Kayla Eason

FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

Ready-To-Wear Analysis Project

A. Label Information:
Manufacturer or Designer Name: City Streets
Price: Sold at promotional price for $15, regular price around $25
Fiber Content: 83% Cotton, 16% Polyester, 1% Spandex
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, do not bleach, and tumble dry low, warm iron as
needed. Made in Vietnam, RN#93677
B. Store Information:
Name of Store and Department: JCPenneys-Juniors-Girls/Womens
Location of Store: 1st floor, toward the middle of the department
Services Offered: Alterations not offered in-store at the time; purchased in-store, but
item could have been ordered online as well.
C. Fabric/Trim:
Name/Type of Fashion Fabric: grey denim fabric, firmly woven; closed twill weave, no
stretch. The fabric quality is medium low to medium because it does not provide any
stretch, however it was purchased almost 5 years ago and there are minor
imperfections in the fabric. There is little to no fading as well, most likely due to the fact
that they are a light grey color, so they are less prone to noticeable fading because of
that. The tight weave is not good for its end use because they are not very comfortable,
but they are aesthetically pleasing with a tighter weave. They are not meant to be worn
very long though because they provide no stretch and are therefore are not the most
comfortable type of denim.
Type and quality of interfacing: From the way it feels, the interfacing is most likely a
woven interfacing and fused, a common application for garments of a lower quality. It
also feels relatively soft.
Type and quality of closures/trims: Quality of buttonhole is medium; beginning to see
interfacing after several washes, but still no gaping hole. Also uses the keyhole
application for button hole. Button is metal and has metal backing rather than hand
sewn, which adds to the quality of the button and why it has been so long lasting. Button
has not worn down or rusted. There are no trims or embellishments on these jeans.
They are very basic as far as cut, stitching, and the overall design.
D. Style of garment:
There are no princess seams or pleats on this garment.
Type and quality of design details of each garment: The pockets on my garment are
both inseam and applied patch pockets. On the front pockets on both sides of the
garment there are inseam pockets with an open application. There are snap like buttons

Kayla Eason
FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

sewn to each side of both inseam pockets (4 total on front) to keep the pocket in place
and also to add aesthetics. On the back pockets on each side of buttocks there are
applied patch pockets. There are snap like buttons on the top of each side of the
buttons on the back as well (4 in total on back).
E. Construction Elements:
Stitches: Waistband-401 stitch, pockets-301 stitch(front and back pockets), inside of
pockets(pocket bag application) 515 safety stitch, middle seam joining pant legs
together-401 chain stitch, inside pant leg hem- 401 stitch, pant leg cuff/hem-301 straight
stitch.
Seams: Belt loops-lapped seam, waistband-lapped seam, zippers-lapped seam (LS),
inside pant leg-over edge-SS-superimposed seam, inside pant leg out outer seam-flat
felled seam. The hem is an edge finish (EF). There are no tucks, pleats, or darts. I
believe the lack of added finishing touches such as these is due to the fact that the
garment is of a lower quality and was sold at a lower cost. There is topstitching on the
waistband and the hems of each pant leg, there is also topstitching around the pockets.
The zipper is fairly short (about 6 inches) and has a lapped seam application. That
increases the quality of the garment around the closure area, and the closure is still fully
intact 5 years after the garment has been purchased.
F. Appearance
There is no need for pressing because all seams are stitched down i.e. lapped seams,
over edge seams. That adds to the cost of the stitching, however it saves time and cost
of pressing. Even though the garment is of a lower quality, each stitch is very neat, flat,
and has no puckers. Each stitch has stayed in place with little to no threads astray or
starting to pop up. When trying on the garment is still fits the same way it did when I
purchased it 5 years ago. The only difference is that the garment has shrunk slightly,
and I have gained a little weight so it fits a bit tighter. However that is not apparent when
I wear the garment. The seams still lie flat, and there are still minor bulges/puckers and
minor wrinkles as well. The hem of each pant leg is still fully intact, along with all seams
and stitches throughout the garment. There are a few loose threads, but they are very
minor and not visible to the naked eye. Also the pant length adds to the quality because
they are a bit longer, something that I always look for in pants because I am tall.
Because the pants come to my ankles, it made me more inclined to buy them for that
reason, even though they are not the best quality overall, I sacrificed quality for length.

