What is Quality?
People— editors, bloggers, and I— have talking a lot about quality over quantity when it comes to purchasing new clothes. Miss Elle from Broke & Beautiful even wrote a wonderful list of quality necessities every girl needs in their wardrobe. This, however, has made me think a lot about the word quality.
Quality (noun) – qual·i·ty: a) degree of excellence [grade]; b) superiority in kind [merchandise of quality] Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Of course there is a technical definition of quality, but quality truly means a plethora of different things to different people, especially when it comes to clothing and accessories.
Is a quality pair of shoes only a pair of shoes handmade using Italian leather, or is it just a pair of leather shoes? Do quality shoes actually have to be leather or made of natural fabrics? Can they be made of synthetic fabrics? How much should a pair of quality shoes cost? What brands are quality? What if the shoes are technically “trendy” and won’t be worn within the next year but are handmade Italian leather shoes from a luxury brand?
There are so many questions only answerable by the individual.
Many people think the more expensive the item, the better the quality, but is it smarter to pay $90 for a T by Alexander Wang shirt than $25 for a similar shirt from American Apparel?
After having worked in the fashion industry, I’ve learned not to base the grade of an item on cost. I’ve seen people throw away almost $600 in less than 30 minutes at sample sales because the low prices lead them to overindulge. Depending on the sample sale, $600 can equate two or 20+ garments — the sample sale I’m speaking of was similar to the latter. Though, yes, the clothes were extremely marked down, and, yes, they were well-made, silk, designer garments, I highly doubt most of the clothes purchased would be worn often, if at all.
Does quality also include wearability? Does an item’s novelty decrease it’s qualitative worth?
What about quality between different designers, or well-known designers vs. unknown designers? New vs. vintage?
There are so many variables hindering me from figuring out my definition, as of yet. I want to say that not only do quality garments have to be well-made and preferably made of natural fiber fabrics, but also they should be timeless silhouetted items I would be able to wear for years to come, barring any weight fluctuations. I don’t particularly subscribe to one or a group of supreme designer(s), but if I had the choice between to similar garments equally priced but one was a brand I had heard of and another an unknown brand, I would choose the former— better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. All that being said, I know my definition of quality probably changes on a case-to-case basis, especially when price comes into play.
So, what is quality to you?
