Taobao Fashion Beyond the Hype

It depends entirely on the listing, and the composition percentage is stated on any shop worth buying from. Genuine 100 percent merino crewnecks are widely available at ¥180 to ¥260 because the mills sell direct. Anything marketed as wool under about ¥120 is almost always an acrylic blend with a small wool percentage, which will pill within one season of regular wear.

Use shoulder width as your primary measurement, then chest, then sleeve length. Chinese patterns generally run one to two sizes smaller than European or North American equivalents, and cut narrower through the shoulder and upper arm. Menswear shirting also runs short in the body, so check the listed body length in centimetres rather than assuming a size L is a size L.

Less accurate than the measurements. Studio lighting in marketplace photography tends to warm neutrals and deepen saturated dyes, so oatmeal arrives greyer and navy arrives flatter than expected. Community photos taken in daylight are the reliable reference, which is why every product page here collects them alongside the seller images.

Fibre and lining. A wool percentage above 70 in a coat, real merino rather than acrylic in knitwear, and a fully lined body with finished inner seams are all things you cannot add later and will feel every time you wear the piece. Print, hardware and packaging are where extra spend stops returning value.

Most cut-and-sew workshops specialise, which is why a single shop rarely does both well. This list deliberately covers both: the selection spans menswear tailoring and shirting, womenswear dresses and knitwear, and a large unisex middle of coats, denim and minimal basics. Each product page states the gender the pattern was cut for.