Kayla Eason
FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

Summary

When it comes to fashion ability, the jeans are designed in a form where they are
fashionable, but also classic and very simple. For the end use of the product, the style is
very useful because they are the type of jeans that can go with a lot of different tops.
The jeans can be worn all year long, which adds a pleasing feature to the consumer that
they can get a lot of wear out of them for a fairly low price. The style/fashion ability also
enhances the performance qualities because they are aesthetically pleasing to the
wearer, and can be worn interchangeably. The quality of the fabric is considerably low,
and so was the price. In this instance, the price of the fabric did indicate the quality of
the garment when it came to the fabric and fit. The garment does not stretch very much
at all, and there is some much comfort in terms of ease of movement, but the overall
construction of the garment has its better elements. For me, when I bought the garment
at the time I was not concerned about quality. To me they were a nice pair of jeans, and
I color I was in need of at a price I could afford. Observing them now, they do not fit as
well as other jeans that I own that cost a bit more, so the lack of quality does make
sense for the price I paid. But the jeans have still performed very well for me overall,

Kayla Eason
FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

especially for such a low price that I paid. From a manufacturer standpoint, since there
are no special or costly seams on the entire garment, and the only three stitches on the
garment are 301, 401, and one 515 safety stitch on the inside of the front pocket bag,
that shows that the garment was constructed with made with ease, therefore does not
have the need to be costly for the retailer or consumer to purchase. Also, the garment is
not made by a well-known name brand, so the brand would not drive the price to be
higher either. This will show consumers that they can purchase a garment that is still
affordable, looks fashionable, and they will therefore trade an expensive brand for lower
quality merchandise that still looks nice and that will still last if properly taken care of
according to the manufactured label. Since omission means permission, the care label
attached to the jeans gave good instructions on how to take care of the garment. I am
proof that since I have taken care of the jeans I am still able to wear them today, five
years after purchasing the garment. Also, another quality thing about the garment is the
type of closures applied. There is a metal zipper with a fly front construction and it also
has a metal button with interfaced button holes. That makes it aesthetically pleasing as
well, which adds to the performance qualities of the garment. The lapped seam of the
zipper helps keep the zipper in place by reinforcing an extra row of stitching, which
helps the zipper last longer and adds to the quality.
The fact that the garment was made in Vietnam shows that the garment was
outsourced, which most likely saved the manufacturer in labor cost, and helped to
ultimately keep the price low for consumers. The materials could have been assembled
here in the United States, but the garment itself was assembled in Vietnam. For the

Kayla Eason
FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

inner construction each seam is nicely pressed, and the raw edges are neatly finished
with serging.
After taking this class, and analyzing this particular garment, it has become a lot
clearer to me where there is a lot of give and take from both the manufacturer and the
consumer when it comes to cost and quality. For my garment analysis in particular, I see
that there is less quality when it comes to the fit, however when it comes to the way the
garment is constructed it is still constructed fairly well to only have cost me $15 five
years ago. It is nice to know that a garment could still last a long time if properly taken
of, and it does not have to be costly. JCPenneys has never been my favorite store, in
fact; I believe Ive only purchased one or two things from them since I purchased that
pair of jeans some time ago. However, it speaks volume of their company because it
shows that their garments are fairly priced, and cheap garments do not have to mean
cheaply made or extremely low quality all around for a particular garment.
The garment has shrunk a bit since I purchased the, but that is to be expected of
any jean since they are made out of cotton. It was also expected because they were
very inexpensive. Since the garment is made in a junior size that could also be a
contributing factor for why they arent as well made as maybe a misses or womens size
garment. Juniors are expected to grow and eventually buy a new garment because they
have outgrown the garment, so putting a lot of quality into a juniors garment was
probably not a priority for the manufacturer, for the retailer, or for the average consumer
that might have purchased the same item or one similar to the item I purchased.
Overall, the price I paid for the garment does show in terms of garment quality. It
shows because the garment is not very comfortable because it does not stretch or have

Kayla Eason
FCFA 315-Saiki
November 21, 2014

much ease of movement. This is due to the type of stitching and seams used in certain
places on the garment where perhaps they should not be. The lapped seam for the
zipper is appropriate, but 401 stitches on the pant legs are what make the garment tight
and uncomfortable in combination with the type of fabric used and the fact that the
garment is twill weave. All of these factors of garment construction play a role in the
comfort, discomfort, stretch, ease, and a lot of other things that go into practice when it
comes to assembling a garment. However, in this case I definitely got what I paid for. It
some aspect I am impressed with the performance of the garment, but in other aspects I
was disappointed, and the lack of quality clearly showed after having the garment for a
while and the garment began to shrink and lose even more comfort qualities as time
went on. Quality does matter, but for me I would rather pay a low cost and have a lower
quality garment when it comes to certain types of clothing. That is the cheapest pair of
jeans I own. I prefer better quality jeans because they last longer and are more
comfortable. So when it is time for me to get new jeans I prefer to invest in quality,
rather than pay a low price for low quality like what happened with this particular
garment. This garment and assignment showed me that low price is not always worth it
if you want a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and long lasting garment.