We have all experienced it, we all hate it. A size 16 is not a size 16 in every shop. Why can’t fashion retailers get their sizing so that the size on the label is the size we expect? Is it because of vanity sizing? Who knows! But one thing is for sure, it is very frustrating to find that high street shop sizes are not the same in every store. This is certainly the frustration that computer programmer Anna Powell-Smith felt, but she did something about it! Introducing…..What Size Am I?
What Size Am I? is an application which allows the user to enter their measurements and a clothing size is returned that matches the sizes in high street sores. For example, if a woman has a 40in bust, 35in waist, and 41in hips the stores that will sell the best fit clothes will be Next for size 18 tops, Top Shop for a size 16 skirt, and New Look for a size 16 dress. How clever is that?! The implication for online shoppers is fantastic. How many times have you ordered something online and found when you receive it that that the size is wrong? This application will be a major help in allowing online shoppers to find stores that sell their real sizes and help avoid disappointment. The application What Size Am I? is also available as a download for smart phones so shoppers can utilize this resource when out shopping.
What Size Am I?
In 1982 the BSI tried to standardize high street clothe sizes by proposing that clothes did not vary more than an inch and a half. But as this is only voluntary; it is not surprising that this is not happening. Indeed, the size 16 waist measurement in Next is 32in whilst at Jaeger it is 34.6in. Quite a difference! Whilst developing the What Size Am I? application, Anna Powell-Smith found other interesting trends such as M&S and Karen Millen offer clothing for a more pear-shaped customer, while Top Shop and Oasis cater to less curvy, more boyish figures.
Size comparison
The shape of the British woman has changed quite a lot over the last 50 years. Anna observed ‘Women don’t have small waists any more, they have bigger busts, we are fed more, we eat more nowadays, so we have to react to that.’ The National Sizing Survey found the average waist measurement has gone up from 27.5in to 34in in the past five decades. Hips are 1.5in wider at 40.5in and the bust has increased by the same amount to 38.5in. So, as women’s shape changes and stores react differently, the application What Size Am I? could well be the saviour of many women becoming frustrated and not being able to find clothes in their real size. Take a look at the What Size Am I? application by visiting http://sizes.darkgreener.com and let us know what you think.
Read more: At last! What size you really are in each clothes shop (… but it’s online rather than in store)
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