What do I like best about this dress? I can't decide whether it's that it's made of men's shirting (wonderful fabric, very smooth and light), or whether it's the bias contrast trim, or whether it's the pockets.
I think it has to be the pockets. I swear, I think I'm going to take a day and just make a hundred pockets like these in scrap material until I can do them hung upside down and blindfolded in a hurricane, and then I will be able to put them into everything I sew from that point on. They're so sleek and cute and just plain handy …
This dress is $95 at modaspia (click on the image to go to their site). The only downside is that it's not available any larger than a size 10. I asked one of the designers about that, and she told me that they used to make bigger sizes, but wholesalers and boutiques wouldn't buy them! Grrr.
So I was thinking about making a little downloadable business card, a pdf that you could print out on those Avery tear-apart business card forms, which would read something like "You'd be looking at a credit card instead of this card if your store carried anything in my size." Then you could hand it to the sales staff or just leave it on the counter. What do you think? What should the wording be? Leave your input in the comments, please!
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
YES YES YES! make that card, word it exactly as you said, it is perfect.now go start practicing your pockets, it’s already hurricane season.
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“This would be my credit card, but you don’t carry my size.”
Just be sure to make it in PDF so the rest of us can use it too. Kinda like Alice’s Restaraunt…
Yes! Do it! Your wording is perfect.Upon receipt, I will immediately drop one of these cards on the counter at every boutique on Smith Street in Brooklyn.Then I’ll go to Bloomingdale’s, where on Friday I discovered that I’m neither a “miss” nor a “woman”–just a freak. I had a $50 gift card to spend and ended up getting a half-slip and some cosmetics. Not that I can’t always use another good half-slip, but it’s the principle of the thing.
The worst part is that Modaspia classifies a 10 as a ‘large’. (See their sizing chart.)
There’s a market for that card, Erin…. you hear it.
“Fashion does NOT end at size 10! Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.”Love the card idea.
As a tall woman in a world where EVERY store carries petite and NONE carry tall items (long sleeves, skirts, dresses etc) let me just say: “Amen, Sister; Do the deed and make those cards today!”
Ehh… I have to disagree with the commenter above. I’m a 4′ 10″ 00-2, and have to ignore 95% of stores completely. The stores that *do* carry my size are often well out of my budget, which tends more to the Gap than BCBG Max Azria.I will admit though that it’s easier to have things hemmed than let down!
you should look into the interesting government intervention in argentina recently about the sizes of women’s clothes…it’s fascinating!
I would definitely put a card like that to use. This site is great– it makes me wish I could sew! Alas, I will just continue to visit to admire the pretty dresses… and the talent of the people who made them.
Love that card idea. Amen and do it!!!! I want one.
Jill, I hear you! I’m not especially tall for a woman, but have a hell of a time buying pants off the rack. But at the same time, I have to acknowledge that if the average woman is 5’4″, which I’ve heard, it means that half of women are petite.ANYWAY, Erin, I LOVE this idea!
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Yeah whatever dude, talking dresses here! Make the card!!!!!
Card is a great idea.Too much beer and pizza this world cup and i don’t even fit my own clothes, let alone any in the nice dress stores
I love it, your wording is perfect!Thanks
You know, size doesn’t matter if you’re rich…CRAP!
Oh yes! The card would be great! I’m six feet, size 12. One of my best friends is 5 feet, size 0. When we go shopping together, it’s a disaster. We both want the cards.
Oh yes! The card would be great! I’m six feet, size 12. One of my best friends is 5 feet, size 0. When we go shopping together, it’s a disaster. We both want the cards.
Hee.”Petite” sizes really mean “between 5’1 and 5’3 with a very particular leg-to-arm-to-torso ratio”. I’m 5’2 with a longish torso & big boobs, so petite tops show my midriff, but regular tops flop comically over my hands and are too big in the shoulder. And forget pants and skirts. My mom has it even worse – I’m 3″ taller than she is, and it’s ALL in the leg. She’s got my torso and wee short legs. Utterly hopeless. She buys men’s jeans in the shortest inseam she can find.Tall people do have it worse, I think, although I know some tall women who have a lot of luck with men’s trousers. But I know more who have just given up and pretend that they WANT to have 3/4 sleeves and cropped pants.Grar.The standardized fashion industry hates us all, I think, except for my one sister….The cards are brilliant.
