Apparel Sizing Has Changed
September 26, 2011
Have you noticed that you find yourself sizing down a lot when you try on clothing? I have. And I tell you, when I fit into a size 2, or once into a size 0, I’m so elated, I almost always buy it. For me, it’s like wearing a badge of honor!
Well, now my bubble has been burst. I learned recently that a size 0 today was a size 8 back in the 1970′s. As a child, I remember one of my babysitters telling me that she once waited on Jackie O for a bathing suit and sold her a size 10. So, for years, I thought as long as I stayed under a size 10, I was just fine. Well, now I’m finding that her size 10 of the 70′s is today’s size 2!
So, what’s going on? According to Ed Gribbin, President of Alvanon Inc – a clothing size and fit consultant to the fashion industry, the industry is playing with the sizing numbers so that more plus-size women can fit in sizes that sound more standard. Today’s size 14 has a bust measurement of 44 inches, a waist of 38 inches and hips of 46 inches. So, though 1/3 of the American population of women are plus-sized, only 15% of clothing sales go to clothing classified as plus-sized. In other words, they have shifted the sizing scale downward, created sizes like 0 and 00 at the bottom of the size scale so that traditionally average sizes like 10, 12 and 14 are actually fitting plus-sized women.
However, getting the right fit in these new sizes is a challenge. As I blogged about before, once a woman gets to a certain size, she starts to hold her weight in a variety of areas. In contrast, the smaller sizes tend to put on weight proportionally in the same areas and this allows the manufacturer to know how to grade a pattern for the different sizes. We’ve all heard about the fruit shape comparisons. The apple shape means you have a large tummy. The pear shape means you have large hips. These two silhouettes do not fit in clothing the same way – the weight distribution is diverse in these larger sizes.
Lane Bryant, a retailer of plus-sized clothing, has been making 3-D scans of many of their customers’ bodies since 2004. They now have more than 65,000 unique body measurements for comparison analysis. What they found is that 15% of women in the plus sized category had more than a 10 inch difference between their waist and hips. 70% of these women had a difference between waist and hips within an 8-10 inch variance, and another 15% only has a 4-6 inch variance between these two measurements. That’s a lot of variation! So, there is no one dress shape or pant style that will fit all plus-sized women.
The lesson in all of this is that plus-sized women need to know not only their size, but their body shape. The latest thinking is that there are 4 shapes – round, curvy, bottom-heavy and straight.
Since I sell underwear, once I learned this, I immediately thought of the challenges plus-sized women have with shapewear. Shapewear is really made with the assumption that you are for the most part pretty straight up and down. So by figuring out her body shape, a full-figure woman can make the right shapewear decisions If she has a fuller bottom, two pieces of shapewear – one for the top and one for the bottom – will give her the best results. If she’s more straight, a one-piece shapewear will probably work.
So, say goodbye to the fruit analogies, and figure out what body shape you have if you are plus-sized. This will go a long way in helping you find the best-fitting and figure-flattering clothing.
Find Shapewear that fits at HerRoom in these departments:
Shapewear
Plus-Size Lingerie
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Posted by Tomima at 9:12am
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What to Wear Under See-Through Dresses
May 31, 2011
Well, the answer is "SOMETHING!" Have you noticed all these sheer dresses showing up on red carpets lately? How about these cut-out dresses like this one on JLo?
Is this really all that sexy? My mind instantly jumps to concern over a seam or piece of fabric accidentally moving and creating a TMI moment.
Here’s another example of what not to wear. At the Cannes Film Festival Mallika Sherawat arrived at the screening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" wearing a sheer black gown and obvious black panties underneath.
The solution is really two-fold. First, try and resist the look altogether and find something classy to wear. But, if shock treatment is what you want, at least give everyone’s eyes a tease by wearing shapewear or lingerie in the same color as your skin tone.
Find shapewear that may actually work with these clothes at HerRoom in these departments:
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Posted by Tomima at 10:18am
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A Frank Conversation About Shapewear
January 13, 2011
I sell a lot of shapewear from many shapewear manufacturers at HerRoom. So, I’ve heard all the pitches as to why each brand thinks they do it the best. And, with some brands, I agree that their approach is unique. But, (and this is a big but) shapewear is not the panacea that many women think it is. It absolutely has limitations.
