Supersizing of America & a rant

[GLC1968]

Yeah, don't get me started on shoes. I thought I was a 6.5D. They don't make women's shoes in 6.5D (or men's that short), so I have been wearing either 6.5C or 7B my whole life.

Now I have a podiatrist that says I should buy even wider shoes. Dude, really? THEY DON'T EXIST! Oy.

And wow, Oak - those are some long feet for a short woman!!

[maillotpois]

wow - listening to all this, I feel like a GIANT. (and that's way before we get to the size 11 shoes....)

[NoNo]

While I agree that the vanity sizing is ridiculous, I don't see the issue with going to a tailor and getting little issues fixed. I'm a curvy 5'-1" (read: hips meant to birth a cow and an ample bum) so everything is long and I have to buy a size larger than I need just to clear my hips. $10 at the tailor's gets them the proper length and the waist taken in. And don't get me started on these tiny leg openings on shorts that my thunder thighs can't even squeeze through! I can't expect them to account for every whacky body type out there, so I get as close as I can and fine tune it from there.

[PamNY]

While I agree that the vanity sizing is ridiculous, I don't see the issue with going to a tailor and getting little issues fixed.

I agree. I've never understood why men consider it perfectly normal (and expected) to have a suit altered when they buy it, but women expect that manufacturers should accommodate every individual in every particular.

Especially with lengths! Making clothing to suit every single inseam simply wouldn't be possible.

Of course, I do wish that women's trousers were made like men's, so altering the waist would be easier.

[Veronica]

Especially with lengths! Making clothing to suit every single inseam simply wouldn't be possible.

Go look a place like LL Bean. Men can get pants in pretty much any length or waist. Obviously when you place your order someone hems the pants to the correct length. Women's pants should be like that.

For $49.50 a guy can get a pair of chinos at the right length. For $39.50 I can get petite, regular or tall. Then I have to take my time to go to a tailor and get them hemmed correctly. I'd rather throw the ten bucks at Bean and just have them arrive at the right length. Plus the women's chinos aren't nearly as well constructed as the men's.

I can understand pants fitting women differently at the hips. Women can have several different butt shapes, which men don't seem to have. But length... we have really should have the same options

Veronica

[badger]

one thing I've noticed that's gone the opposite spectrum is underwear. For a long time I could never find panties that fit me without looking like granny undies up to my belly button. Then there were all sorts of low-rise panties that fit so well. Now they're back up higher again, and there's no way I can wear them without the tops showing up past the jeans waist. The only ones that fit are from Pink these days.

[Veronica]

one thing I've noticed that's gone the opposite spectrum is underwear. For a long time I could never find panties that fit me without looking like granny undies up to my belly button. Then there were all sorts of low-rise panties that fit so well. Now they're back up higher again, and there's no way I can wear them without the tops showing up past the jeans waist. The only ones that fit are from Pink these days.

Try Patagonia's Barely Bikini.

Veronica

[limewave]

Go look a place like LL Bean. Men can get pants in pretty much any length or waist. Obviously when you place your order someone hems the pants to the correct length. Women's pants should be like that.

I love LLBean. I have to buy all DH's pants there. He's a 30 x 34. Nearly impossible to find at a department store.

[PscyclePath]

Dillards is home-based here in Little Rock (AR), by the way... They are not a bike friendly business, nor a bike-friendly bunch in general.

I used to do a fair bit of clothes shopping there for business wear, but the last time I was in there a couple of weeks back it looked like they had changed their entire inventory over to women's wear... I had to look across two floors to find the little corner where they had stashed the men's department. Pickings were pretty slim.

I'm sad to see that you guys are having the same problems, despite the amount of floor space those goobers expend...

[emily_in_nc]

I love LLBean. I have to buy all DH's pants there. He's a 30 x 34. Nearly impossible to find at a department store.

They also have shorter petite pants than some places -- 28.5" or 29". Their smallest petite size is still 4P, but it's sized more like a 0-2P from Ann Taylor Loft. I have their LL Bean Visa so get free shipping both ways -- nice way to try to see if something will work, and if it doesn't, send it back at no cost to me!

[shootingstar]

In fact, I would be surprised that many people have alot clothing bought off the rack, that fits perfectly.

Anyone who sews, knows there is always abit of altering the pattern pieces before cutting the fabric. One really starts to understand in greater detail a person's unique body shapes/curves.

I never saw anything wrong cutting off 4-6 inches pant legs. Yes, it's a pain in the neck to do an alteration. Shrug. Yes, it can alter the overall look of a pant. But then...I don't buy the style in the first place. (which is why I won't wear capris. Doesn't complement shorty here.)

Maybe it's because women just tend to buy alot more different garments (?)..I can see it being a hassle for fashionistas who don't sew. Fashionistas who sew alot, would consider it a design/redesign challenge or at best, minor reworking.

[PamNY]

Maybe it's because women just tend to buy alot more different garments (?)...

I think that probably explains the difference in how men's and women's pants are manufactured/marketed.

Plus, perhaps men aren't as particular? Ordering a specific inseam from a catalog doesn't necessarily produce a good fit. You need to try on the pants to see how they hang.

[skhill]

I've been thinking it's time to improve my sewing skills. Following patterns is not my thing...

What really gets me is how much harder it is to find clothes that come anywhere close to fitting me these days. When I wore a size 20, it wasn't so hard-- things might have been frumpy or not to my taste, but I could at least find stuff that basically fit. Now, most places I can afford to shop don't carry anything under a size 4, which is usually huge on me. I'm just thankful for the boy's department; all my shorts come from there, and a lot of shirts too. I just wish boy's jeans were long enough... But it's kinda ridiculous that I'm nearly 40, and stuck dressing like a 12 yr old boy. It's almost enough to make me want to put 50 lbs back on... improving my sewing skills is definitely a better option!

[Thorn]

But men's (unisex) clothing does seem to have the same issues. Have you noticed the change in what a "large" T-shirt is to some manufacturers?

Last year, one of the rides we participated in up-sized their "large". The T-shirts were barely wearable. This year the "large" is a full 1.5" wider in the shoulder than last year's oversized shirt.

I never had to try on T-shirts and sweatshirts. Now, for many T-shirt manufacturers I've gone from being a large to being a medium.

Like shootingstar, I really haven't bought any clothing besides cycling gear for the last several years. I dread the day my current set of jeans wear out...

[Eden]

I agree. I've never understood why men consider it perfectly normal (and expected) to have a suit altered when they buy it, but women expect that manufacturers should accommodate every individual in every particular.

Especially with lengths! Making clothing to suit every single inseam simply wouldn't be possible.

Of course, I do wish that women's trousers were made like men's, so altering the waist would be easier.

Well..... for some of us "alterations" would pretty much mean just re-using the cloth to totally remake something that actually fits, because the normal sizes no longer fit anywhere... and I really can't sew. I break sewing machines just by looking at them...