Clothing Sizing Issues Part II: Comparing the High Street

It seems Choice's recent article on the inconsistencies in sizing within the Australian fashion industry struck a chord with many of you. The more people that speak up, the more chance there is of something being done about it! Kelly at Nevershoppedout has just posted her thoughts on the issue, noting that Kate Browne's experimental shopping trip is simply a normal experience for many of us. From chain stores to designers, those in control have been avoiding the issue, it seems, for far too long.....

Today I received a package from Sportsgirl. As you probably know, I shop far too much online but as I fit into the 'average' body shape designers tailor to, I have not really had any issues with sizing. This article made me stop for a second as I ripped the tags off my new peach top (yes, peach. Just like my mum's bridesmaid dresses 25 years ago. But for some reason, it's cool again. Promise.) - nowhere in any of my ventures around the Sportsgirl site do I recall seeing a sizing chart. But, thankfully they do have one - you have to go into "shop" and then it's a little link along the bottom - and it is quite thorough. Success!

So I navigated over to Witchery, another regular on my click-list. Again, a decent sizing chart is available along the bottom. Just Jeans offers a 'Denim Fit Guide' which doesn't offer measurements, just a few words in a teen-friendly font on what each cut entails. Once you're in the shop part of their site, you can access a sizing chart for fashion items and all their denim except, not suprisingly, their own Just Jeans brand. Denim brands are notorious for guarding their measurements, which are usually the result of months of research, fitting and testing.

I just got scared witless when the Supre website opened in another window. It seems pounding your eardrums instore doesn't satiate their desire to penetrate every one of your pores with repetitive candy pop. The front page is an ocular atrocity of leggings-as-pants, but thankfully each product has a size chart...even if 3XS looks like some absurd mathematical formula. I couldn't find a size chart for ValleyGirl, but shipping is the same price as the average worth of their items ($10) so I'm not totally sure it's worth bothering with their online shop. (ooh, snarky!) French Connection have an easily accessible size chart, as do Bardot, Barkins and Sass & Bide (standard fashion items only).

The crucial question is not if they are readily available, but how do they compare? Check out this nifty chart I made up comparing size 12's (I'll fix that and make it bigger):



Basically, you can see a 9cm variation in hips, 6cm around the bust and a whopping 14cm at the waist! You'd expect Supre, for example, to be smaller than Barkins, given their target markets. But according to these size charts, and assuming it's reasonable for the same customer to shop at French Connection and Witchery, you wouldn't expect to encounter a 6cm minimum difference in waist measurements. No wonder women everywhere are throwing their arms up in despair and going home empty-handed. Sure, we're meant to be cutting back on our spending, but that should be a feel-good choice rather than a forced neccessity! Will anything be done about it? Watch this space...

CHOICE: Clothing Size Irregularities

A little while back, Kate Browne from CHOICE asked me to answer a few questions regarding clothing sizes in Australia. You can check out my little paragraph and the entire article here, but for a quick summation watch the 3 minute clip as she goes in search of an LBD, with sizing in high-street stores placing here anywhere from an 10 or M to a 14.

I have been the same size since I was about 14 and decided to stop growing (oh womanly curves, ye do desert me!), so I am going to admit first up that personally it doesn't affect me hugely. I can pretty safely be an 8 or 10 or XS or S in every label. However, once you get past a 10, or indeed if you are smaller than an 8, the road to the perfect fit is fraught with difficulties. The whole sizing issue does affect me once I'm dressed for the day and start work - we get loads of emails daily regarding sizing, and spend a decent amount of time trying stuff on, measuring and generally getting the fit across a range of body shapes. If trying on clothes in store is hard, how in the hell are you meant to be able to buy them online?!

Well, it's not easy. Frustratingly, most labels either don't have or won't give out measurement charts (as another online retailer also notes in the CHOICE article). This is in part to deny their competition easy access to their sizing, which is fair enough, but for every customer email querying sizing, there are a number of Frockers tearing their hair out at the lack of information we have. (Not to say don't email us, please do!).

Standardised sizing won't work. Labels won't go for it as it would compromise design, and it would be an immensely difficult task. My vote goes for making it if not mandatory then at least expected that labels would make their size charts easily accessible instores and online. Come on guys, if one label does it, everyone else will have to, to keep up...even rough measurements work, to a degree.

So, when you're buying online, use any size charts that are available. We put them up when we have them, and we will of course measure things for you - but even these will be approximate, ye olde measuring tape is not foolproof! Another good method, if available to you, is to tory on things from different brands when you are out shopping, and then when you are seeking them out online (for a better price of course!) you'll know whether to go for an 8 or 12 or M or whatever. We keep a record of customer feedback to pass on to other customers - so if you have any, please tell us, and do your little bit of good for women worldwide*. I was as surprised as anyone to find that French Kitty has a pretty generous fit, pleased to see One Teaspoon scale their sizing down a bit to be more standardised, and glad that Blue Juice tops and jackets are consistent even if their pants are a bit big. So, speak up, ask away, we're here to help as best we can!

*Yes, there are more worthy causes on the planet at the moment. Issues of clothing size are not as pressing as say, climate change, but heck it's one facet of everyday life that could be made easier. Fingers crossed