When is picky too picky? - YouLookFab Forum

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When is picky too picky?

Aquamarine

Veteran

Twice in the last few months I have ordered items that had minor imperfections on the seams. I was especially irked with one of them, an expensive (for me) designer item. After stewing about it for a while, I sent it back and of course Nordstrom refunded my money. I did not bother with a replacement....didn't really need the item for anything special.

Then I ordered a top and once again, I found an imperfection on a seam....a small section where a tiny fold was introduced. It's hard to see except the fabric does not lie or hang smoothly at that spot. It's on the back seam where the sleeve is attached. I only noticed it after I washed and ironed the item for the first time. I doubt anyone else will see it, unless they are actively looking.

I am debating returning it but mostly don't want to bother. I can't decide if it's me being super picky or if quality is declining across the board. Different brand, still pricy.

What's your threshold on acceptable quality? I need some perspective.

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15 replies

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Murph11

Veteran

My pickiness is often tied to shopping/spending guilt. The higher the price, the pickier I become, and then the guilt has me running to return. Was the "flaw" really a deal-breaker, or is it the anxiety of spending? I'm troubled

Janet

(website)

Veteran

It depends on the item. The more on the fence I am about it, the more glaring the flaw becomes.

However, I bought a striped top at Anthro last year and only discovered after wearing it that there was a little flaw in a seam on the back -- it was sewn with a little wrinkle in it. I love the top enough to overlook it. I could get it fixed but haven't gotten around to it.

Chris987

Veteran

I think you have to know your own threshold for annoyance.

For example I have noticed that thin t-shirts (at any price point) almost always twist in the wash even if you wash them totally by hand, and it drives me absolutely crazy. I like things to be orderly and side seams are supposed to go evenly down the sides. It can also throw the neckline out of whack. So I'm trying not to buy them any more. I've talked to other people who don't even notice this sort of thing so their threshold is different from mine on this one.

I also agree that the more expensive, the more picky I get. In my case I expect higher quality for a higher price and I therefore don't buy certain brands because they don't meet that expectation.

Quality IS getting worse across the board. Sad but true. If people keep returning items with flaws maybe the manufacturers will eventually improve their quality, but there is no guarantee of that. It can still be cheaper for them to deal with the returns than change how they manufacture the items, especially in the fast fashion world.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Chris, the twisty tee thing bugs me! Certain knits set on a bias will definitely do that, and not just cheap shirts either. It really bothers me because my body is already very asymmetrical -- the twist in a shirt can look especially off on my body.

Nebraskim

Veteran

I have a houndstooth wool skirt I bought at Eddie Bauer a couple years ago in which one of the pockets (made of that "silky" lining fabric) was inadvertently folded into the seam, creating a bump right cross my lower belly. Because it was literally the last in my size in three different stores, and I really wanted the skirt, I bought it and just cut that pocket free from the seam. So now that pocket has a giant hole, but it lies flat. I often do not even open the stitching on pockets, so the fact this pocket unusable doesn't bother me. But it was a pretty obvious manufacturing error to slip through a factory quality control. This skirt is a workhorse for me due to its color, fit and other factors so I am happy to have it despite its flaw.

Muffin

Veteran

I also agree with the others about my pickiness being related to cost. I definitely expect more from higher cost items. Usually I can live with something or be less disappointed if I didn't spend a ton on it. I also think having a strong interest in fashion and some basic knowledge on construction adds to my expectations.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I agree that quality is going down as prices are going way up. I've found the same tiny quality flaws in expensive clothing - off grain fabric cuts, seams not even, hems drooping on one side - not by design, sloppy button holes, messy top stitching, grease? or marker? spots, shoes made from cheap fabric or bad faux plastic-looking vinyl rather than leather. And the pattern making is often pretty iffy - tops with hugely wide necklines and strangulating sleeves, or tight shoulders and upper sleeves with vee necks so low you can see "france", tanks or sleeveless tops with armholes big enough for your waist, etc.

And selection of everything retail in my area is plummeting, so I find as big a challenge with quantity.