I so think you should follow up on the card idea: Viva la sizing revolution! Perhaps downloaders could print them on a light green toile stock or any other pattern with that lucrative plastic look. Btw, I did look up the Argentina/anorexia/dress size thing noted earlier by 9:55anonymous … goodness me!
love, love, love that idea! the idea of just leaving it on the counter is perfect
That card idea is so tongue in cheek. I absolutely love it. I might eve n try to design a few when I get home.
Today’s clothes seem to be made for someone in middle school. That’s fine for the ‘tween market. But it’s the rest of us who have more money to spend!!! They’ve missed both the mark and the market!
Oh, hell yes. That card is a perfect idea.
I love the card idea, Erin. The wording seems prefect to me. I can think of at least 3 stores (conveniently located all on the same street) that should stock sizes above a size 10. Then, if I move to another neighborhood east of there, I can think of half a dozen more stores.Make the cards. I need them! A pdf would be great and I know I’d print some. What is it about anyone with a 42″ bust (or greater) that seems to scare these boutiques? Have they been brainwashed into believing that these women won’t look good in the clothes? Don’t we look like we have any money? Maybe they think that women above a size 10 only buy accessories and shoes. Jeez…
Yes, make the card. Please make the card.
I would have no use for such a card, I’m afraid, since I’m quite normal for Sweden… Maybe you all should come to Sweden and shop? Eh?
I love the idea though (makes me wish I was short or abnormally tall or something…)!
Holly, women above a size ten may be buying only accessories & shoes because that’s all they ever find!
totally agree.. seriously. e industry thinks we are all make of bones n skin. even in asia. damn. make the card!
Yeah for Tall girls! I want some of those cards for the shoe store…
anonymous–I know that most women in the bigger than 10 sizes DO buy accessories and shoes in these boutiques. And that’s why I mention it. Perhaps the fact that it’s happening confuses the boutique buyer/owner. Maybe they think that’s all we do actually want to buy from them. I try to make it a habit not to buy anything in a store that seems to embrace such a sizeist approach to merchandizing. Holly
The card is a brilliant idea, Erin. I do want to add–I really enjoy your blog and seeing all the dresses, new and vintage. Looking at vintage patterns/dresses makes me realize that in the past fashionable clothing was designed for adult women, not just the very young (or the very young and thin and of average height).
The card idea is great! I have long arms (thanks dad) and pretty much only buy T-shirts and 3/4 sleeve tops. Otherwise it is the good old sewing machine and me.
I just stumbled into your site and I love it. From a girl who is stuck before womens and plus and HATES that everything ‘chic’ consists of polyester and 70s print that card is a FABULOUS idea. I often see great dresses and when I try them on I am ‘a-la-out-o-luck’.
Perfect as is.
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love it! go for it, make it downloadable for everyone to use!
I love the idea of the card. I’m petite with a womanly figure, so I fight buying stuff that fits in all the right places. On another note, reading this blog has made me happy to sew again. I’m currently working on an eyelet peasant top. Thanks for the inspiration.
Your words on the front (perfection!) and on the back:You’ve Been Carded.
Awesome idea! I’m big,but mys taste is still intact,I’m still WEll under retirement age amd I’m still pretty!Ninette
Before someone drops one of these clever cards in my vintage boutique, please help me out. Question for those of you frustrated by sizing: how do you want a vendor to let you know they do have larger sizes especially at vintage clothing shows? I see curvy ladies all the time peek in at my stuff, maybe inspect a scarf or purse, then slip away. I *do* have bigger sizes, but there seems to be a preconception that nothing will fit and the racks go uninspected. Ive tried small labels on the hangers that say “large,” but that didn’t seem to work, and I don’t want to come across as rude. I don’t want to hijack this thread, so pleae email me your ideas. For myself, I’d leave these cards at shoe stores–just try and get attractive shoes in 9 WW width!thanks for any suggestions–anewmanvintage (at) anewmanvintage (dot) comanna
I’m not “large” but I wear a 34DDD and have a curvy body (think 1950s ‘sweater girl’.) When I wear clothes designed for a “curvy” body I either look maternal or slutty. We need a card that says “These are real, therefore they do not defy gravity on their own. Give us support!!” My other problem is that I have a round butt and pants and many skirts either are 5+ inches too large at the waist or give me a wonderful jodhpur look-I have no hips. Thank god for the sewing machine.
Make. That. Card. I’ll read your Tarot for free in exchange.
