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Fitting for Flattery: How to Get the Best Fit
(ARA) - A proper fit can make all the difference between looking sharp or simply disheveled. For petite and plus sizes, the challenge can be even greater. Some apparel designers simply do math, increasing or decreasing clothing measurements by a certain percentage without taking proper proportion into consideration. The result can be shapeless silhouettes that look frumpy, not flattering.
Lands’ End offers the best advice to getting a great fit. The company recently launched their largest selection ever of extended size clothing for the entire family.
Know Your Measurements
The key to a proper fit is knowing your measurements. The average woman is 5’4” and weighs 164 pounds according to the National Center for Health Statistics -- not your typical runway model. Look for designers that offer clothing specifically for your size.
Take the time to measure your body with a proper measuring tape -- a dimensionally stable cloth tape measure -- keeping the tape taut but not stretched. Get a friend to help, if possible, measuring your body over properly fitting undergarments while standing erect, without shoes, and with feet approximately six inches apart. For consistency, take all measurements from the same side of the body. Measure your height, bust or chest, arm, waist, rise, hip and inseam.
Keep it Proportional
If you are petite or plus size, look for clothing that is in proportion to your measurements. Plus sizes should look for shapely, flattering styles -- not styles you hide behind. For petites, consider the way a pant leg drapes or tapers. If it doesn’t fit well in the hips or the leg is too wide, it can distort your appearance.
Don’t Forget the Details
Details can play an important role in proportion. Print and pattern sizes, button sizes and back pocket sizes are all elements that play  with proportion that can make you appear larger or smaller. Look for details that are in proportion to your body. Or, see how certain details play with your body shape. Proper hemming is important. Know your inseam and be sure your hem lengths flatter your legs. Lands’ End hems and cuffs pants for free.
Forget the Titles, Get the Right Size
Regular, petite and plus sizes are just categories. Forget the titles and buy what works for you. Regular sizes are, on average, for women with heights between 5’4” and 5’7”. Petite sizes typically start at heights 5’3” and lower. Plus sizes start at 16W and above. Be open to shopping beyond your normal category to try sizes that work for your unique measurements.
Superior Shoes
Our feet are in shoes for countless hours each day. It is very important to get the right fit and not just style. Ask any doctor; improperly fitting shoes can lead to health problems down the road. If you have wide feet, be sure to seek out these styles, especially for kids. Their growing feet deserve a good fit. Lands’ End has often hard-to-find wide widths for both kids and adults in a variety of styles.
Kids Comfort
Kids grow at different rates and in different proportions. It’s important for parents to take their kid’s measurements each year. You might find that a regular size won’t work this year or that your child needs plus sizes after a recent growth spurt.
For more information about getting a great fit, visit www.landsend.com where you can create a virtual model of yourself, see size charts and learn more about extended sizes for the entire family.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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