If you want to know whether a garment is well-made, turn it inside out. A quality garment should have generous inlays, which is tailoring-speak for the extra material left inside near the seams. Inlay is important because it determines how much you can let something out. It's also one of the first areas a company will cut when trying to save costs. Slashing an inch of fabric off a garment might sound trivial, but when you manufacture thousands of items, it can add up to serious money. On a tailored jacket, there should be enough inlay at the side and back seams to let out the body about an inch. There should also be enough material in a trouser waistband to let it out about 1.5", as well as some material in the seat. Additionally, it's common for quality manufacturers to leave enough material to let out the thigh about 3/4". Some makers extend this outlet all the way down to the hem. This does not apply to all garments. T-shirts and jeans, for instance, will never have an inlay. You probably won't find them on most leather or cotton garments because such materials can't be let out without the previous holes showing. It also doesn't apply to all areas. The best-made wool jackets will rarely have inlay in the shoulders and upper sleeves. So, a warning: if you spend a lot of time in the gym, don't buy garments that feel tight in these areas, as you will not be able to wear them once your body changes. People often buy things with the intention of wearing them for a long time, but time also changes your body, whether through exercise or fluctuations in your metabolism. So when you splurge on something you hope to wear for decades, check the inlays. My friend and fellow menswear writer Bruce Boyer bought a bespoke Anderson & Sheppard jacket in 1983. He wore that jacket for the next forty years — possibly because of the inlays.