I love vintage and, as a collector of many old things, am quite particular about fabrics. The material composition of garments is a huge part of why we love or hate something. Think about it. A cozy vs. itchy sweater. A piece that needs constant ironing and attention vs. something that’s ready to go out of the dryer. How the piece wears over time, though, also predicts how much use we even get out of it so knowing what fabrics to look for and what we can expect from various compositions is very important. If something was designed to last just a couple washes, is it really worth it?

So what to look for? Read on:

Keep It Natural

Linens, silks, cottons, wools – any fabric created from real (ie. not synthetic ) components is ideal. These fabrics have predictable wear patterns (as in we know what to expect when we wash and dry), and are generally your best bet when it comes to environmentally sensitive fabrics. Of this lot cottons are my favourite. They’re durable, versatile (knits! tees! jeans!) and easy to care for. And, as we move into summer, linens (although wrinkle prone) are light weight, luxurious and surprisingly easy to launder – just wash and air dry! I always look for natural fabrics and prefer 75%+ identifiably natural materials.

Watch Your Blend

Natural fibres, unfortunately, are becoming increasingly difficult to find – even at “better” stores. They are more expensive to produce and in a fashion landscape that pushes more and more as cheap as possible, their popularity is waning. We see a ton of blends now (poly knits, cotton blends and more) and even more fully synthetic (ie. plastic) garments. Synthetic fabrics include: nylon, polyester, acrylic, fleece, any microfibre fabric and “vegan” leather. Synthetic pieces are often the ones described as “soft”. They can feel nice to the touch at purchase but they have a propensity to quickly lose their charm. Notice what items you have at home that have pilled, that look worn or were just disappointing purchases and I bet you’ll find an unsavoury blend to blame.

Rayon

Rayon is kind of it’s own category as a semi-synthetic fabric most commonly produced as viscose, modal or lyocell/tencel and sometimes referred to as bamboo. This family of fabrics is used for such diverse modes as athleisure and office wear. These tend to wear better than blends and do have a natural component to their manufacturing process. I recommend keeping even semi-synthetics out of the dryer (plastics + heat = bad news) but otherwise are pretty easy to care for and are those wash and go pieces we all love. No iron required!

In general, when thinking of fabrics, the simplest way to break it down for yourself is to remember that the past is a pretty good predictor of the future. If you find fabrics and fabric blends that you like (natural, synthetic, blends) take note and look for these in the future. Make a habit of checking the tags and clocking what fabrics you’re actually buying. You know what you like. You know when you’ve bought something and literally never wore it for fear of ruining it in the washer. Buy what you like, keep an eye on what wears poorly and try to use that in future fabric decisions. You got this!