Are you a Material/Fabric Snob?... I am!!!

[William_St_Girl]

I bet that got your attention!!!

What I probably should have said was fabric snob?

What I mean by it though is are you prepaired to pay more for fine quality natural materials rather than all the polycrap synthetic nonsense in the shops now!

I defo go for cottons, silks and for winter lush furs, cashmere, alpaca, merino, mohair etc... I would defo rather spend £150 on one cashmere cardi than 6 or 8 Polycrap ones from the high st! It's also important to the history of the fabric... I really go for stuff that's not mass produced and this has definately influenced my choices. I love buying vintage or from craft and trade fairs... also I love buying local... especially scottish cashmere! I am not ashamed to say I'll never buy polycrap again and often steer clear of the high st because of this! How about you???

So is it just me or are you a material snob too? What are your fav materials?

 

[lucy92]

i actually don't mind polyester so much, if the garment is well made. i like polyester sometimes because i can machine mash it without it losing its shape. i'm not a fan of dry cleaning or ironing. its a waste of my time and $ and terrible for the environment.

i dont mind viscose either. many of my topshop unique items are viscose.

i think a brand like topshop does synthetic materials very well. the garments have heft to them.

H&M does a poor job of synthetics IMO. (conversely, their cottons also are flimsy and wrinkle easily)

but i completely agree with you inregards ito synthetic materials for shoes. many of my vegan friends insist on buying shoes that are made of PVC or other man made materials. materials which will sit for a thousand years in a landfill before breaking down and are toxic to the environment.

i almost always opt for leather shoes.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I'm quite a fabric snob, due to the fact that synthetics don't tend to wear as well as natural fibres and synthetics tend to feel awful.
Cotton makes up most of my wardrobe, some wool pieces for the winter, and some silk, cashmere and a few silk/cottons etc, which tend to be worn rarely, and washed rarely (because of the £££ to clean)
Rarely do I go into a high-street shop and buy something, as I tend to regret it unless it is made of cotton - my Topman coat exists as proof that a wool/synthetic mix becomes quite bobbly and cheap-looking after frequent wear, whereas a 100% wool piece would not.
When it comes to shoes mine are leather, as they tend to mould to the shape of one's foot, hence a more comfortable fit. Though I despair at having them, I seem to need rubber soles for my shoes as I walk everywhere and I cannot afford to have leather soles constantly replaced (I'm a student).

If we boil it down..
My pet hates: Acrylic jumpers, polyester blazers.
What I love: Thick, good-quality cotton t-shirts, silk-cotton jumpers.

 

[sunnyday3074]

I'm not a fabric snob actually. I don't care much about it.

 

[Fewormany]

I pretty much always buy natural fabrics, mostly cotton and some wool for F/W. I most synthetics look (and smell) cheap, especially the cheaper options. But it can be done well, just like cotton can be very bad quality. I don't think I own any synthetic clothes at the moment. I always check the label to see what the material is, synthetics make me sweat too much (no ventilation) and often make my skin irritated.

But it's like lucy92 said, it about how it's made. I bet there are some good synthetics on the market, but it's like with any other material the quality varies a lot.

 

[Betinapple]

I really think a lot about materials. My body can't breathe in polyester and I think it looks really bad too most of the time, so I go for cotton, viscose, lyocell, silk and wool. Usually in blends.

I loooove silk but I do not own many items made of silk, since I have a habbit of staining my clothes, and silk is a pain to get clean.

 

[Petit Lucille]

I appreciate innovation in textiles as well. If a garment uses an interveined textile, or a traditional in a new way, I'm already liking it.
Polyester has some properties that cotton or other natural fibers don't have, it's not that one is good and the other bad, they're good for different uses, and therefore, they are best used for certain type of clothes.

 

[The_Ida]

I'm not. There are some that I dislike (angora - sheds like hell). Lanvin does £1000 polyester dresses, why not. It's a brilliant material in many ways. I don't like cotton very much in general.

H&M does excellent silk and cashmere, I rarely buy anything else there. I did buy the Celine-ish tunic, it's viscose and it's very nice actually - everyone asked where I got it and no one believed me Pleasantly surprised there.

