Postimees · Luxurious Estonia (Luksuslik Eesti) · 2026
Quality shows from three metres away; a logo doesn't
English translation of the original Estonian article. Original headline: Kvaliteet paistab kolme meetri kaugusele, logo mitte
See the original design in the magazineGood clothing can be recognised before any logo or label is visible. From three metres away, the eye reads the cut, the material, the drape of the fabric and the way a person wears the garment. The fashion history exhibition at Keila-Joa Castle reveals that the same elements fashion designers consider important today already mattered 250 years ago. Yet not everything is decided by fabric or cut. Just as important is who wears a garment at what moment, and why they chose it.
Two Estonian fashion designers talk about what to really look for in clothes and where it is worth investing money in your wardrobe. Lilli Jahilo and Tiina Talumees have both won the prestigious Golden Needle award during their careers. Lilli Jahilo is known for beautifully considered design, evening gowns and made-to-measure dresses. Tiina Talumees has worked at the top of Estonian fashion for almost 30 years and has seen how clients have changed over that time. A third perspective on the topic comes from fashion history: art historian Evelina Vedom is the curator of the exhibition "Fashion in Bloom – floral motifs in fashion" at Keila-Joa Castle. Drawn from Alexandre Vassiliev's Paris foundation collection, it spans more than 250 years of fashion history.
The eye notices from three metres away
"A stylish appearance and branded clothes don't necessarily have anything in common," says Lilli Jahilo. On the street, she says, what catches the eye is rather the overall impression, because in passing there's no time to take in the details. Sometimes it is a good stylistic combination: in cold weather, for example, a beautifully cut coat – or at other times simply a confident posture.
Tiina Talumees names material as one element of looking good. She also notes that, seen from afar, a person's shoes reveal a great deal about them. In her view, natural materials such as silk and wool are a luxury in themselves today, just like sustainability. Much also depends on context: the same item can be exactly right in one situation and not in another.
Fabric that lasts until the end of the evening
Choosing fabric is a science of its own, according to Jahilo, where composition, quality and weave all matter. She has noticed that Estonians are very afraid of clothes creasing, and her advice follows from that: those who fear it terribly could choose fabrics containing polyester, as such material shows creases the least. Pleated products are also durable and crease-resistant. She would rather avoid viscose: the material's lifespan is short, and depending on the type of fabric it stretches out fairly quickly, not to mention developing folds very quickly when worn.
Talumees notes that good material often creases too, including silk. The quality of silk can also vary greatly. As a rule, everything natural creases, although today fabrics are treated and very good, less creasing materials can also be obtained.
It all depends on the purpose of the garment: does it matter what happens to a dress by the end of a party, or what happens to the fabric over the years? It is useful for the buyer to keep this in mind when buying or ordering their next piece of clothing.
Two hundred and fifty years of fashion
In the hall of Keila-Joa Castle stand dresses, some of which were sewn in the 1760s. There were no sewing machines yet, so everything in making these splendid costumes was done by hand. "When we look at these special dresses with their fine embroidery and lace, we have to remember that it's all handwork," Vedom explains. On closer inspection of the costumes, the fineness of the work takes every viewer's breath away.
The exhibition's curator names figures that seem almost unbelievable: making one costume took six to eight weeks. "Every day, ten hours a day," Vedom emphasises. Depending on the cut, one dress took about ten metres of fabric. At the time the pattern was not printed but woven into the fabric. The magnificent lace shawls, and in some cases lace fabrics covering the entire dress, were crocheted by hand, some from thread made of real silver.
Such work is of course rarely found today. Hand-embroidered details and lace have remained the domain of Paris fashion weeks and the most exclusive fashion houses. One of the most exciting items, however, is not the most splendid. The exhibition includes a so-called walking dress of fine cotton chintz whose fabric has been treated with wax. Interestingly, the material looks very contemporary. "Wax repels moisture and mud," Vedom explains. In such a dress you could go for a walk even when the weather wasn't at its best. The need to treat the fabric thus arose from the garment's purpose.
