Know Your Fabrics
Some knowledge of fabric will go a long way when deciding to purchase an item of clothing. This is especially so when "No Knickers" shopping. We have outlined a short guide on some commonly used fabrics below.
Acrylic
looks like a natural yarn and is often used as a wool substitute but will not keep you as warm. Acrylic is particularly rubbish for a coat because it loses all its warmth when it gets wet whereas wool can wick away moisture.
Angora
Angora is beautiful and hard wearing. Annoyingly it will bobble and fluff up horribly making you look like you bought the garment from a charity shop. After one wear it will pill. Even a small percentage of angora will cause bobbling. If you buy this jumper, buy a bobble remover as well. Understand that the jumper may never look as good as it did on the day that you bought it from the shop.
Cashmere
Several factors determine the quality of cashmere. Average fibre thickness and length. The thicker fibres are suitable to weaving. The thinner the fibre the softer and pricier. The longer the fibre, the better quality and durability.
Very light Chinese cashmere is the rarest, finest and the most expensive cashmere fibre. It is used for white yard and pastel colours. The darker the colour, the coarser and less expensive the fibre. The darker cashmere fibres cannot be used for lighter colours. Grade A cashmere is pure and you will find these fibres in the finest cashmere woollens. If you have a choice between 2 ply or 1 ply cashmere choose the 2 ply otherwise you could be looking at a garment that will shrink and lose its shape quickly.
For more information on cashmere, see FCaNK's notes in Knitwear.
100% Cotton
Cotton can be washed up to 85 degrees and we are surprised when stains do not come out in a 30-degree wash. Remember that the quality of the yarn will differ from shop to shop and you do get what you pay for. You can judge good quality cotton by its touch. If you buy a white cotton shirt we recommend paying a bit more for a better quality garment. If you do get a stain on your cotton, a touch of hairspray and a normal wash cycle may well remove the stain.
Organic Cotton
Try to purchase organic fair trade cotton. You are doing both the environment and humans a big favour! See also FCaNK's notes in Consuming with an (Eco) Conscience.
Hemp
This is an Eco textile. Hemp will keep you cool and is hard wearing. There are some interesting designs being released onto the high street market so have look out for them. M&S ae planning on developing some great designs with Hemp.
Linen
Linen is very breathable and fabulous to wear in the summer months. It washes well but will crease like hell so scrunch it up in the shop to see if you like the look. Linen mixes will often crease less.
Mohair
Mohair is knitted from angora goats. It is knitted to be fluffy and will stay fluffy. It is very hard wearing and relatively dirt resistant.
Polyester
Polyester is easy to wash and hard wearing. FCaNK cautions against purchasing a pure polyester outfit. Polyester works well when mixed with other materials especially cotton. The polyester ingredient tends to lengthen the shelf life of your garment. Polyester will not fend off oil stains very well so watch out for ketchup, pesto, olive oil based sauces (etc) because they will not come out.
Silk
Silk is particularly good when woven. It will not pill as much as wool and retains warmth and won't shrink or stretch as easily. Silk and wool mixes are great for jumpers.
100% Wool
Wool is long lasting and durable and should keep its colour well. It should not fluff up too much but it depends how it has been processed.
Rayon
is the most natural of all synthetic fibres. It is quite versatile and is nothing to be scared of. The production of Rayon does have negative environmental effects.
Viscose
Viscose is a form of Rayon. It is made from wood pulp. It breathes like cotton and feels good to touch but will wrinkle easily and so will always need ironing if you want a wrinkle free look. A viscose mix is often used for work wear and will feel better to touch than 100% polyester garments.
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