What are the “best” fabrics for various items of clothing?

[Wutipg]

What are your preferred fabrics for various items of clothing. I like 100% wool for knits. But is acrylics actually ok? I like 100% cotton for shirts and T-shirts. But I don’t know for dresses what is best. What exactly is viscose? Is this better than polyester? Also I don’t really understand what modal is. Can anyone educate me? I want comfortable breathable fabrics. Preferably better for environment and also longer lasting so look good for a long time. I don’t like replacing clothing too often and prefer good clothes which will last a while and not look too “cheap”

Viscose and modal are both semisynthetic fabrics made from wood. They are similar to cotton, soft and breathable. Acrylic is, like polyester, a synthetic fabric. IMO it's like wearing a plastic bag, not breathable and produces microplastics. In summer I quite like wearing linen, it does need ironing though.

For a print type dress you could wear cotton, wool/cotton, linen, Lenzing or Tencel type viscose, cupro. Those long lasting Laura Ashley dresses of the 1990s were mostly different types of cotton fabric.

I live in a hot country so either cotton for me but I also wear a lot of linen.

Not all linen is the same some quite stiff and thick some soft and thinner if that makes sense. I dont mind how it creases sometimes it just works for me.

Acrylic/polyester is a no no a big sweating mess within a short space of time.

Thanks. So viscose preferable to polyester for evening dress then. I suppose ideal would be silk but that’s too expensive.
That’s what I suspected re acrylic I will avoid

I've got a dress made from tencel which feels like a really nice smooth cotton. It's a dress I wear for work so it's been worn and washed in normal washing for at least the last 18 months, and it still looks pretty good. Peopletree are good for natural fabrics. Some of their stuff is a bit complicated or outlandish, but lots of classics and basics available and it's indestructible. I'm currently wearing a t shirt that looks a little grey as my husband washed it with jeans, but the actual fabric and structure looks pretty unchanged from new and I think I've had it 7+ years and it's been worn frequently.

I'm in agreement about natural fabrics. I've been slowly trying to replace my knitwear with actual wool as it's much nicer in the winter too.

Unless you’re living in a very cold climate I think Fairisle and Aran style woolen jumpers are not practical. They need hand washing to avoid felting and take ages to dry.
But I like the look so I compromise with acrylic blends and lighter style knitting.

“Flowy” viscose is a good breathable fabric for wrap dresses or long skirts but it feels very strange when wet. Almost like cardboard.
Discovered this at a rainy wedding and was uncomfortable for hours with it drying on my skin.

Fairisle wool jumpers are designed not to need washing. In the countries where they are handknit, they would be spot cleaned for stains and then hung outside to air to get rid of any smells and that would be it.

Norway even has a national jumper airing day.

Yeah, wool doesn't seem to need the same amount of washing as synthetic equivalents. Especially if you're wearing it over another layer, it just doesn't start to smell like synthetics do.

I just put my wool through the washing machine though on an appropriate cycle and it comes through okay.

Cotton for tops, t-shirts, shirts, nightwear, underwear, socks, summer dresses, shorts, skirts, trousers, hoodies
Silk for shirts
Merino wool for knitwear
Wool for trousers
I will accept a tiny percentage of elasthane in trousers, but that’s as far as I’ll go 😂

No polyester/viscose etc ever

I live in a country with cold winters and my basic uniform for cold weather is a gap/Uniqlo merino wool jumper over a merino wool base layer.

And I wash all my woollens in the washing machine on the wool setting, never had a problem

Thanks. I have recently become obsessed with 100% Fairisle jumpers and have invested in three which I wear a lot in the winter and they look so nice. I live in Scotland so it is plenty cold! Now trying to expand the rest of my wardrobe to better and more natural fabrics.

100% wool I mean

From what I know (and my experience):

Wool best for knitwear but I try not to wash very often (spot cleaning & airing). Depending on quality, it does pill but a defuzzer helps.

Cotton - definitely preferable for dresses, shirts & t shirt as breathable, will last, although usually needs ironing.

Viscose - is breathable and light but tends to crease madly, personally I'm not keen on it.

Linen is breathable and cool to wear in summer but creases - although generally I'm more forgiving about this as I think linen creases look like they should be there (if this makes sense?)