Anna, Hi. I’ve seen dealers at clothing shows with racks that are separated by size. One in particular has one waterfall style rack of the larger stuff. She sometimes put it right in the front and has a header card that says “Larger Size Vintage” I believe. I’ve also been at vintage stores that sort by decade/era first and then by size. My favorite store is like that. It’s really helpful. If I’m looking for a 42″ bust 1950s summer day dress, I know where to look in her store and so does she if I ask. Holly
If you don’t make these cards, I will. I think I’d make a version that said “debit” instead of “credit,” as well, since debit is ubiquitous here, and I never shop with my credit card.I was once told flat out by the owner of a designer shop that she “wasn’t interested” in carrying larger sizes, even though she herself is much bigger than I’ve ever been. What do you do about that?I’m not small exactly (about a size 11) with a 41″ bust, but I have no waist indention to speak of, and an ample bottom, so getting things to fit is…interesting. I need to get better with the sewing machine, but on the other hand, I don’t have a lot of time.
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As someone who regularly announces “Wot – no fat chick sizes?” and stomps out of stores, I would DEFINITELY hand out little cards like this! As an (Australian) size 18-20, I find very little in the shops that I would even think about wasting money on… and yet, I see women my size EVERYWHERE!!
Love the idea! Also love that it’d be ambiguous enough to leave in a shoe store – I can hardly buy women’s shoes any more. Although you might add a line of small type ’60% of women in the US are size 14 or above’.I’d also appreciate a card that says almost the same, but something like ‘If your store carried something in my size, I’d buy it. As it is, I’ll just go home and sew it. Thanks for saving me money!’.To the woman who has large sizes but people don’t look – are they enough in evidence? If your windows and every display in the front of the store is a size 2, I wouldn’t go rooting around the back either. Much less ask, although I might drop a card
. Display a large size up front, on a mannequin that’s large enough for it, a balance of sizes would be better. A sign in the window that says ‘all sizes’ would also be helpful. Basically, why should we spend our time rooting around in every store, when something like 10% carry something we could wear? It’s the j.jill principle: we want your money but we don’t want other people to know you can shop here.
There is a whole shopping centre that I would deposit these in close to where I live. See what caitlin said…. being a non-average size/shape, I sew because I would have to take everything in or up anyway!Love the blog though, you inspire my creativity!Cherie Australia
Great IdeaI also started sewing because nothing i liked fit me so i guess its not all bad
can u make a card in Hebrew?
Great IDEA! Print it in English, French, Deutsch, Spanish and Japanese all in the same card so that it is globally accepted!!!!
Yes, this is the best idea ever! I would also want to write on the card my size, just so they know we come in all sizes.
To the boutique owner with hidden larger sizes:I’ve been to vintage stores and not only do they rarely have anything that fits across the bust, the service is really rude too… I’m not saying that your service is bad but I know if there was a sign in the front of the store that said “We try to fit all sizes,” followed up with a clerk that pointed out something that might fit or look good on me or help me search the racks…. I know I’d shop there, repeatedly!
wonderful idea…i’ll print it asap. I’ve been a plus-size my entire life. So, what frustrates me most is walking into a store, being brave enough to ask if they have x-item in a larger size and being told “yeah, we get one in every shipment. It goes fast since we only get one” Hello. If the larger sizes move that fast, GET MORE.
Interesting topic today. More and more Iam leaning toward making my own clothes. I just dont have the patience to weed through the crap anymore. I used to love to go shopping for hrs for days. I can’t be bothered anymore. Iam so tired of looking at crap. Then there are the fitting issues. I’m 5’6 which is not supposed to be petite. When I buy a blazer/jacket. I have to buy a petite or look like an orphan. The sleeves will come down to my finger nuckles and this so makes me crazy!!! I have try to find a petite or buy regular misses and then pay someone to take up the sleeves Argggg!!!! I guess I have short arms but I dont know why. I don’t know what the standard is for short arms. I will have to look into short arms. I think the card is a good idea. I believe only small stores will do anything about it. Dept stores and chains do not care and cant be bothered. First of all you would have to find out who is in charge or allowed to make decisions to do anything about it. When you finaly get to the top of the company you will probably find out they are not even based in the U.S. They are probably over in kook-a-monga somewhere running 15 other companys. Over in kook-a-monga everything is just fine and dandy so why change anything. Iam refering to dept and chainstores here. I think small stores might be willing to listen at least.
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