Newbie......spending more = better quality?

[Innocent Bystander]

As I stated I'm a newbie. I'll cut right to the chase. I'm tired of going on mini sprees at the mall stores, spending an insane amount of money on about ten shirts that I end up wearing three and the three that I do wear look like crap after a few times being washed. Really, you go to some of these stores that charge about $40-$50 for a button down shirt and it looks so cheap. Buttons are about to fall off, strings every where etc. God forbid you wear them a lot because they'll look like crap after a few washes. This also goes for summer polos, sweaters etc.

So, are the clothes at the affiliates and like shops made that better? Will they hold up to constant wear and washing and last more than one season? I'm not quite convinced that I want to spend $200 on a sweater, but I'm leaning that way.

Last, can somebody recommend a good, thick cardigan or full zip up sweater? I'm looking for something that can be work over a T, Button down, henly etc. It will get worn almost everyday over a shirt. I was thinking about this one. Any input would be good:

http://www.tobi.com/product/18374-ed...color_id=21942

 

[heynow]

you get what you pay for.

 

[beckett]

not all always, quite often all your paying for with expensive clothes is a huge mark up - $$$ doesn't always equal better quality.

 

[Stazy]

Originally Posted by heynow

you get what you pay for.
There is still a point of diminishing marginal returns. The difference in quality between a $500 and $700 sweater is probably not going to be as great as the difference between a $50 and $250 sweater.

 

[Deluks917]

Originally Posted by Stazy

There is still a point of diminishing marginal returns. The difference in quality between a $500 and $700 sweater is probably not going to be as great as the difference between a $50 and $250 sweater.
It is also proportionally a much smaller difference.

 

[erdawe]

Not always, sometimes you simply pay a premium for styling, brand name, fit, ect. You can buy a 100% wool hand-knit scottish wool sweater, for the same price you can pay for a trendy cardigan with a cotton/nylon/acrylic job from some mid-level designer. Please don't tell me that the latter is better quality (other factors aside) in its purest sense.

 

[chronoaug]

Depends what you mean by quality. Buttons on shirts don't mean **** to me since it's easy to tighten them up yourself. I'm more concerned with fabric, seam construction, details, fit, dyes used, aesthetic of the piece and what not. Sometimes you can find something for cheap that fits what you want, otherwise to get closer to 100% satisfied you gotta pay.

 

[Stazy]

Originally Posted by Deluks917

It is also proportionally a much smaller difference.
Obviously, but the notion that spending more = better quality doesn't really take that into consideration...

 

[erbs]

Originally Posted by erdawe

You can buy a 100% wool hand-knit scottish wool sweater....

Who produces these sweaters?

 

[Stazy]

Originally Posted by erbs

Who produces these sweaters?

 

[Warren G.]

Lol wow.

 

[MiniW]

to the OP, it sounds like you need to know how to take care of your clothes better as well as finding out what is better quality.

when you wash your shirts, do you put them in the dryer? or hang dry? do you use wire or wooden hangers? do you use a dry cleaner? Even crappy shirts tend to look like how I bought them if I wash them on cold and hang dry them. Only when I (or my wife) accidentally put them in the dryer do I notice them looking more worn after a wash. And I don't usually wash any garment (other than underwear and t-shirts) unless they are visibly stained or have a noticeable odor.

Anyways my point is that even if you buy the best quality shirts or shoes, they'll look like crap fast if you don't take care of them well. good luck

 

[mainy]

Originally Posted by MiniW

to the OP, it sounds like you need to know how to take care of your clothes better as well as finding out what is better quality.

when you wash your shirts, do you put them in the dryer? or hang dry? do you use wire or wooden hangers? do you use a dry cleaner? Even crappy shirts tend to look like how I bought them if I wash them on cold and hang dry them. Only when I (or my wife) accidentally put them in the dryer do I notice them looking more worn after a wash. And I don't usually wash any garment (other than underwear and t-shirts) unless they are visibly stained or have a noticeable odor.

Anyways my point is that even if you buy the best quality shirts or shoes, they'll look like crap fast if you don't take care of them well. good luck

+1

Also, you mention wearing this cardigan almost every day - there are few items of clothing you can wear every day which won't look like hell in a short matter of time. Maybe coats and jeans, but that is pretty heavy wear for something like a cardigan, which is probably not going to be *that* durable.

 

[keykoo]

I don't believe that more expensive stuff will last any longer than stuff that is cheaper. You can find goods of quality in all brackets of cost. You might not get hand crafted stitching (which actually is worse quality) and extra details but these really don't have any impact on the actualy durability of the item.

 

[jet]

Spending more does get you higher quality sometimes...

Unfortunately the converse it not true, there is nothing of quality that is cheap. Also better grades of cotton and yarns will generally look much better after many washings and repeated use.

I don't agree with the cardigan post above, there is no reason for a high quality cardigan or knit to pill quickly.