Saturday, November 24, 2007

Size matters

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man for clothing manufacturers to define what measurements should be applied to a garment in order for it to be called a particular size and then make the clothes to those measurements. However, it seems that it is.

As I have alluded to in previous posts, I have put on weight of late. I’m happy about this, as I’m aware that I have probably been underweight for the majority of my adult life. However, no matter how much I tried I couldn’t do anything about it, I was just naturally slim. For whatever reason (hitting 40 / getting through a stressful period in my life and finally starting to feel content?), not sure which really, I am now heavier than I’ve ever been. Having accepted that I’m not likely to lose it again I have set about the task of buying new clothes that fit.

How difficult can that be? I mean you go to the shops, pick up a selection of clothes in your size that you like the look of and try them on don’t you? Well I’ve obviously missed something somewhere because in spite of picking up three pairs of jeans, in the same shop, all labelled as the same cut (boot cut in this case), all the same size but just different colours, and different pocket arrangements, the difference between each pair was enormous.

The first pair fitted (apart from gaping at the back, but hey, I’ll just have to wear a top long enough to cover it). The second pair however, just couldn’t be enticed over my hips let alone getting as far as doing up the zip and the button … And the third pair were roomy enough for me to invite a friend to join me in there! I double checked the sizes inside the 2 ill-fitting pairs, just in case they’d been put on the wrong hangers, but no, they both purported to be size 8 regular.

Obviously, I bought the pair that fitted. However, when I got them home and took the labels off I noticed that in spite of them being on a size 8 hanger, the label on the inside said that they were a size 6. What nonsense!

I don’t actually care what size I am, they can label them banana size, orange size, apple size for all I care. I just want to know what the size is and to be able to buy clothes in that size and allowing for differences in style and cut, know that they will fit in an approximate way. Is that too much to ask?

Incidentally, (ever the clothing hoarder), my “going away" suit which I still have and which I bought from the same shop that I just bought my new jeans from 13 years ago when I was nearly 2 stone lighter than I am now, also claim to be size 8.

What’s all that about eh?