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Sizing It Up
Do you fit into a size 6 in one store, but need a size 8 in another? Don't be fooled -- it's a ploy to get your business.
Stephu@nyu.edu
Meghan Galewski, 20, thinks she's a size 8. But she isn't sure because she's a 28 in Diesel jeans, a petite in Juicy Couture pants even though she's a medium in most other slacks, and a small in Victoria's Secret underwear.
"If I'm a small, what do girls even smaller than me wear?" she wonders.
Galewski is not alone in feeling confused about her exact clothing size. Like many perplexed shoppers, she is a victim of a practice known as "vanity sizing," where companies cut clothes larger than usual, but keep label sizes the same. The result is a lack of standard sizes, which makes shopping a challenge.
Ludivine Gregoire, who runs Ludivine boutique in New York City, says she's noticed that American customers have a hard time dealing with the smaller-sized European and Asian fashions her store carries. "American sizes are cut bigger because of the different body shapes of Americans," she explains.
When customers come to her store, they're often forced to buy clothing in larger-than-usual sizes-and they don't like that. Gregoire has seen women reject clothing they look good in because they want to be a size 6, not an 8. "It's just a tag," Gregoire says in exasperation. "They can just cut it off when they get home."
Vanity sizing also presents a challenge to petite women. Sara Kennedy, 19, who wears a size 1, always has to alter her purchases. As a consumer, Kennedy doesn't like this industry practice. "Smaller women can't find clothes that fit, and larger women are being deceived," she says.
Maha Barsom is an apparel design professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, specializing in pattern-making. As an instructor, Barsom uses an old, industry-standard size 8 dress model. However, this size translates into a size 2 in some current labels, giving insight as dramatic vanity sizing can be.
Last summer, Barsom opened up a boutique in Boston featuring her own designs. "Business-wise, vanity sizing makes sense," she says. For overweight women, particularly, it's a self-esteem boost to fit into a small size. "Then, they'll return and shop at the store," Barsom notes.
Talbots, a fashion retailer with over 400 stores around the world, recently surveyed how women shop for clothing. The study found that 62 percent said they would only buy clothes in their specific size. And less than 20 percent said they would even consider trying on something two sizes larger than usual size.
Customers like Meghan Galewski see the appeal of vanity sizing. "It's good for sales, and it makes me feel better, too," she concludes.
Clothing at Ludivine boutique in New York City comes in European sizes, cut smaller than American apparel.
Photo by Stephanie Wu