Looking at the dresses made of fine silk, however, one has to admit that many have unfortunately had to give in to the passage of time. The micro-tears in the dresses have been diligently repaired, but with an ultra-thin and delicate natural material, a shorter lifespan still has to be expected.
Sometimes fashion has unfortunately cost someone dearly – and not always the buyer. According to the exhibition, in the 19th century the green shades of artificial flowers were dyed with arsenic-based paints. These seriously damaged the workers' health. Historically we know arsenic as an ingredient of rat poison, which, among other things, is now banned altogether because of its highly toxic properties. Safer aniline dyes only arrived after 1857.
The inside you can't see from afar
From three metres away, of course, not every detail can be seen. The exhibition also includes later costumes that look striking from a distance, but up close you can see that the edging ribbons are glued on and the pattern printed.
According to Vedom, throughout the ages quality has largely been revealed by the inside of a garment, especially the seams. It is worth checking, for example, whether edges and decorations are sewn or embroidered one by one, how many inner seams are neatly covered, how much fabric went into one item, and whether the cut takes the shape and movement of the body into account. When examining clothes in a shop today, it is worth turning the item inside out to see how the inner seams have been finished.
The clothes of your youth should stay in your youth
Talumees points out one mistake she often sees on the street. People think that if they wear the clothes they wore in their twenties, they will look like they did then. Youthfulness, she says, is rather about keeping up with the times, not trying to imitate a past version of yourself.
There are no rules that directly forbid any style or garment. Still, with every purchase Talumees advises thinking about the context and what message one wants to send. "If you don't feel it's you, then it's wrong. You have to understand why you're putting something on," she says. Otherwise even the most correct fashion advice, the grandest brand or the best fabric may not help.
The acclaimed designer enjoys watching people whose clothing has a touch of effortless elegance. This, however, is usually not the result of a single purchase. In her view, such an appearance is backed by values that the wearer's parents and grandparents already cherished and that are passed down from generation to generation.
In the fashion industry, however, everything moves ever faster. Details dreamt up in the big fashion houses, or details from earlier decades making a so-called comeback, seep into mass production almost as quickly as they reach the runway from the hands of top designers. The cut of a jacket's lapel can travel from a renowned fashion week to fast-fashion stores in an incredibly short time.
A thousand euros for clothes
If you take one sum, say a thousand euros, which garment or garments could you spend it on? Talumees's answer is concrete: a coat. "In our climate, investing in outerwear is underrated. In spring people happily buy new things because everything starts afresh, but in winter they wear one and the same coat. There could be more coats," says Talumees. Her own wardrobe includes, among other things, a coat from the year 2000 that she still wears.
As a second choice, the designer names good durable jeans and a blazer. According to her, these are garments worn for decades and therefore worth investing in once you find the right cut. Third come shoes, because our cold season is long. "There could be more than one pair of boots, because then they get to rest in between and last longer," Talumees explains.
Jahilo would divide the money in her own way. Besides the essentials, she says it is worth spending on what truly matters to you, and classics are always a good investment. "Thinking of the upcoming season, I would invest in beautiful dark trousers and quality knitwear. Trousers are definitely one of the keywords of our fashion house this year," says the designer. For the coming autumn-winter season she also has a simple trick up her sleeve: add a collar tied around the neck to your outfit. "A fresh, new effect is guaranteed!" Jahilo promises.
Two answers for one sum of money, both justified by how often an item is actually worn. Neither starts from what happens to be in fashion. Talumees adds one more piece of advice: "Consume very thoughtfully, avoid emotional purchases and analyse every decision. When will I wear it, why will I wear it, where will I wear it."
The list of what really matters in clothing is not long. What stood out from the words of Talumees, Jahilo and Vedom were fabric that lasts, a cut that moves with the wearer, well-kept shoes and the inside of a garment made as carefully as the visible part. The most important thing, however, cannot be bought in a shop: understanding why a particular garment is chosen at all. That is what shows most clearly from three metres away. Two hundred and fifty years have changed fabrics, technology and the pace of fashion, but not this: the importance of a conscious choice.