Why your 'normal size' doesn't fit and it's not because you need to lose weight!
It’s easy to feel disheartened when you head into the changing room with what you think your usual size is, only to discover that it pinches, you can’t fit it or worse you can’t even get it done up! Don’t worry, it’s not just you and it’s not because you’re chest/bum/thighs/stomach is too big/too small; you’re not a weird shape; there are not problems with your body shape.
We’re all unique and clothes simply are not made to fit every body, shape and size, there are so many variations that would be impossible. But it’s easy to get frustrated and blame your body or yourself because you think it would be easier if you were a bit bigger here, or smaller there- we’ve all had those experiences and thoughts! But having helped so many people in the changing rooms, no body fits everything, of course it’s easier to find things to fit some bodies than others but there is always something to fit everyone you just need to know where to find it!
Buying things off the peg is a relatively new concept. Up until 1940s women either had their clothes made for them or made them themselves. This way patterns could be adjusted to fit the unique contours of a body than anything that is mass made ever could. Clothes sizes were first invented for military uniform based on general body measurements related to a man’s chest size, which worked well because there were limited body types as they were fit young men. As mass market fashion grew, they adopted arbitrary metric sizing, in the same way as they did with shoe sizes. Unfortunately this simply can’t accommodate the huge diversity in human bodies, especially womens.
Why pieces don’t always fit
Brands use fit models to try on their clothing as they are in production. The models may not have the same proportions as you.
There’s no standardised sizing in UK clothing which is why sizing can vary between stores and even within the same collection.
The brands place of origin may dictate how a garment is designed to fit. For example Danish brands tend to be longer as the population is generally taller, where as Japanese brands tend to fit petites better.
Every brand has a target market and is geared to a certain demographic, which share the same physical similarities such as age, lifestyle, nationality and ethnicity. This effects the fit of the clothes, the design and the way that they interpret trends. If you go into a shop that has a target audience in their 20s, the clothes are likely to be made of cheaper fabrics because they are not intended to last long term, and are cut for bodies that haven’t yet experienced the changes that pregnancy, age or hormones brings about.
Wear what fits, not what’s on the label
Some things to remember
Take a few different sizes in the changing room and don’t be disheartened, sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down the same way you do with shoes.
Try new brands that you may not have looked at before.
It’s the clothing sizes that change, you’re body does not walking from store to store!
Nobody else knows (or cares) what size is on the label.
Shop with brands that carry inclusive sizes. Instore brands such as M&S, Monsoon, John Lewis and Next.
Finally, get really clear on what suits your body. Which silhouettes work with your body? Where does a waistline need to be? Do you need more structured cuts and fabrics or more fluid ones? If you know what to look for and try, you’ll have more success trying on. If you need some guidance, get in touch.
