Thank you so much for this. I feel like I have this conversation a lot with customers of all sizes, but have lacked the detailed nuance like this to really get to the heart of the issue. 🩷
I'm so glad you found this helpful. We all want simple answers to complicated questions, so this is definitely a topic that can be easy to dismiss. There's a lot to unpack here, and sometimes it's uncomfortable to do that kind of work. I really appreciate your input!
Another thing is people wore girdles and other intense shapewear back in the 60s and before. There is a reason why 1950s dress that otherwise fits has a teeeensy waist. And it's not because people had naturally tiny waist back then.
That’s a good call out! Vintage was absolutely designed to wear with specific undergarments in a way that contemporary clothing isn’t. Not just smaller cinched waists but also in exaggerated/shaped busts!
“People were smaller back then” has always annoyed me so much. These explanations make so much sense! My 6’1 frame is basically a carbon copy of my stunning great aunt who was born in the 1920s, and I think that’s badass 💪
I’ve also seen it pointed out that if clothes were too big due to weight fluctuations or being hand-me-downs then they could still be worn by someone (thus getting worn out and not surviving to present day) while the same could not be done with clothes that were too small for someone, so that makes it likelier for the smaller sizes to exist later on
I've been trying to not buy anything new for about a year --- big fan of secondhand shopping, been using some fun tools to make it easier like the chrome extension that finds me resale alternatives for the items I'm looking at as I shop bit.ly/Phia
Thank you so much for this. I feel like I have this conversation a lot with customers of all sizes, but have lacked the detailed nuance like this to really get to the heart of the issue. 🩷
I'm so glad you found this helpful. We all want simple answers to complicated questions, so this is definitely a topic that can be easy to dismiss. There's a lot to unpack here, and sometimes it's uncomfortable to do that kind of work. I really appreciate your input!
Another thing is people wore girdles and other intense shapewear back in the 60s and before. There is a reason why 1950s dress that otherwise fits has a teeeensy waist. And it's not because people had naturally tiny waist back then.
That’s a good call out! Vintage was absolutely designed to wear with specific undergarments in a way that contemporary clothing isn’t. Not just smaller cinched waists but also in exaggerated/shaped busts!
Thanks for this, such an important and factual answer to what I’ve always thought but didn’t know how to articulate.
I knew somehow that it wasn’t about us growing larger as a society, but that the fashion industry just didn’t design for the plus size woman.
Explaining to customer about “vanity sizing” that a 14 in the 1950/60’s is like a 4 today!
You’ve pointed out so much more, thank you!
“People were smaller back then” has always annoyed me so much. These explanations make so much sense! My 6’1 frame is basically a carbon copy of my stunning great aunt who was born in the 1920s, and I think that’s badass 💪
I’ve also seen it pointed out that if clothes were too big due to weight fluctuations or being hand-me-downs then they could still be worn by someone (thus getting worn out and not surviving to present day) while the same could not be done with clothes that were too small for someone, so that makes it likelier for the smaller sizes to exist later on
I've been trying to not buy anything new for about a year --- big fan of secondhand shopping, been using some fun tools to make it easier like the chrome extension that finds me resale alternatives for the items I'm looking at as I shop bit.ly/Phia
Hope this is helpful for people!