That one lady at the thrift store taught me about fabric quality

I was at a Goodwill in Portland last Saturday digging through a bin of old sheets when this older woman next to me just started talking. She picked up a floral print and said 'this is 100% cotton, see how the weave is tight and the tag says made in Portugal?' She told me she never buys anything without checking the fiber content first, no matter the price. I had been grabbing whatever looked cute for 3 years and now I check every tag every time. Has anyone else had a random stranger change their whole approach to buying secondhand?

4 comments

4 Comments

brian32817d ago

I read something similar in a newsletter about vintage shopping, how that "Made in Portugal" tag usually means good quality because they have strict textile standards there. Now I check tags like a weirdo at every thrift store I go into. Found a 100% linen shirt from Portugal last week for six bucks, would have walked right past it a year ago.

ivan_mason17d ago

Oh man, you're totally right about that Portugal thing! I grabbed a vintage sweater from a bin sale last month with that tag, and the wool is way thicker and softer than anything I've found from other countries. My wife laughed at me for getting excited about a tag, but that $8 piece has held up through like ten washes already. Your linen shirt sounds like a steal, those usually go for way more online.

taylor_miller108d ago

Honestly that's how it goes with quality pieces though. I learned the hard way to check the care tag before the brand tag, that's where the real info is.

nancythomas8d ago

That lines up with something I read about how Portugal has some of the oldest textile mills in Europe, they still use traditional techniques a lot of places gave up on. It's cool seeing that actually pay off in the quality of the clothes you find.