 

[The_Ida]

Generally I don't like viscose much either now I come to think of it

 

[wishbone666]

I prefer natural fibers (although I feel a bit guilty about it) but think it all depends on the quality of the natural fibers.. there is some really cheap and nasty cashmere/wool/cotton out there that deteriorates just as fast as synthetics. Organic cotton is wonderful though..

 

[Spike413]

For me it really depends on the garment and the mix of fibers in the fabric (assuming it's more than one). There are some items that I would never buy in anything other than natural fibers (sweaters are the first that come to mind). It just seems to me that sweaters in either a natural/synthetic blend or pure synthetics don't wear as well or last as long. Plus, let's be honest, poly or acrylic yarn doesn't feel very nice on. Price factors in too. I just couldn't bring myself to spend a lot of money on something that's either mostly or entirely synthetic.

BUT, these rules are much less rigid when it comes to designer level clothes. Sometimes you really do need synthetic fibers, and some of the most expensive clothes out there can be made from mostly or entirely synthetic blends. At that level it really shouldn't be taken as a reflection of their quality because to achieve certain effects you need synthetics.

So in the end, no, I wouldn't call myself a fabric snob. It's really case by case.

 

[ediewho]

Other than cottons I think I am you opposite snob girl type material William_St_Girl and yeah snobbish on my own standards!

 

[William_St_Girl]

A fair spread of comments there... and I do take on board what some of you are saying... but im a bit like betinapple... I just feel I cant breath in polycrap fabrics and for me a lot of them do feel cheap and nasty on my skin! But it's defo true you can get rubbish natural fibres too! For me it's all about manufacture and care taken to deliver a quality product... its the mass production in a way that also puts me off the high street as I dont want to wear the same top I see 100 other women in!

It is true to say the garment quality has to be case by case... its just a petty im growing to find high st quality is sadly not getting any better!

ediewho... I'm not sure what you mean your oposite to me... but a snob in your own standards... so what are they!?!?

 

[ediewho]

Sorry William_St_Girl when I meant that is that you are more into animal fabrics and I am not for animal rights related... so quite opposite on that particularly ... but you are certainly right on the mass production make bigger wardrobes of clothes that actually are kinda about to expire at any time (or season) when i got cotton dresses from the 70s that look newer and are totally fantastic...

 

[softgrey]

the area where i am definitely and without question a snob is KNITS...

only the highest quality i can possibly afford...
everything else is a waste of money because it won't last for long...

 

[RedandNavy]

I definitely am. It's not so much the designer tag or the trendiness that makes me spend a lot on an item but the fabric. In winter I've discovered there's nothing like good cashmere. So beautiful, so warm and cozy and it looks so good for really long. For trousers I want them to be of a fine wool that lasts forever. And I really love silk. Leather in shoes has to be top quality as well.

I buy only few items so I want them to last. And top quality in fabrics is simply a must.

 

[GeniedeMelbourne]

I am. I don't like polyester material, it feels so sticky and cheap. I also can't wear anything but leather shoes otherwise I get a very itchy rash on my toes which lasts for 6 weeks. That's something I'd rather avoid.

 

[lightningfields]

I honestly can't shop at H&M and stores like that because the quality of fabric is so bad. No matter how amazing the cut of a piece is if the fabric sucks it looks cheap and gross. Same goes for shoes, bags, etc... Nothing pisses me off more than stiff chiffon and shirts pilling everywhere.
#lolangry

 

[DeeDeeDeLovely]

Seeing this thread made me think and realize...I am one. I don't wear anything that isn't made out of cotton. I am rough on clothes and other materials can't handle it. I believe in Woolite not dry cleaning.

 

[snowinmoscow]

Nice to read that some other people are fabric snobs too!
I've really started to cut down on the amount I am consuming of everything lately as i was really tired of opening up my wardrobe and just seeing a million items of clothing but only loving about 10-20% or a lot of them becoming really tired looking after only a few wears. I've recently found that by spending just that little bit more on items that have a better fabric composition, the definitely go a lot longer and if i absolutely love it and if its classic then I'll be happy to wear it for seasons and seasons!

I am so over the false economies of fast fashion.. Finding a good dry cleaner for silks, knits, etc. definitely helps too!