On a couple of occasions, I have done a photoshoot where a lady would arrive with limited outfits. Ideally, it is nice if there is an option of between 4 or 5 outfits unless just doing headshots. When men turn up for their photoshoot and have limited options it is quite easy for me to supply a shirt or jean jacket or something that will provide some additional choices. I don’t think my wife would be too happy if I borrow her clothes so I thought why don’t I get a couple of outfits that I can use in case I have a lady turn up with limited outfits.
Choosing clothes for men is relatively straightforward - for shirts, all you need is the neck size and then it is just a matter of choosing long or short sleeves and the colour - maybe even throw in a tie - and you are pretty much good to go.
For women though, that’s not the case as there are so many options and variations. For just tops, you can have a multitude of choices including shirts, blouses, camisoles, tank tops just to name a few. Then you have the same considerations of long sleeve, short sleeve and finally sleeveless. You then have colour and worst of all size. Women sizes are so variable, what’s wrong with S, M, L, or XL options?.
I tried to understand how women's sizes were derived as these vary depending quite significantly on body shape. Using a simple dress I found out that measurements for women have to cater for height, bust size, abdominal extension, hips, and waist. That’s just a start - other measurements include neck base, upper arm, elbow, cross-chest, and armscye -(I think that’s the distance between the top of the shoulder to the armpits). However, there isn’t a standard ratio between the bust, waist, and hip measurements. While two women could be the same size at the bust, one might be an hourglass shape while another was not.
And that's not the worst. Research from True Fit shows the actual waistband measurement of a pair of women's size 6 or 28” inch jeans can vary by more than 5 inches, depending on the brand. Women used to wearing a size 8 at Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors will be swimming in a Dolce & Gabbana US 8 (a similar 26 t 27 inch waistline is a US 4 for the Italian designers). A size 8 hip at Banana Republic equals a size 2 hip at Gap.
This is not helped by the fact that many brands engage in “vanity sizing”, in which they make the clothes bigger than what the size on the tag suggests. So, for example, a size 4 really fits like a size 6. The thinking behind the tactic is that women are presumably more likely to buy an item when it makes them feel good about themselves.
After doing this little study I now better understand why my wife takes so long when shopping for clothes, bouncing in and out of shops, and dressing rooms, struggling to find the perfect fit.
The picture is my wife wearing a size 10 dress, one of three that I bought just in case I get a client who has limited outfits. Which size 10 depends on your body shape but when you book a shoot you will know that I have a couple of outfits in case they are needed.
If you would like to book please go to the booking link in the menu.
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