4 ms·
You're not far off the mark. I recently read that some $28 billion worth of merchandise is returned every year due to poor fit. Though I have no idea what perce
by elptacek 16y ago
You're not far off the mark. I recently read that some $28 billion worth of merchandise is returned every year due to poor fit. Though I have no idea what percentage of the total expenditure that is, judging by the effect it has on the major driving forces of fashion (namely, none), it must be pretty small. About 4-5 years ago, a company in California did conduct some research into the sizing of women's clothing, and some of that has led to changes trickling into what's being offered on the shelf. But the research was conducted only on women, and the company doing the research even admitted that their population sample was insufficient. From what I can tell, all of the basic sloper patterns that ready to wear garments are built from get their standard sizing from... nowhere. Or a mysterious table of measurements dating back to the 1940s. Take your pick.
Compound this with the total lack of quality control in garment manufacture and you begin to see why shopping is such an ordeal. The same brand and fit (model?) of pants from Dockers, Levis or the Gap will fit you differently, depending on the color of the fabric. Typically, the darker the color of the garment, the more snug the fit. Sounds ridiculous, right? Lighter fabrics tend to relax out more. It's all about the fabric content. Raise your hand if you've ever washed something and had it either get smaller or bigger, or become completely misshapen. Quality control is done on the first hundred or so garments that come out of the factory. After that, it's a free-for-all.
People don't know what suits them because there is a very real learning curve to the whole process of getting yourself dressed. This is why most women shop and dress in groups. Institutional knowledge is hugely valuable. So is a cloth tape measure.
I watch What Not To Wear. They make it look easy. Then they make it look hard (the "victim" almost always cries). Because drama sells. But behind the scenes is an entire staff of people who follow fashion trends, understand a great deal about ready to wear garments and know where to go and what it costs. That's a full time job. Nobody has that kind of time, and it's a barrier to entry.
Not caring about what kind of statement our clothes make is a learned behavior. The fashion industry does not care about the happiness of the customer. If you don't believe me, find a girl who won't slap you for it and ask her about her bra. So if they don't care, why should we?
- mgkimsal 16y agoIt might not always be 'poor fit'. My wife buys multiple items, keeps the one she wants, and has me return the others. A cashier inevitably checks 'wrong fit' on the 'reason' area of the return form, even though they probably fit just fine. They didn't 'fit' my wife's mood, perhaps, but certainly would've fit her body just fine.
- lux 16y agoSo many people I know (my gf included) do this, both buying for themselves or for the men in their lives.
- jamesbkel 16y agoI've found myself doing this more frequently. Basic reasoning is that unless I'm at some store that is far outside my normal commuting path, I'd rather spend 20 minutes just grabbing things that look roughly right. Then I can try them on at my convenience and return what I don't like sometime over the next week or two. This saves me time in the store and also makes the decision less agonizing since I can make it over a few days. So, yeah, you're probably dead on about how 'wrong fit' can be interpreted.
- zenocon 16y agoCouldn't part of this be mitigated by having the user input their exact measurements? That's the first thing that happens when you visit a custom clothier. Having this input, it would be possible (not necessarily easy) to match this with the clothing. The harder problems to solve like this are the better ones to go after, b/c they are hard to replicate, and indicate a willingness to go the long mile to make the service more useful.
- elptacek 16y agoUnlikely. The problem is at the source. Sometimes the "size charts" are off by as much as 4" in the waist size, based on my observations.
- jamesbkel 16y agoRead this waist comparison recently. Apparently even the most accurate brands are not correct. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/pants-size-chart-090710 http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/pants-size-chart-0...
- elptacek 16y agoI've done similar things with women's clothing. Gap/Old Navy are by far one of the most 'generous' with the concept of ease, especially in what they consider to be plus sizes (anything over a 12, from what I can tell). Any good tailor will put an inch or so of ease into a garment. It is as the term implies, a bit of room to keep your garment from tearing when you move around. What's even more interesting is how women's sizes are scaled. Between the smaller sizes, the measurements go up half an inch to an inch. When you get to the larger sizes, where the waist is above 28", the delta between the sizes can be as much as four inches. To wit, if you are small, then you get more choice in how much ease you prefer. If you are larger, you get either too tight or too loose. So it doesn't surprise me that there's "vanity sizing" in men's trousers. Not even a little bit. This, too, makes for a tough call when it comes to getting dressed. Camel toe or saggy butt? Hm. (eta: sorry for devolving this discussion into a rant on ready to wear clothing)
- 16y ago
- chopsueyar 16y agoCompound this with the total lack of quality control in garment manufacture and you begin to see why shopping is such an ordeal. Anecdotal point, I bought a pair of black jeans from the Gap (4 months ago), having tried on several other colors of the same model (size/cut), each fitting different. Since I could not find an identical fitting pair in another color, I decided to get a second pair of black jeans (exact same). Being paranoid, I decided to try on the second pair before purchasing, and it fit differently than the first. I decided to try on the first pair again to make sure I was not going crazy. Exact same pants, exact same UPC, different fit. If I can find a good piece of clothing that fits me well, I tend to purchase several of them at once (in the same exact color/style).