Acrylic/polyester - is plastic and hot, sweaty not good for the environment. I now avoid, and any I do have I wash in a washing bag to avoid adding to microplastics in water.

I think what is tricky is the blend of fabrics e.g cotton with some polyester, cotton with lyocell . I think in these cases in depends on the percentage & really need to see & feel fabric to make a judgement.

Oh I forgot about silk, I have a few silk tunics and larger loose shirts, great for an evening, but not if you spill something!

I love Aran have quite a few, just bung them in on a wash cycle, had them years, but obviously not at the moment.

Just thinking about linen (I am packing for a few days away) loose fitting trousers either draw waisted or zipped are great to match up with anything.

Don't write off hand washing. The occasional gentle handwashing of a good jumper so it's soft and happy again is quite satisfying. After all you wouldn't machine wash your hair.

Even in one fibre type, like cotton, fabrics vary from cheap and rough to very high quality. Take up sewing if you want to become very boring expert on this.

I find acryclic ok for winter jumpers. Found a lovely one in a charity shop.

I try to stick to natural fibres as much as possible, not as easy these days with what’s in the high street shops, main reason I tend to hang onto things I’ve had for ages.
For knitwear it has to be pure wool or cashmere. I knit ( a lot, been told it’s not so much a hobby as an affliction so buy pure wool yarn. I have quite a lot of cashmere jumpers & cardigans, sounds more extravagant than it is as I buy from the factory outlets in Scotland.
For cloth clothing, skirts, dresses etc, I’ve recently dug out my old sewing machine after several disappointing trips to the shops. I’m lucky to live within easy reach of fabric mills with outlet shops, some of whom manufacture cloth for couture designers ( so they tell me).
Natural materials don’t just look better, they are more comfortable & last longer, don’t end up like old dishrags after a few washes, so are worth paying a bit extra for.

Liberty cotton (Tana lawn) is in a class of its own. It feels like satin.
I used to be able to find Liberty Viyella (wool/cotton blend) skirt lengths in the 90s but I think they’re no longer available.

Wool lasts almost forever if you treat it OK.

Acrylic clings and crackles quite horribly.

Modal and Tencel are both viscose (made from plants) , but modal is IMHO much softer.

Liberty Tana Lawn = fantastic, so is (if you can get it) Liberty Country Cotton.

Any kind of wool is too scratchy for me, unless it's cashmere.

I love viscose, especially for tops and nightwear.

I find acrylic to be scratchy, sweaty and picks up static. Polyester, on the other hand, I get on very well with. I have various smart dresses made of polyester or polyester chiffon.

I can't be doing with 100% cotton and certainly not linen. I look like a crumpled newspaper within 5 minutes.

Wutipg,I also spend a lot of time in very cold places and love wool. I would also recommend cotton knits and padded cotton items. A heavy cotton knit jumper left on the radiator to heat up before you wear it is the jinkies . It holds the heat for quite a while and warms you up like a hot shower.

I find the fabrics I'll wear on my top and bottom halves differ. SO jumpers tops and blouses I prefer natural fabrics - cotton, silk and cashmere (I find wool difficult to wear) although I will wear a viscose top with a cotton t shirt underneath. Cotton jumpers in summer are fine. Trousers and skirts I'm a bit more relaxed about. I usually find that silk and cashmere are OK to wash in the machine on a delicates wash inside a pillow case.

Having said all of that I''ll only wear sweat wicking fabrics for running kit

Cotton is number 1 preference across the board for me, but especially for tshirts and knitwear.
I can’t bear any kind of wool including merino and cashmere next to my skin, so although I also go for wool coats and blazers, I have to wear a soft scarf with them.
I like linen for dresses and tops, but not trousers- loose becomes saggy and scruffy too quickly imo.
Viscose wouldn’t be my first choice but it’s perfectly ok for dresses and tops.
I love silk and velvet for evenings.
Bamboo is brilliant for socks and tshirts.
That’s it. Other than “technical” fabrics for sportswear I won’t wear synthetics, and even there I find them hit and miss. Just can’t stand the sweaty hot and cold feeling- it’s like being ill.