I visited my daughter yesterday and we decided to stop by a mall store called Forever 21 to see what that was like. The dressing room area was big and open with a long line of dressing booths and as I waited for my daughter to try on and show me things I watched the other curtains open and close and various girls appear in things they were trying on. After a while I started thinking about how really none of the clothes fit any of the girls particularly well. The store was full of garments that looked really cute on the hanger but on these real bodies it was not working. And it was as if the girls weren’t aware that the clothes didn’t fit them well!
There are so many ill fitting clothes walking down the street. I am wondering how often ready to wear actually fits anybody?
Replies
In my experience it's a rare treat when RTW fits. I used to shop at Talbot's but they have been cutting for hipless wonders lately and I'm an hourglass. If it's soft and drapey it might fit, but otherwise, nope.
The only good thing is that different brands use different "standard" sizes... If you're lucky, you find a brand that fits reasonably well. Although then you havce to worry about brand-consistency, which you cannot assume either. Case in point: Talbots suits/separates fit me nicely, but the casual pants are cut less generous in the hips, so those do not fit me right... They told me that those aren't made by the same company and use a different waist/hip ratio...
My other beef is kids' clothes: a lot of pants appear to cut cut for kids with flat bottoms. The front and back curve of the crotch seem are almost the same. True for a lot of RTW and also for the major pattern companies.
Marijke
Hipless wonders, exactly! How many times have I tried on pants and had a halo type waisband standing out on its own while the hips fit. I'll bet the RTW industry loves and pushes the lowrider styles because they can avoid the hip waist thing!
RTW never fits as there are a thousand and one types of bodies parts and then there are a million and one ways that they can all go together. However the manufacturers seem to be a believe that we are all created the same and it isn't true. Makes one wonder why there are not more custom tailors and such but the truth is most people will put up with less than perfect fit to be able to go out and pick off of the rack. Also as you said those girls do not know that their clothes don't fit.
The RTW stuff feels like such a scam sometimes. Actually often. Some of the things are really expensive and one can spend hours trying on clothes to find something that fits. How much do those clothes cost when we factor in the time spent?
Wouldn't it be nice if those girls in the dressing room knew they could sew something for themselves! A little cotton skrit with a ruffle, they could manage that. And yes, more custom tailors/dressmakers!
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