“I wish for consistent sizing from store to store so that you’d never be puzzled as to why you were a 4 in one store, a 6 in another, and a 2 in the next – and would never be made to feel bad about it either”

“I hate having to take the size I think I am plus a size up and a size down for each item into the dressing room with me”.

“My biggest wish is that brands would have consistent sizing”.

“I wish for consistency in sizing of all clothing”

“The biggest item on my retail wish list is consistent sizing” .

I hear you on the fit challenges (I experience them too), but I’m siding with the retail industry on this one. As someone who dresses every body type from size 00 to 34 for a living, I am extremely grateful that sizes are inconsistent across different retailers and brands. It means that we can all find garments to fit our unique bodies. Unlike men, woman were blessed with curves that make us anything but standardized. You can’t have a set of standardized clothing sizes without a set of standardized bodies. It’s as simple as that.

This variety does have a downside: the inconvenience of visiting several stores, taking multiple items into the dressing room, and trying on a few different sizes before you find the right one. But if you go to this trouble, focusing on the fit for your body instead of the size on the label, you will be happier in the end. The key is to view size as a starting point or guideline.

The bottom line? I don’t think there is a way to eliminate inconsistent sizing and fit challenges. As an ex-fashion buyer, I know that most retailers try hard to give you a well fitting garment. The reality is that they aren’t perfect and we aren’t standardized, so instead we have to think of ways to work around the problem. I liked Sal’s solution best:

“Free tailoring for full-priced merchandise, and tailoring at a discount for sale items”.

If all retailers were geared up to custom tailor off-the-rack garments for free or for a pittance, we’d have far less to grumble about.

This generated a lot of great discussion, so I thought it would be interesting to brainstorm other ways that we could change retail. Here are some wild ideas to get us started:

• A chain store that specializes in tops to wear with skirts. That way we’d eliminate the “orphan skirt phenomenon”. I see closets full of beautiful orphan skirts and when I try to match them up with tops in store, it’s always hard to do. A destination “tops for skirts” shop would fly.
• A line of trendy and tasteful tops, bottoms and frocks designed to camouflage a thickening mid-section (muffin top). After fussy feet, getting items to drape stylishly over the mid-section is my next most common challenge with clients. We can’t layer and hide ourselves with tailored jackets all the time because it gets hot and uncomfortable. There has got to be a better design and fabric solution. Raising pant rises is a good, girdling start.
• The distribution of free fliers at cash registers explaining the concept of perfect pant lengths. It’s easily achievable and makes the world of difference to your look. I’d also have fewer apoplexies each day.

I could go on and on listing missed retail opportunities for petites, talls and plus sizes. But the ideas above cover the majority of what I deal with daily so they get priority.

In the spirit of brainstorming, there are no bad ideas! If your fairy godmother could wave her magic wand and make your retail dreams come true, how would you change retail today?

The controversy goes beyond risqué advertising. American Apparel CEO Dov Charney has been accused of sexual harassment, and the company is reportedly being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Take a look at these eye-catching American apparel ads (warning: this may not be safe for work) and let’s hear your thoughts on this very controversial form of marketing. I’m sure you have a lot to say.

In the rag trade, more expensive does not necessarily mean better and vice versa. Even top designers like to cut corners to increase profit margins. Don’t assume that a Marc Jacobs original is beautifully made and will launder well because of its price and the status attached to the brand (his prêt-a porter collections look particularly shoddy). This is why you need to develop an eye for good quality. You’ll save yourself lots of money if you do. Don’t be put off walking into stores that you perceive as having poor quality items. Chances are high that you’ll find something unique and of acceptable quality if you know what to look for.

Join a discussion on distinguishing good quality from bad in the YLF forum.

I’ve seen these particular designer pieces up close and they were superbly made (with a price to match!)

Don’t be alarmed by these brights if they’re not your thing. There are still plenty of neutrals to choose from at Banana Republic.

What impresses me most about Inditex chains is the affordability of their highly creative, sophisticated and current designs. Each chain focuses on a niche market and age group, with levels of quality appropriate to the target market. But even their higher end Massimo Dutti store is more affordable than Banana Republic. I am convinced that this helps to raise the style quotient in Europe. It’s easier to look good when there are gorgeously stylish clothes and shoes at thrifty prices around every corner.