Not to hijack, but I was recently sent to buy "striped cotton polo shirts with pockets, reasonably priced" and "fluffy non-tight socks" for my father-in-law who is in short term rehab after a broken hip and surgery. I spent 3 hours! at the shopping mall visiting every possible department store and found exactly zero shirts to qualify. The few striped polos were either athletic fabrics i.e. golf shirts or a name "designer" brand and had no pockets, and all priced well over $50. Am I suffering sticker shock? He doesn't really need designer shirts. And no one makes fluffy socks anymore, perhaps?

The local selection of merchandise is about 2/3 less than maybe 3-5 years ago. The store floors are all looking downright skimpy. 2-3 years ago I could go into any one of the same department stores and select the nicest 6 out of 30 or more striped polos available for my husband to wear to work (he's now retired so I have not searched for awhile) or as gifts for my f-i-l.

Is anyone else finding this same challenge? I looked online and it's the same - NO STRIPES. (Isn't this a basic need for elderly men in nursing homes for instance? A tiny spill simply disappears in the pattern, whereas solid fabrics show stains immediately.)

Okay, sorry, rant over.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Aquamarine, my level of pickiness definitely rises with the price of the item (as others have said). I am extremely picky when it comes to costly items like shoes, not so picky when it comes to tee shirts that I'm going to sleep in.

To be honest, though, I can't think of a time when a garment I bought had a stitching flaw. I've only really noticed such flaws in footwear, and it's a big enough deal for me to return them. But when it comes to clothes, the two main issues I seem to have are (a) twisty tee shirts (what Chris said), and (b) excessive pilling. Neither of these problems can be solved by returning the item, but it will make me not buy the same item again, and will make me leery of the brand in general.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It's so interesting what we notice, isn't it? I have never noticed the "twisty t" issue. (Admittedly, I don't wear a lot of tees, but I do have some.)

OTOH, unlike Aziraphale, I've found stitching flaws in woven garments quite often. Usually I simply will not buy said item (or I will return it.) That kind of thing drives me nuts. Occasionally -- for instance, if a hem is loose in one tiny spot -- i might point it out at the cash register for a discount, take it home, and fix it pronto!

In answer to your question, then, I guess my pickiness threshold is about the same as yours; I really don't tolerate clothes that are not properly sewn. Especially if they are costly, but really, at any price!

Anonymous

I don't tolerate flaws, and the more I pay, the pickier I become. My mom was a seamstress, and I know quality workmanship when I see it.

MsMaven

Veteran

After looking closely at a $500 designer jacket last summer and seeing how poorly it was put together, I passed on it although I liked the style. I was surprised that Nordstrom would put such a piece on their sales floor.

I remember a few years ago Donna Karan was quoted as saying designers were taking lots of shortcuts with things like barely turned under and stitched hems on skirts. This must have been in the 1990s. It's too bad because if you go into a store like Macy's you see what seems like acres of clothes, but very little of decent quality for the prices.

I think it is more important than ever to be picky. Who wants to waste their money or encourage manufacture of shoddy goods with a designer name?

Aquamarine

Veteran

I think I have a low threshold for flaws because I used to sew and I can knit. So I know how to properly construct a garment. I just get so weary returning items, since I seem to shop mostly online these days.

I can probably unpick the seam and adjust it myself, but really, why should I have to?

Gigi

Veteran

I'm pretty picky. I've returned things for the reason you mention, a seam not lying flat and causing a little "poof" of the fabric. I hate that. I also won't buy something that has a seam unraveling, unless I can get a discount for it. I mean, if I'm paying full price, why should I have to do some sewing? It's ridiculous.

I ordered a very cute sequin cami some months back and returned it because it was slighly too long for my torso and would therefore not lie flat on my hips (it would get poofy on top of my hips). That's not a sewing flaw, but it's a design flaw IMO (it was a petite size, so it should have been short in the torso). I returned it because I knew that I would feel frumpy in it.

Gail

Veteran

I usually do not buy something if I see a design flaw especially at a higher price point. Sometimes if I really want the item and think I can easily fix it myself I ask for a discount.

Anonymous

Let me add that in addition to expecting a generous seam allowance and nice finishes, I expect stripes and plaids to be matched at the seams. My mother used to sew the facings down, too. I have yet to see that, but I don't shop at high end stores, so I don't know what's there.