I’m closing the week with a few tidbits of information relating to clothing sizes that you might find interesting.

Catwalk models seldom wear a US size 0 or 2. They usually wear a size 4. I first learned this when I had to draft the patterns and make the clothes to fit catwalk models for my final exam at Fashion Design School. Later as a fashion buyer I would sometimes be personally fitting items onto models for a runway show, or providing the marketing department with products for the advertising photo shoots. Ramp models are around 6 feet tall with broad shoulders (a body type prerequisite). This body type fits a larger clothing size than you might expect.

Size 4 is important beyond the catwalk. Manufacturers produce samples for fashion buyers and in the case of regular sizes these are usually a size US 4 or 6. So if you are a size 4 or 6, you’ll score at sample sales. Of course, the sample sizes are different for plus sizes and maternity.

Fit mannequins, the mannequins that design rooms use to fit their samples, come in different shapes and size specifications. For example, the dimensions of a US size 4 fit mannequin at Zara is different to an Ann Taylor size 4 fit mannequin, which is different again to a Marc Jacobs size 4 fit mannequin. There isn’t one universal set of fit mannequins, and that’s one reason why sizes and fit are not standardized across the industry.

As I covered in an earlier post, US sizes 6 to 10 are the most purchased sizes in America, but the most common size is 14.

If anyone else has some sizing related trivia to share, lets hear it!