How to read a seam

You can learn most of what you need to know about a garment by turning it inside out in the shop.

Start with the seam allowances. If they are pinked — cut with a zigzag — the maker is relying on the weave not to fray. That is fine on a cheap cotton and a poor bet on anything loose or woollen. Overlocked edges are the common middle ground. A flat-felled or bound seam takes real time and tells you the maker expected the inside to be seen.

Then look at the stitch density. Count the stitches in a centimetre: eight or more is close work, five is quick work. Close stitching holds a curve; loose stitching lets it gape after a few wearings.

Check where the seams meet. At the underarm, at the waistband, wherever four layers converge, the stitching should run straight through without a wobble or a doubled-back repair. A wobble there means the operator was working faster than the machine wanted to go.

Finally, pull gently across the seam. It should resist evenly. If the thread is tighter than the cloth, the seam will be the first thing to go — thread should always be the weaker of the two, so a strain tears a stitch rather than the fabric itself.

None of this requires expertise. It requires thirty seconds and a willingness to turn something inside out in public.