This is exactly why our clothes don't fit (and where to find ones that do).
Everything you need to know about clothing sizes in Australia — and spoiler alert, you're not the problem.
When it comes to clothing, sizing is a topic that’s often talked about… and not in a good way.
Because while the average Australian woman is a size 14-16, so many clothing brands refuse to stock items beyond a size 12.
If you’ve ever found yourself aimlessly wandering around your local shopping centre, praying to find clothes that fit, just know this is a feeling the majority of women can relate to.
And the problem is the clothes, not you.
This is why Leigh Campbell invited her fellow You Beauty co-host, Kelly McCarren, on to Nothing To Wear to speak about what’s really going on with sizing in Australia.
Image: Instagram @kelly_mccarren.
Kelly may now be best known in the beauty space, but she used to work in fashion and became a content manager at fashion juggernaut, Showpo, so she knows her stuff when it comes to clothes and what goes into making them.
On this week’s episode of Nothing To Wear, Kelly shares some eye-opening insights into the fashion industry, reinforcing that it’s not you, it’s the clothes and how they’re made.
Plus she shared her recommendations for inclusive brands that look great on everyone.
You can listen to the full episode here. Post continues below.
Let’s get into what she had to say.
Most of the time, the clothes don’t even fit the model.
“I’ve styled shoots for a bunch of different brands, and I would never go on set without bulldog clips. I put so many clips on people sometimes because often, models aren’t a size eight. They may be a size four or six, so the garment is swimming on them. So if you order an outfit online and feel down because it doesn’t look like how it did on the model, just know that the model doesn’t look like that either.”
Mid-size shopping can be tricky.
“The biggest struggle as a mid-size woman is that brands haven’t graded things. So, for every size bigger, they make the garment several inches longer. Meaning, I’ll buy a pair of pants in my size but it will have so much excess fabric that the only person that can get away with wearing it is someone on stilts.”
Don’t bother looking at the size guide.
“Don’t go by the size guide on-site because nine times out of 10, the clothes you purchased aren’t following the measurements shown in the guide. They’re not measuring each individual garment.”
Start following creators who look like you.
“Try and shop from websites where the models are a similar body shape to you. My biggest tip for shopping is to find content creators who dress the way you want to dress, but are a similar size and height to you.”
Kelly’s favourite size-inclusive brands.
On this week’s episode of Nothing To Wear, Kelly shared the size-inclusive brands that are thinking of everyone when creating clothes.
The Iconic.
Showpo.
SANCT.
Gorman.
Desert Lily Vintage.
Obus.
Dyspnea.
Atmos&Here.
Dazie.
Nobody Denim.
17 Sundays.
Hope and Harvest.
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