Ladies fashion challenges – what’s the right size??
Ladies are you sick of struggling to find the perfect fit for your clothing? There’s nothing worse than seeing a garment you love but because you are different to industry standard sizes on your top or bottom, or a tall lady or petite in stature, it just doesn’t flatter you or fit you well.
Well just to reassure you the struggle is real and it’s not in your head. There is nothing wrong with your body as the perfect fit can vary between brands and even within brands. You may even know across different stores the size you should be wearing but even then it can be difficult to get a consistent fit as many are manufactured in multiples factories and even different countries!
In addition, rather than manufacturers being true to a standard size range they instead look at their target demographic and reflect that in their sizing. How many times have we seen articles about ladies doing a survey across a number of high street retailers and the variance in sizing being up to 3 sizes different depending on the target market.
Then there’s ‘vanity sizing’ where clothes are made bigger than the what the size on the tag states. The thinking is that ladies are more likely to buy an item when it makes them feel good about themselves. Let’s face it how many times have you not purchased an item because the tag states a size larger than you believe you wear even though it may look amazing on you!!! I know I have and it’s crazy when we know the inconsistencies in the ladies clothing market place.
So as a result, women tend to wear about three different sizes, and that’s before we even start to consider seasonal body changes (we are all normally a few pounds lighter in summer) and don’t even start me on hormonal changes which do affect our body shape. Research has shown that this leads to multiple purchases for the same item, especially prevalent in online fashion shopping. This leads to return rates of online purchase being as high as 40% across certain demographics.
The inconsistencies in the sizes are then further compounded by the variation in ladies’ curves. The reality ladies clothing has many more adjustable elements than menswear does. So, what can be done to alleviate these challenges?
Well unless you’re lucky enough to have a couture dress maker on standby then its often a matter of making do with the closest size. Maybe even you have had to accept that everything you purchase will immediately have to go straight to the local tailor to have the necessary adjustments made. And who wants to do that? When you buy something new you should be buzzing to start wearing it otherwise why buy it in the first place??
Through our work with ladies in the office environment the inconsistency in the clothing industry is the single biggest complaint Working Wardrobe comes across. So, it’s one of our key requirements that our ladies’ dresses are consistently sized. If you buy one of our ladies’ workwear dresses in a specific size, you can order another safe in the knowledge that the sizing will be totally consistent. However, as you’ll understand this doesn’t help with the fact that maybe you’re not what the industry considers a standard shape.
In an effort to help ladies in the business environment, we can now offer a bespoke service. This isn’t paying over the odds for a ladies workwear dress to be totally designed from scratch but rather taking one of our regular designs and having this made to accommodate your fit. We will take account of your particular challenge and reflect this in the dress production around length (both dress & sleeve), bust and hip fit. We make an additional charge of £10 for these garments and they are made to order and are despatched within one week of order.
We want to empower ladies in the working environment and business wear can be key in adding to confidence in the boardroom. Working Wardrobe wants you to be the very best possible version of yourself. So why not try our Bespoke Service ladies and feel fabulous in the work place!
Jackie Pattison