Vanity Clothes Sizing
Shopping for clothes - a pleasure, or total nightmare?
We all know someone who is absolutely determined not to buy the next size up. For instance, they’re convinced they’re a size 12 so they “ruddy well won’t buy a 14, even if the gates of hell were to freeze over!”
This isn’t you, of course - is it?
Then please, enlighten me:
- How exactly did you arrive at this momentous conclusion about what size you are?
- When did you last measure yourself properly, and whose idiot-proof guidelines did you use?
- And, of course, you’re absolutely convinced that you’re this exact same size in every single shop in the universe?
If you answered yes to the last question, then hold on to your tin hat as you digest my extremely loud riposte - utter poppycock! You may be interested to know that there’s a term for this particular form of mental instability. It’s called ‘vanity sizing‘. The term should be self-explanatory but read more in my womenswear sizing article about the move to bring standard size labelling to the world of womenswear in Europe. Think about it - men’s clothes are all measured and labelled in inches (or centimetres) so they can buy a shirt in a sealed packet with absolute confidence that it will fit them, no matter which shop they bought it from. If we had the same for women’s clothes, wouldn’t it make life a lot simpler?
In the meantime and until someone can persuade every single manufacturer and retailer of women’s clothes to adopt the same size labelling policy (and I wish them a hearty “Bonne chance” with that one!), we are stuck with a nightmare scenario when shopping:
- Where would you find an off-the-peg pair of trousers that are exactly the right length, that don’t gape at the back, in exactly the right colour and fabric, and for the right amount of spondoolies?
- How many shops would you have to raid before you found exactly the right dress in exactly the right colour and fabric, that drapes oh-so-beautifully, that shows off your figure to perfection, that makes you feel like a million dollars, and that won’t cost you an arm and a leg?
Are either of these really possible? Or are we just living in cuckoo land, hoping and praying that, maybe one day, our knight in shining armour will appear - with a portfolio of design ideas under one arm and a Singer sewing machine under the other - and other such fairy tales?
If you have had similar experiences, or maybe you’re one of the immortals disguised as a human being here on Earth who manages to find exactly what you’re looking for every time, then please tell us all about it.
Colour, style, image training update
I’ve completely re-written the image consultant training information on the image consultant training and events website to reflect some changes as we now offer extra training options.
Self-study in Colour Analysis using our DVD-based training package, There is now a ‘Complete Training Kit’ option.
Face-to-face training in all aspects of image, colour and style; we offer two distinct forms of face-to-face training:
Personalised face-to-face training in small groups
Business consultancy and training, usually one-to-one
