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would be able to fit into high street clothing.” He says the future lies not in more standardisation but in even more diversity of fit. “Bodies change,” he says. “Women keep fit and have plastic surgery, proportions of the body change with age – so there are many things to take into account. We already produce all our garments in three different lengths, and in the future Marks and Spencer aims to produce clothes designed to fit different body shapes. Our first plan is to launch a range of jeans for different degrees of curviness.” The inspiration for this may be
Levi’s Curve ID range, launched late last year, which offers four different cuts to suit different shapes, from narrow hips to very curvy bottoms. Each cut is available in 29 fits and colours, and in dozens of sizes. It’s been a huge hit, with more than a million pairs already sold. Mary Alderete, vice president for women’s global marketing at Levi’s, told The New York Times, “When we try on ten pairs of jeans to buy one, the reason we feel bad is because we think something’s wrong with us.” But of course, human beings do come in all shapes as well as all sizes. Lingerie shop Bravissimo has launched clothes for women with bigger bust sizes, which is aimed at those of us who are sick of gaping or straining tops or of buying a size bigger than we need around the waist and hips. Their clothes are graded from ‘curvy’ to ‘supercurvy’. And US and UK mail order giant Lands’ End (
landsend.co.uk) sells swimsuits designed for different body shapes and lengths, trousers that come in different fits ranging from high-rise to low-rise, and in
CHANGING ROOM
I don’t normally tell strangers my vital statistics, but at 5ft 8in I am 38, 31, 41 – a classic size 14 in nearly every high street size guide, and a perfect M&S size 14. Which is odd as most of my clothes are size 12. But what happens when I take my size 14 body high street shopping?
VIEW FROM THE
At Dorothy Perkins, the size 12 jeans have a waist of 34in, but not cut to fit exactly on the waist. The fit is fine. I grab palazzo pants in size 12 and 14. The size 12 actual waist is 29.5in, the size 14 is 33.5in – a jump of four inches between sizes.
In Marks & Spencer, a fitted dress is a close fit in size 12 and has an actual waist measurement of 32in. Size 12 jeans have a 33in waist but are cut lower than the Wallis version and are far too tight. The 14s have a 36in waist and are too big.
such as A-line dresses, with very few fixed waistbands. Jeans have lots of stretch but differences in cut and size mean you have to try many on to find your perfect fit. They get it right-ish – I am more of a 14 than a 12 – but the only item I kept was the Wallis size 12 trousers. We may complain about vanity sizing but we still fall for it.
My findings
I pick out a dress – bust is 36.5in for size 12 and 38in on size 14. It is skin tight. The stretch jeans have a 33in waist for size 12 but are high waisted and fit well (size 14 is 34in). I buy them. I see a similar style of jeans at Bhs in size 12, but the waistband is 37in!
I find a size 14 skirt and grab the same style in size 12. I also pick some size 12 jeans. The waist of the size 12 skirt is 32in, while the 14 has a 36in waist – a four inch difference! It is too big. The size 12 jeans – which have stretch, admittedly – fit very well.
High street shops use tricks like elasticated waists or panels, stretchy fabrics, loose cuts
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