Every now and then people start wondering why it seems that more men are libertarians. I don’t know if that’s actually true or not (I know plenty of female libertarians), BUT lately I’ve started thinking that it wouldn’t be surprising if men placed more trust in market solutions than women do. Markets fail us every day. To wit:
- The average American woman is somewhere between 5′3″ and 5′4″ (depending on who you ask). “Petite” sizes in women’s clothing generally apply to heights 5′4″ and lower. That means half of the women in this country are petite. The absurdity of that fact aside, there aren’t very many petite clothes out there. Lately, high end department stores are getting rid of petites. It seems that nobody bought them, because they were frumpy. Why? Why aren’t stylish clothes made to fit the 50% of women who are petite? (At least shorter women still have some options; Ann Taylor has a great petite line - if you want grown-up career clothes. Or there’s Banana Republic, if you can afford it, or Talbot’s, if you’re square [both literally and figuratively].)
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- As Brooke points out in her post about the closing of petite sections, there aren’t very many tall clothes out there either. This is almost more surprising, as the people who model the clothes are all quite tall. What, do they let out all the seams for runway shows?
- The average American bra size has recently increased* from 34B to 36C. At least the people who are actually at the 50th percentile can still find bras in their size, but anybody above that has trouble. The most stylish bras frequently only go up to a C cup. And hardly any styles go above a D, except in industrial-looking styles. The large number of women who need larger sizes than that and/or want attractive bras that actually fit, have to go to specialty stores or have them custom-made.
- One area in which the fashion industry has actually started responding to market demands is plus-size clothes. Forty percent of American women wear a size 14 or larger, but you wouldn’t know that from looking in most clothing stores. Brands like Lane Bryant and Just My Size have started to fill in the gap, but women who are average size or a bit bigger still don’t have all that many options.
- Then there are shoes. Accurate data are hard to find, but it seems that the average female shoe size is, these days, about a 9. According to the same Slate article, the standard range of sizes is still 5-10. I actually don’t believe that one, as someone who wears a 6. I do almost all my shoe shopping at places like DSW these days, after one too many shopping trips spent cooling my heels in the showroom while the salesperson checks in the back to tell me “the smallest we have in those is a 7. In these, we have just a 7.5. I could stuff the toes with newspaper for you!” There’s much less disappointment if I can check whether my size is in stock first. Athletic shoes frequently don’t come below a 6 or 6.5, and in my recent shopping for rollerblades, it looked like I’d have to buy some that are meant for little boys.
Every woman I know has, at one time or another, exclaimed “Just who are these clothes supposed to fit??” while on a frustrating shopping trip. I agree. It looks like the fashion industry is a case of market failure.
* I found the 36C statistic several places, so I think it’s accurate. The Discover article I linked to may not have all its stats quite straight, though. It claims that a pair of D-cup breasts weighs from 15-23 pounds. I found that difficult to believe, and did some back-of-the-envelope calculations. It looks to me like Discover is guilty of skewing to the right end of the tail, as well as sloppy approximation. If you assume that each breast is a half-sphere, you end up with a 36D bosom weighing about 15 pounds, and need 42Ds to get up to 23 pounds. Of course, breasts aren’t half-spheres unless they’re bad fakes; they’re closer to cone-shaped, meaning those numbers are significant overestimates. Plus, D cups don’t start at 36 band sizes, the delusions of those stocking the lingerie department at Target notwithstanding.
Posted by Amanda in General |
June 3rd, 2006 at 11:29 am
Excellent post. I think you’re right. Any thoughts as to why? We’re thinking it has to do with stores worrying about image and thus the appearance of their customers, because you tend to be able to find larger sizes online. Part of this has something to do with limited shelf space in a retail shop, but they’re not even stocking the average sizes in the store (and I also know of people who’ve been denied gym memberships for similar reasons). May also have something to do with stores overspecializing and picking niches to the point where not every niche is filled, or that retailers are slow to respond to demographic changes.
I would think that this problem will finally be solved when clothes-shopping gets to the science fiction ideal of being able to see how clothes fit you in the comfort of your own home. But I’m not exactly sure how to fix this otherwise — short of somehow transforming our society to not be so image-conscious (something the fashion industry would fight tooth-and-nail, as they’ve played a role in creating this society).
June 5th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
so the average woman is 5′ 3″, a size 14, and has a size 9 shoe? that is one interesting looking woman! :) i sympathize with you though, as a “petite” woman myself - but online shopping has made this (and many things!) much better.
the only reason i can think of for this is that skinny tall women just buy more clothes/shoes…
February 6th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
As a clothing manufacturer, I can tell you that there are several reasons why the petite market is underserved. One is that it’s tough for fashion designers to get funding and to get a Sales Rep. Some of the stores only deal with Sales Reps. So, that leaves most new designers out in the cold. And the established designers don’t want to bother with niche markets. Also… stores tend to play-it-safe… telling their buyers to stick to what works, etc. So that’s why the same old ugly, frumpy styles are being sold everywhere. I’m hoping that some of the stores will start paying attention. Your blog and others that are addressing this issue do help get the word out. So that’s great. And maybe the stores/buyers will see the comments from potential customers too. In the meantime, my daughter and I continue trying to serve the plus-size market (another underserved group). And if we can ever get financially on our feet, we may be able to offer styles in petite sizes. My wish is that we could open our own chain of stores… so that we wouldn’t be at the mercy of the set-in-their ways fashion industry.
Thanks for your blog and for bringing up this topic.
- Dorez
Jahqoi.com
March 20th, 2007 at 7:37 am
I am seriously, seriously looking into starting my own Fashion Design company for petites. I have had this in mind for a very long time. I am originally from Atlanta and now live in the UK. I must say, it is a bit better here. Not much, though. The demographic is of a younger age range, so that helps as far as fashion style across the board. I am 5′ tall and under 100 lbs. If I have to name 1 retail chain that has got it right over here,it is Dorothy Perkins. They also have it right for Tall and Maternity sizes too. But… if you ever go into their shops, or look on-line, their selection is limited. They rarely do skirts or dresses. A UK size 6, or size European 34 is about as good as it gets over here.
I’ll keep everyone posted when I OPEN SHOP. I want to make a difference!!
April 10th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Go for it Andrea! Petite fashion needs a major makeover to get rid of the frumpy image it currently has. This image seems to have created a self-perpetuating situation. Designers don’t seem to get that petite women, both young and older, want fashionable clothing!
I’ve done a pretty exhaustive search for the major US and some UK retailers who stock petite clothing brands. You can see them all at http://www.petiteresource.com. On the whole, in terms of really fashionable clothing, it’s not a great selection, to say the least. Some designer out there could do really well by filling the gap in this market place!
Fran
April 10th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Forgot to submit my Website when I submitted the above comment.
Fran