WHAT'S MY SIZE? ...... A look at Sizing Standards
Here at Kat's Dream Boutique, we get plenty of questions regarding dress size as it applies to the male torso. The problem is, that there has never been any enforced standards for the American Clothing Industry, and Sizes are determined by each individual manufacturer or line of clothing. There have been voluntary sizing guidelines in effect over the years, but they all were established as suggested guidelines, not laws. The latest attempt to standardize sizing was in 1971, when the government revised existing guidelines. These guidelines were accepted by many retailers, and large chains like Sears and Montgomery Wards, implimented the standards. If you have ever came across an older dress with a Size 38 tag, this dress was using the sizing guidelines for Women's Dresses. The standards they established for sizing were quite a bit different from the sizing of today. For emample, a Size 22 in a misses size, had the measurements: 44 Bust - 35 Waist - 36 Hips. If these guidelines were starting to be accepted by the public and manufacturers over 30 years ago, you might be wondering why there is so much chaos in sizing today. The answer is quite simple ..... A Woman's Vanity !! As years passed, both men and women were becoming much heavier. An average woman's figure strayed from that desired hourglass look of past eras, and drifted to a bottom heavy one, with bigger waist and hips.( By the way, the average weight of a full grown woman is 162 pounds today) Somewhere in a smoke filled marketing office, someone had a brainstorm. Why not feed off of a woman's vanity, and sell bigger dresses with smaller sized tags, making her feel better about herself in the process? Of course this spread like wildfire throughout the industry, and eventually led to The Department of Commerce elliminating the guidelines in 1983. The rest is history, and any reference to sizing today, can only be used within a given maker, as there are no standards at all, across the garment industry. We all face certain problems, as T-Girls, in our adventures to find a good fit. However genetic women face many of the same problems, as they too have to deal with "The Sizing Nightmare". Trying on clothing will always be the best way to go, to insure a good fit, but in the case of online, or catalog shopping, you really need to know your vital measurements. Compare your actual measurements to those listed, and your chances of getting a decent fit improve vastly
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