Why is it that men’s underwear sizes are 85-90 cm, then the next size up is 95-100 cm? Consequently, I always have to wear undies that are a little too big or a little too small. Surely, they could make them my size and I could be comfortable like people bigger and smaller than me…
And, if it comes to that, why can’t the sizes be consistent across brands?
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If you ride a motorcycle on corrugated dirt roads I’d go the smaller size…
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In 2009 they removed the Australian standard for clothing sizes as manufacturers don’t follow them. I think they say to look at the European ones. Most clothing manufactuers/designers make clothes to fit their target market and design mostly for them, this includes their preferred sizing not just styles. If you want a better fit there are plenty of sewing classes that can teach you how to draft and sew your own. Plus the upshot is also that a size 14 has a myriad of differences. For example you can get one brand in sz 14 that fits a range of people, but it won’t fit them all perfectly something will have longer bodies, bigger busts, bottoms etc… they pick a ball park middle. Wonder why everyone looked good in the old days… well that was because most clothes were made for or by them to fit only them. Yet if you look further from this why is textiles and sewing not being taught as much in schools. Because you can now buy it cheaper and money talks, it isn’t seen as a skill yet is highly complex, you have about 2mm tolerance when sewing and pattern drafting to get everything to fit.
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A counterpoint to commercial sizes being for their target market. Decades ago a family member had a clothing shop and confirmed cheap clothes were always cut smaller without any material to let out, and quality clothing was cut fuller with material for tailoring as well as being tailored to drape well. While times have changed this is my favourite bit of evidence that sizes are something they randomly put on clothes as a marketing gimmick.
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In the US at least through the 1970’s mens’ suit sizes included short, regular, tall, short stout (short with a belly), and stout (with a belly) to account for the range of body types, but no more. It was not just people making or tailoring everything, it was more sizes from manufacturers that have been lost to the demand for ever more efficiencies and profitability leading to standardisation on fewer sizes, take them or leave them.
If you want a good fit now and are not built ‘perfectly’, assure your garments have enough excess fabric for tailoring, and a good tailor.
Another aspect is[quote=“blackbirdandthehun, post:4, topic:14538”]
Most clothing manufactuers/designers make clothes to fit their target market
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Mens’ clothes in the US are made with larger thighs and seats to reflect their ( ahem ) larger bodies. Some of us struggle to find anything wearable in Australia, but go to the US and we can fill a suitcase in every shop if we wanted.
Why wear them at all?
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Well it’s not just underpants. I wear T-shirts quite a lot and was going through my collection to see what fitted and what didn’t (I had lost a bit of weight). There is an enormous difference between brands. Looking at the T-shirts I was keeping there were 4 different sizes. In some brands my size was XL whilst in some others it was 2XL and 3XL. There was even an overseas T-shirt I picked up as a souvenir that was labelled L. It is about time for a bit more uniformity of sizes.
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