This is what I miss in America. You can absolutely get phenomenal clothes and shoes in the US at fabulous boutiques and department stores, but it is usually expensive. There is no American equivalent to Spain’s Zara, Sweden’s H&M, Britain’s French Connection, France’s Promod or Holland’s Mexx. Banana Republic probably comes closest, but its fashion has lacked flair recently and isn’t cheap unless you purchase on sale.

I hope that Spain continues to spread it’s gloriously affordable and fabulously wearable fashion all over America. Then we too can enjoy eye-catching boutique looks at inexpensive mainstream prices.

Zara in Paris.

Fashion Weeks are instrumental trend predictors. And while catwalk creations are often unwearable, general tendencies towards particular colours, silhouettes, items and fabrics are apparent with each collection that’s sent down the runway. These general tendencies are interpreted and filtered by the fashion industry who in turn make clothing available for us to purchase in stores. New York Fashion Week is currently taking place, showcasing designer collections for Fall 2008. While we discuss Spring and Summer 2008 on this site; fashion buyers, designers, merchandisers and clothing manufactures are working on the next season (Autumn 2008), which makes its debut in stores in August.

Fashion weeks cause a lot of hype because predicting what’s in store for us in future is a hot topic. I don’t pay close attention to what goes on at each fashion week every season because trends are still in their infancy at that stage and there is no guarantee that runway fashions will become mainstream in one season. But from what I’ve gathered at the New York fashion week, the waist-cinching belt and hour glass silhouette has never been stronger, and we can look forward to this for Autumn 2008.

British designer Nicole Miller recently showcased her Fall 2008 collection in New York.

From a recent article in The Independent:

Last month technicians from Spain’s health ministry visited the first of 59 towns across the country to measure 10,415 Spanish women, aged between 12 and 70, to find out what size and shape the nation’s females really are. The nationwide measuring operation continues until 21 December, and results are to be announced next spring.

Women are chosen at random from the city’s census and invited to participate in an “anthropometric study”, which the state-sponsored National Consumers Institute claims to be the first in the world. The aim is to promote “a realisable image of healthy beauty – neither Rubens women nor anorexic girls”, according to the health minister, Bernat Soria. “It is our commitment that beauty and health go hand in hand.”

The results from the study will be used to standardize clothing sizes across the industry.

This step follows Spain’s leadership in banning ultra-thin models from the Madrid catwalks a year ago. And that isn’t the end of it…

The government has also extracted a promise from retailers to banish skeletal plastic mannequins from shop windows – said to encourage unrealistic ideals of beauty – and replace them over time with those sized at least 38 – a British 10 [this is roughly an American 6, where mannequin's today typically wear an American 2] .

Regardless of your position on the government playing such an active role in consumer affairs, these are fascinating moves. Spain has tremendous clout in the fashion world because they are home to the biggest and most successful fast-fashion retail chain in the world – Zara. I’m looking forward to next Spring when the results of the study will be announced. It will be incredibly interesting to see whether they can be applied successfully, and whether other countries follow Spain’s example.

Will idealizing the skinny ever be out of fashion?

My own favourite American department store, Nordstrom (which normally beats Wall Street estimates), announced late last week that sales figures would rise less than expected. It is resorting to additional markdowns to reduce inventory levels. Smaller margins for Nordstrom means better prices for us, so there definitely is a silver lining for shoppers. Be on the lookout for good deals!

As an ex fashion buyer, I look to the merchandise when sales drop. While the other factors do have an undeniable impact on retail sales, the strength of the product is key. If the merchandise at Nordstrom was up to scratch in both in style and value this season, sales might not be so soft. I am a loyal Nordies girl and choose to spend many fashion dollars there, but I have not been as enticed lately. And the same holds true for my clients.

Let’s hope the sales are good and the floors are cleared to make space for the much anticipated holiday lines. It looks like the weather may start to lend a helping hand.

This particular shade of blue-purple is the colour that reminds me most of my Flashdance 80’s fashion days. I personally like it best with magenta, warm mustard yellow, grey and black (but not all at once). Love it or loath it, purple is the “it” colour this season and its richness has certainly spiced up Autumn’s traditionally dark palette. If head-to-toe in this royal hue is a little too much for you, sport a shoe or handbag in purple instead.