Quick Answer: Four tests, in order. Scrunch the fabric in your fist and release - good fabric springs back, poor fabric holds the creases. Hold it to the light to read the weave density. Check the seam allowance inside, which is where cost-cutting is impossible to hide. And rub the surface between finger and thumb to feel for pilling that has already started. Together they take about ten seconds and catch far more than the label does.

Labels tell you fibre content, which is the least predictive thing on a garment.

Your hands tell you construction, which is what actually determines how long it will last.

Test 1: the scrunch

Take a handful of the fabric, squeeze it firmly, and let go. Watch what happens over two seconds.

Good fabric largely recovers, with the creases falling out as it relaxes.

Poor fabric holds the creases sharply, which tells you exactly how it will look after an hour of sitting down.

Linen is the honest exception - it creases deliberately and that is the material working, not failing.

Wool recovers best of anything, which is why a wool garment looks presentable after a day of wear and a cheap polyester one does not.

This one test alone predicts more about daily wear than the fibre label does.

Test 2: the light

Hold the fabric up towards a light source and look through it.

Dense weave means light passes evenly and sparingly, which is what you want on almost everything.

Loose weave shows visible gaps, which means it will snag, stretch out of shape and go transparent.

On knitwear this is the single most useful test there is, since a loose knit will pill and drop within a season.

On white and pale fabrics it doubles as a transparency check, which matters more than people account for.

And on trousers, hold the seat area up specifically, since that is where thin fabric becomes a problem fastest.

Test 3: the seam allowance

Turn the garment inside out and look at the width of fabric beyond the seam.

Generous allowance - a centimetre and a half or more - means a maker who was not counting every centimetre, and it means the garment can be altered later.

Narrow allowance means cost-cutting and means alterations are limited or impossible.

Check whether the edges are overlocked or raw, since raw edges fray and eventually fail.

Look at the hem allowance too, particularly on trousers and coats, where a deep hem means it can be lengthened or re-hemmed.

This is the test that separates genuinely well-made garments from ones that only look it, and it is invisible from the outside.

Test 4: the surface rub

Rub the fabric between finger and thumb for a couple of seconds, particularly at the underarm, the inner sleeve and the seat.

Existing pills mean it has already started and it will continue faster from here.

A slightly fuzzy surface where it should be smooth is pilling in its early stage.

Check the friction points specifically, since those go first and are what you will see.

Wool-blend knits with a high synthetic content are the most common offenders, and they are extremely common secondhand.

Pills can be removed once with a fabric shaver; a garment that has been shaved repeatedly will be visibly thin at those points, which is the thing to check for.

Myth vs Fact: Judging Secondhand Fabric

Myth: natural fibres are always better.

Fact: a well-made polyester crepe outlasts a poorly-made wool blend comfortably, and technical synthetics do things no natural fibre can. The useful distinction is construction quality rather than fibre origin, which is why the hand tests beat the label. A cheap 100% cotton shirt in a loose weave is a worse buy than a dense poly-cotton one.

Myth: a designer label means good fabric.

Fact: it means good fabric in some decades and diffusion-line fabric in others. Brands change ownership, move production and cut costs, and a label from one era tells you very little about a garment from another. Test the fabric, then look at the label to see whether it confirms what your hands found.

Myth: pilling means the garment is finished.

Fact: light pilling can be shaved off once and the garment is fine. What matters is whether it has already been shaved repeatedly, which shows as thinning at the friction points. Look at the underarm and the seat rather than the front.

Myth: you need to check the care label.

Fact: worth a glance, but old care labels are frequently over-cautious, and many dry-clean-only wools hand wash perfectly well. It is the least reliable information on the garment and it is the thing people spend the most time reading.

Myth: a stiff fabric is a strong fabric.

Fact: stiffness is often a finish rather than a property, and it washes out. What you want is recovery - the scrunch test - rather than initial stiffness. Coated and bonded fabrics feel substantial and fail early.

Myth: secondhand means compromising on quality.

Fact: garments from twenty and thirty years ago were routinely made with deeper seam allowances, denser weaves and better linings than mid-market equivalents today. Secondhand is frequently a route to construction quality that is no longer available new at the same price.

FAQ: Fabric Quality Questions, Answered

What is the fastest single test?

The scrunch. Two seconds, and it tells you how the garment will look after a day of wear.

How do I check knitwear specifically?

Hold it to the light for density, then rub the underarm for pilling. Loose knit plus existing pills is a no.

Does fibre content matter at all?

Some - but construction matters more. Use the label to confirm what your hands already told you.

What does a good seam allowance look like?

About a centimetre and a half or more, with finished rather than raw edges. It also means the garment can be altered.

Can I fix pilling?

Once, with a fabric shaver. Repeatedly-shaved garments go thin at the friction points, so check the underarm and seat.

Is older secondhand better made?

Often, yes - deeper allowances, denser weaves and better linings were standard at price points where they are not now.

TL;DR:

• Four tests, ten seconds: scrunch for recovery, light for weave density, inside for seam allowance, rub for pilling.
• The scrunch predicts daily wear better than any label; wool recovers best, linen creases by design.
• Seam allowance is where cost-cutting cannot hide and it determines whether alterations are possible.
• Check pilling at the underarm and seat, not the front, and look for thinning from previous shaving.
• Older secondhand often beats new mid-market on construction, which is the real argument for it.

The label tells you what it is made of. Your hands tell you how it was made.