to return and all I can think to myself is "why did you even buy it in the first place lady?!"
Love your blouse and scarf!!!! Excellent video - I love learning about how to find better quality clothing. I've been trying to shop a lot less and make smarter choices for my closet. A smaller wardrobe with items that will last me years is what I'm aiming for.
Thank you. The scarf was a gift for my birthday - it's from the French brand Inoui Editions. Yes, I'm doing that too. There are fewer gaps in my wardrobe, plus I'm so disappointed with quality and the price of garments now. It's like if you want anything substantial you have to pay so much money and I just don't get why!
We have many great stores here in California, Bannana Republic, Ralph Lauren J Crew to name a few, maybe Paris is different, either cheap or high priced? You can always shop online and yes of course examine it ! Seams stitching fabric 👍but of course
When I left the U.S. and even when I came back, I found both BR and JCrew's quality to still be hit or miss. Some items are great, but others not so much. For years I was loyal to JCrew because the quality was so consistent, but then when it started to just be all over the place, I decided to shift; no longer loyal to brands just good quality. Has it changed? Is it back to being consistently great again?
Yes!!! I love jcrew and madewell it’s just way too expensive to ship to France so usually I have to wait until someone is coming to visit me and then they bring me a bunch of stuff.
@@adrielfelise Yes, 👍🏾 good for you, nice having family to bring you clothes abroad, but it’s expensive buying it here too lol…I just recently purchased a beautiful pair of chocolate linen colored trousers that were $100 dollars 😮 and a shirt to match, the shirt was on sale tho’.
Gumn kept trying to jump out of the window because there were birds so I was watching her. Smaug doesn’t care about the birds but every now and then would swat at Gumn. I cut out the part where they almost knocked over the camera.🫣 Is that okay that I kept glancing down to make sure she hadn’t jumped out the window?
You were born Parisian! An eye for quality and class. Love this topic! Thank you. P.S. Juju needs to hang that beautiful gold mirror already… 😊
That business about lining drives me insane!! It's very common in the U.S. to see cotton dresses with a polyester lining, which just completely defeats the purpose of the natural fiber! You're right that it's probably because the cotton is cheap and too thin, but adding a polyester lining means the dress no longer breathes and becomes far less comfortable. I've also seen SILK dresses lined with polyester costing hundreds of dollars which is just mind blowing. If only everyone knew how badly they're getting scammed! 😭
The lining drives me INSANE! Who lines silk or cotton with polyester. You're exactly right, it no longer breathes and becomes far less comfortable. I just wish people knew more about their clothes!!
I agree about material (fabric), stitching, and finishing. I've followed that concept since a teen and I'm in my sixties now. Plus, back in the day, it was also about if a garment was lined and also properly lined.
Decades ago, it was about selecting wisely and not constantly falling into a revolving door of fashion change and constant "It" items. One also selected one's clothing pieces to both keep for a long period of time and also to last for a long period of time. It was like an investment.
As far as fabrics outside of the so-called natural ones, there are times when synthetic fabrics have to be used. I have been wearing (the now late) Issey Miyake since around the late 1970s or early 1980s and Issey designed parts of his collections in non-natural fabrics in order for the fabric to take on shapes that it needed to take on. I still have my original Issey Miyake collection from back when he was designing. And there's also still the Pleats Pleats part of the Miyake fashion empire.
As for up-cycling fabrics, yes, it is easier to up-cycle natural fabrics. But, it comes down to balance as realistically there will continue to be fabrics that are not in the natural fabric category which also serve a purpose.
As for linen, I buy a lot of it and high quality linen is very important. Since i machine wash my linen clothing items and hang them to dry, they need to be high quality as low-quality linen can be a nightmare when needing to wash and steam iron it. I love linen and also sleep on 100% heavy-linen fitted sheets.
I buy various brands of clothing as there are some really good brands out there. One just needs to take one's time to find them and the selection is really diverse where I live. But, as for one French brand that I buy regularly, it's Sandro-Paris. I also buy Saint James-Paris which I've bought for decades. When in Paris, I stop by the boutique in my regular neighborhood. I'm very eclectic with my fashion as that's my personality. I don't stick to one specific design concept. But, when I'm into the Sandro/Saint James vibe, then it's those two brands and Sandro has decent sales.
Greetings from Los Angeles
Yes, you're entirely right that there are times when non-natural fabrics have to be used in order to take certain shapes.
Brilliant points
Such good tips. I do rely alot on how the material feels and the details. I'll make sure to check the stitching, buttons and seams in the future. I was in a Brunello Cucinelli outlet store recently. The pieces were amazing. Still quite expensive at 30 - 50% off but very beautiful quality.
Yes even in the outlet they’re very expensive but the quality is impeccable - particularly their linen. Sometimes during the soldes you can get really really good discounts on Brunello cucinelli but it’s getting harder and harder every year.
I concur!
I also feel that I can rarely buy fast fashion garments, particularly online. The disappointment and betrayal felt when it arrives is real 😢😱😩
Zara is one of the brands I stay away from, even at their higher price point. They always scrimp on the fabrication, finish and/or labour cost.
The one exception is their denim but the sizing is diabolical and there are no guarantees there either 🙄😐😕
I've found Zara's higher price point is just so bad; it's unreal. And fast fashion online is just such a disappointment. I have a H&M dress that I need to return and all I can think to myself is "why did you even buy it in the first place lady?!"
Love your blouse and scarf!!!! Excellent video - I love learning about how to find better quality clothing. I've been trying to shop a lot less and make smarter choices for my closet. A smaller wardrobe with items that will last me years is what I'm aiming for.
Thank you. The scarf was a gift for my birthday - it's from the French brand Inoui Editions. Yes, I'm doing that too. There are fewer gaps in my wardrobe, plus I'm so disappointed with quality and the price of garments now. It's like if you want anything substantial you have to pay so much money and I just don't get why!
We have many great stores here in California, Bannana Republic, Ralph Lauren J Crew to name a few, maybe Paris is different, either cheap or high priced? You can always shop online and yes of course examine it ! Seams stitching fabric 👍but of course
When I left the U.S. and even when I came back, I found both BR and JCrew's quality to still be hit or miss. Some items are great, but others not so much. For years I was loyal to JCrew because the quality was so consistent, but then when it started to just be all over the place, I decided to shift; no longer loyal to brands just good quality. Has it changed? Is it back to being consistently great again?
Thank you for your insights. You are really a sweet young lady 😊
Hi Adriel, have you ever shopped at J.Crew or Madewell for casual wear?
Yes!!! I love jcrew and madewell it’s just way too expensive to ship to France so usually I have to wait until someone is coming to visit me and then they bring me a bunch of stuff.
@@adrielfelise Yes, 👍🏾 good for you, nice having family to bring you clothes abroad, but it’s expensive buying it here too lol…I just recently purchased a beautiful pair of chocolate linen colored trousers that were $100 dollars 😮 and a shirt to match, the shirt was on sale tho’.
Just out of curiosity, are you reading what you're saying? You keep looking down😋
Gumn kept trying to jump out of the window because there were birds so I was watching her. Smaug doesn’t care about the birds but every now and then would swat at Gumn. I cut out the part where they almost knocked over the camera.🫣 Is that okay that I kept glancing down to make sure she hadn’t jumped out the window?
@@adrielfelise ooohh ok,i thought you had notes and were looking so you dont forget something hehe..are those the names of cats?, i love cats😊
@@yap4808 yes. Those are the names of the cats.