How do we decide on the quality of the garments we buy? Most people associate quality with price. But is this really the case?

Here are some tips to differentiate between the craftsmanship of the high-quality versus low-end shirts from Mohammed Murthuza Ali Khan, the founder and owner of Whyte Bespoke, which offers custom-built suits and shirts:

Fabric Quality: The easiest way to test a shirt is to simply touch. A good quality shirt will never feel like plastic or boxy. If the fabric feels soft, but firm at the same time, it indicates a premium quality shirt.

Stitches: Stitches are the muscles of a premium shirt. High quality shirts are stitched either by hand and/or on a single needle sewing machine. Finish of stitching around corners and edges speak for quality that may be visible if inspected closely. Because manufacturers always pay more attention to the outside of a shirt, the easiest way to tell if a stitch is done well or not is by turning it around.

Button holes: Button hole is another indicator of a premium quality shirt. Shirts which have button holes made by hand have tight stitching and a neat slot for the button to go into.

Buttons: Another way to check for quality is by touching the button to make sure it’s tightly sewn on. Make sure there aren’t a lot of threads sticking out. Premium manufacturers generally use real mother-of-pearl buttons.

Threads: If the shirt is stitched using silk threads, it ought to be premium.

Collars: The collar is the most striking feature on a shirt. It can be stiff or crisp depending on the look the shirt offers. However, if the collar is way too stiff that hurts your neck, the quality of the shirt is considered poor.

Yoke: The yoke is the back part of the shirt that connects neck and shoulders and may assume a variety of shapes and patterns depending on the shirt model. However, custom shirt, have split yokes, which serves as another bench mark of a high quality shirt.