Friday 20 April 2007

Aiming for size 10?


Walk into several high street shops and you'll soon discover that no two size 10 garments fit the same. While I long to be a perfect size 10, what sort of goal is it without standard sizing in the UK?

Earlier this year, BBC News reported that Spain is to standardise women's clothing sizes as part of a government drive to ease pressure on young girls' concerns about body size.

As in the UK, clothes currently on sale in Spain often vary in size from shop to shop, despite carrying the same size label.

Some fear the labels are confusing shoppers and that efforts to conform could be leading to eating disorders.

The move follows Spain's ban of ultra-thin models on the catwalk during Madrid fashion week last September.

British women and their Spanish counterparts often head into changing rooms with an armful of different sizes never knowing which one will fit this time or whether any will fit at all.

Spain's biggest fashion retailers have bowed to government pressure to standardise their sizes by 2008 to reflect the real size of Spain's growing population.

Under new regulations, a size 40 garment in one store will need to be at least roughly comparable to a size 40 in another shop.

The move is likely to affect women and girls all over the world as international brands such as Mango and Zara have signed up to the agreement.

In a recent interview, Colleen McLoughlin, girlfriend of footballer Wayne Rooney, said that the fit of the clothing is better to concentrate on than the fit. However, if you've struggled to from size 24 down to a size 18, it would be nice to be able to wear that over a size 22 garment.

At present, I am wearing what I believe to be size 18 - how do my measurements compare to the high street "18"?

My measurements: Bust: 43.00"--Waist: 37.00"--Hips: 46.00"

Marks & Spencer--:Bust: 40.00"--Waist: 34.00"--Hips: 42.50"
Dorothy Perkins---:Bust: 43.25"--Waist: 35.75"--Hips: 44.75"
Next---------------:Bust: 41.00"--Waist: 34.50"--Hips: 43.50"
Evans--------------:Bust: 43.00"--Waist: 36.00"--Hips: 44.00"
Tesco--------------:Bust: 42.25"--Waist:35.00"--Hips:45.00"
BhS----------------:Bust: 41.25"--Waist: 34.50"--Hips:41.25"
Debenhams--------:Bust: 41.25"--Waist: 33.25"--Hips:45.00"


This little examination of measurements shows that there is no such thing as a perfect size in the UK. With as much as a 3" difference, it would appear that in some shops, I'd find myself fitting into certain size 16's wherein others I'd be forced into a size 20.


I think, at the end of the day, perhaps we need to sway away from the concept of size and look at how we feel about ourselves when clothed in a particular garment. While I know it will be tough, I'll just have to strive for a body shape that I alone will feel comfortable with - not one that suits a high street tag.

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