For starters, women need to understand that it can only reduce your measurement 1 to 2 inches at the most. This makes sense if you think about it. You know what a tourniquet is – a tightly compressed bandage you put on your body to stop the flow of blood. If your shapewear was too tight, your blood system could not function. This is one of the reasons why I get mad at my daughters when they put their elastic hairbands on their wrists; they are cutting off the flow of blood to their hands. This is also the reason why doctors don’t want you to wear tight knee-high nylons; this stops the flow of blood to small blood vessels in your legs.
So, now you get why shapewear has its limitations in terms of how much compression it can provide. But, here is another important point. You can not reduce body mass. A pound of flesh is a pound of flesh no matter how much you compress it. Think of it as a water balloon. You can’t make it smaller, you can only reshape it. So, let’s say you buy a biker short piece of shapewear. Yes, it will compress your tummy (assuming it comes up high enough) and your thighs, but at each end of this piece you will see a bulge – muffin top, and lines on your thighs. Your body mass has to go somewhere. It does not go away. One fact is true, the more you cover your body with shapewear, the smoother your body will appear and it can reduce the largest measuring points of your body.
A discussion of shapewear must also include a quick comment on fit. First, never buy a smaller size thinking it will give you more support. All you are doing is buying a garment that is too small for you. Buy your correct size. If your shapewear garment constantly rolls up on your legs, or rolls down from your tummy, your shapewear is too small; you need a larger size.
Having said all of this, I am still a believer in shapewear, and I wear it on occasion. It’s not because I am delusional, it’s because I am wearing something form-fitting and I want to look smooth. The other reason I wear shapwear is when I have a tummy and the garment I’m wearing will show this. A piece of shapewear helps to smooth my tummy. Also, because it is there pushing in on me, it reminds me to keep my tummy muscles tight. So, for me, it’s also a kind of silent posture reminder.
Shapwear comes in many control levels from light to very firm. The lighter levels are mainly selected by women to provide a smooth shape all day. A light to medium control camisole, for example, helps reduce bulging along the bra lines on your back. The firm to very firm should really be worn for no more than 4 to 6 hours – it’s event shapewear. Wearing this all day is a real challenge and a mental distraction because no one is truly comfortable wearing this level of support for long periods of time, and don’t even get me started about the challenges when going to the bathroom.
So, what shapewear brand do I recommend? Well, clearly every brand on my site. But, each has its own reasons. Let me enlighten you to a few. Alphabetically, let me briefly talk about BodyWrap, Cass, Rago, TC Fine and Va Bien.
BodyWrap is the original shapewear that actually knits in different levels of firmness throughout the shapewear piece. Made by a Canadian swimwear manufacaturer, it is a great product for women who want to keep their curves. It factors in having less compression in the bust, and bottom area so that these shapes can be shown off.
Cass Luxury Shapewear was the first to create garments that you can wear as outerwear but with compression built into them. So, instead of wearing shapewear AND a camisole, just buy one of their beautiful pieces and you don’t have to cover it up. The pieces look great on, and you look smooth.
Rago is one of the oldest and most traditional shapewear brands out there. The size range is vast going up to 9xl. Thier products are impressive pieces of construction with boning, non-stretch tape, and extremely firm fabrics being used to create their silhouettes. Spend the time to get into one of their garments, and you will know that you are contained with nothing hanging out.
TC Fine Shapewear specializes in firm control garments and does very impressive and very extensive wear testing before putting something on the market. They have an army of women who wear-test their garments and wash them repeatedly, then provide feedback. They boast that their products have extraordinary comfort given their firm control, use thin fabrics, give a tailored appearance, use invisible seams and do not ride up or roll down.
Finally, Va Bien is a terrific brand of shapewear owned and designed by the Gimble Family who are French. They specialize in shapewear that is also beautiful. You would never be embarassed being caught in your Va Bien shapewear. Thus it is a favorite for brides and their mothers and for other special occasions. But, you can also wear it for every day and feel like you are wearing something very beautiful.
With the New Year upon us, think about creating a new you, whether it be with exercise or shapewear or both.
Find all of these shapewear brands and more at HerRoom in these departments:
Shapewear
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Posted by Tomima at 12:00pm
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