Are you fed up of buying clothes only to discover afterwards that they do not last very well, have a poor fit or go out of shape after one or two washes. There is an art to finding really quality clothes that look amazing and fit perfectly and do not fall apart after one wash.

A good way to identify poorly made clothes immediately is to look out for the following:

• loose threads
• loose buttons
• seams that do not lie flat
• uneven hems
• uneven stitching
• frayed edges
• curled hems
• unmatched fabric patterns
• buttonholes that pucker

Well made clothes will all differ in how they are made but some of the features that you will find will include:

• A lining that fits well inside the garment
• Zippers that work properly without getting caught in the fabric
• Enclosed seams - badly made clothes often have overlocked seams although for some fabrics this is essential
• Quality clothes are usually made of natural fabrics like wool, silk, cotton and linen although they may also contain synthetic fibres.
• Look at seams - on quality clothes, they will lie flat and will not pucker or be too loose.
• Details like buttons covered in the same fabric as the garment

Just because an item of clothing is expensive, it does not mean that it is quality and vice versa cheap clothing is not always or poor quality, you can often find hidden gems at great prices. In your search for quality clothing, you do not need to just look in high street shops, you can also try websites selling second hand clothes, consignment shops, vintage shops and charity shops.

When you do find that item of clothing that is beautiful quality, you will have your reward, something that you can look and feel great in, that hangs perfectly and does not fall apart in the wash.