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The Role of Fabric in Your Wardrobe
NEWSLETTER
1/29/20262 min read
I have a one way love affair with fabric. Or maybe it’s reciprocated? Does fabric love me back? I have to think on that more.
Regardless, I love fabric. In general, I’m a thrifty gal. I contort my body to squeeze the last out of every shampoo bottle, my husband has to tell me I need new shoes for about 48 months before I buy them, and my only regular name brand purchase is mayonnaise (Helmans). But fabric is my exception. Yes, I already have multiple bins filled with fabric, but as every sewist out there knows, you can have buckets of fabric and still not have the “right” thing for your project.
While sewists like me opine on fabric, I find that most people tend to see an item of clothing as a whole. “That’s a pretty shirt” and “I really like that dress”. If you’re one of those people I invite you to take a drop of the fabric obsession potion.
You don’t have to start your own collection of fabric (but why wouldn’t you want that??), but start noticing the fabric of your garments.
Here’s why: Fabric is the biggest factor in a garment “working” or “not working”. If you imagine in your mind, your favorite piece of clothing, how much of your love boils down to the fabric?
What are your favorite things about that piece? Is it that the color looks so good on your skin? Does it feel really soft to touch? Maybe you like that it’s really flowy and moves when you walk. Is it really easy to clean or really resilient to stains? Those all come back to the fabric.
Even more than in baking, the quality of your ingredients matters in garment making. Of course the design and construction counts big time, but the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” absolutely rules.
So a little homework for you (if you choose to accept it – you make your own choices), next time you get dressed or go shopping for a new piece of clothing, force yourself to see the fabric as a part of the garment. Mentally pull the item apart into pieces – design, fabric, construction – and question yourself on each element. Spend time thinking about the fabric color, feel, weight, and durability. Just practice using this new sight to see your garment as more than a single entity.
Over time, I bet you find you have an easier time understanding and finding the pieces that you really like.
