My professor uniform used to involve a closet full of Brooks Brothers Oxford button-down shirts. Not that the brand resonates with me; the quality was simply better than similar mass-produced shirts. They felt like the denim shirts I was advised to not wear.<p>Then I discovered propercloth.com - custom shirts made in Asia, with an outpost in Manhattan. Took a guess at the dozen or so size parameters, got my trial shirt, wore it down to their tailor, and had it tweaked. Turned in my trial shirt for a free replacement. I now have 15 or so.<p>I wish one could do the same with jeans.
The problem is best understood from a supply chain management perspective.<p>A clothing retailer ordered that stuff six months ago and they only took a two minute glance (if that) at the one model sized 'medium' garment the wholesaler got the supplier to make. Every other size was just a tickbox with some guesses made as to how many items to stock to get through the sales season.<p>The importer took the orders from retail and topped up the order so they can do some mid-season re-stocking. They know that they have to get the order right as it is not as if the product is going to be made again.<p>The retailer does not have to make a sale from every customer that walks through the door. For people with XXS or XXL size requirements they might only have something to sell, the one coat in the super-sized option. Even this may be a carryover item from a previous season, kept in stock for the guy with arms that reach down to his ankles.<p>It is quite a risk to get the sizing wrong, you can't have a garment on the shelves with just the XXS and XXL sizes with nothing in-between. If this happens then it is straight to the sale rail. Particularly if the supplier didn't overstock the popular sizes.<p>We also live in an age of fast fashion where people buy clothes the whole time. Truth be told, if everyone out of childhood stopped buying clothes today we wouldn't have a mass nakedness problem for years. Clothes are that abundant. There have always been tailors and dress makers that will make clothes to fit any body, maybe a service for this is needed rather than a newsletter about what trousers in the world of fast fashion can be squeezed into.
This happens in women’s clothing but also men’s. The only piece of men’s clothing which doesn’t reinterpret measurements is belts. Which is why they tell you if you’re an X waist, get an X+2 belt. It’s much worse with letter sizes. There is no consensus. —even within brands.
This is one of those "no stupid questions" type questions: why are there so many more sizes for women? Men's sizes don't fit perfectly either, but it seems like women have more sizing options for the same struggle. Are women harder to fit? Do men just not bother with a correct fit? It also seems that at least a good number of guys can wear off-the-rack for a decent fit, but almost no women. Just a guy who doesn't understand trying to understand more.<p>And while I'm it, many women I know don't wear dresses more than once or twice. Why? This seems wasteful.