Why do different brands have different sizes?
This is one of those perennial questions that have been asked since clothing first began and not just in the Big and Tall clothing market segment. Surely back in time, cavemen asked why one loincloth made by someone in one village was different in sizing to the loincloths available in the next village? The Romans probably wondered why one toga fitted differently from another too.
Every tailor had his own idea of size, probably based around the size and build of themselves, in that case every tailor considered him self a "medium” regardless of how big he actually was! Village tailors more than likely used family and friends as their pattern models.
So what size is medium? Does it depend on what culture you come from? What is the medium height and build of a say a Dutchmen compared to say a Chinaman?
Standardization of sizes.
For many years consumers have asked for a some kind of standardization to make their shopping experience easier and quicker. If there is demand for this then why haven't designers responded by collaborating together?
1) Difference of taste, opinion and uniqueness.
Strong Fashion Brands have a unique sense of style, cut and fit. Each fashion designer has a specific target market of "it” people in mind when they set about designing garments.
The stronger brands spend time on examining how their garments fit, engineering a different pattern for each style, whereas run of the mill labels will use the closest pattern to hand.
2) Differentiation
If all white business shirts had exactly the same fit, would the decision on buying one come down to just price? Fashion Labels want a different cut and fit to capture a segment of the market who will disregard price in order to find the right cut. This is the first stage of Brand loyalty.
3) Competition: Obstacles to trade.
Given the advent of the internet, what designer in their right mind would want to collaborate on size?
If there was standardization, once a customer knew they were a size "10” then why would they bother ever trying on a garment, everything would be based on price. Service, style and fit advice would disappear from the retail landscape. Each designer and even retailers would prefer to cultivate and service their own set of customers.
Why don't Big and Tall clothing retailers simply ask manufacturers to standardize their sizing?
At Kingsize Big & Tall, the fashion buyers will request size specifications from all their various big and tall specialty brands. We try to ensure that they fall somewhere within a standard deviation of each size.
Of course each fashion label has it's own idea of size. The bigger the label in the market the more hard and fast they are about keeping their own size specifications.
Not all Big & Tall retailers agree on what size is best. Like all businesses we all have a different idea on fit.
For instance we at Kingsize Big & Tall feel department store sizes are too small. A 3X in some discount stores fits more like our standard XL. Many 7X t-shirts and polo's at discount stores are closer to our 3XL fit.
Thankfully at Kingsize Menswear we have done something about this by providing size specifications by brand. Please only use these as a guide. We cannot guarantee manufacturers stick to even their own size charts! At this stage (well until the competition copy us) we are the only Big and Tall website do to this in the world.
These size guides took many weeks of measuring each brands garment by size. We found many garments vary significantly from what the manufacturer recommended on their own size charts.
What is more important, should large size men's clothes be comfortable or should they look good?
Fashion has always been a trade off between style and comfort for many people.
Business suits when fitted neatly have killer looks and style but they are difficult garments to play football in.
Baggy, loose trousers certainly are far more relaxing to wear but who wants to attend an important meeting in them?
Who are we to tell you whether you should be comfortable in your clothing or not?
At Kingsize, we have no interest in seeing you leave the store with ill fitting clothes.
It is our job to ensure that you become an advert for our business.
Suits should be fitted properly, neat and snug on the chest without pulling. Coats that are too big, whilst they may offer more room, generally sag over the shoulders and at the front coat button.
There has to be a trade off between style and the ability to be able to "open the bowling” in your suit coat.
We recommend that the garment fit neatly at rest, not fit while in the act of wrestling a crocodile.
Why do some Big and Tall menswear stores charge more than Kingsize?
The biggest component cost of most retail stores is a combination of employment costs and rent.
Those stores that choose "High profile” locations in the centre of the CBD or in A grade shopping centre's face a far higher rent structure too. This is the trade off for more "foot traffic”.
Every Big and Tall store faces the same increase in specialty product costs. All manufacturers charge between 10 -30% more for larger size menswear. This is partly due to the fabric costs but mainly due to the fact the larger sizes have to be cut separately and economies of scale cannot be used effectively.
Kingsize Big & Tall pride them self on trying match the retail price points (where possible) of normal department stores. Most of our stores are in outer laying areas, where rent is relatively cheap and the boss does all his own store fit outs ,personally, some say it looks like it too…. but it all goes towards "saving da money”.
Kingsize do most of their advertising either in house or direct. They do not use advertising agencies, website designers, photographers, artwork designers etc preferring to have a go them self. Hey we have even made our own videos!
Sure an advertising company might make some of the promotions look a little sexier but the customer ultimately pays for it. We have a group of people that like to multi skill and make their jobs more interesting.
Tips For Shopping In A Big And Tall Men's Clothing Store
As any fairly large sized man is painfully aware of by now, buying big and tall clothes for men can be quite a challenge. Even with the increasing number of stores that offer big and tall clothes for men, buying suitable articles of clothing once you tip the scales at a certain point becomes a bit more difficult than if you were an average sized man.
Nevertheless, there is no better time than now to buy big and tall clothes for men, and any decent sized city or town should have a good big and tall men's clothing store where you can do your shopping. You also have the option to do your shopping online if you wish, and there is certainly no shortage of excellent websites such as www.bigguy.e-retailer.co.nz that offer big and tall shirts for men among other clothing items and accessories.
The main drawback to doing your Big mens clothing shopping online however is that there is no way to tell for sure just how well your big and tall men's clothes will fit. There is something to be said about being able to try out your planned purchases in a big and tall men's clothing store, and there is always the risk of ending up with ill fitting big and tall men's clothes when you do your shopping online.
Kingsize Big and Tall have a dedicated team available to offer advice and measure garments, so they have a big advantage over other online stores.
Not only that but they have taken the time to place individual size charts with specific product information on each Big and Tall brand.
That being said, you may be able to get away with buying big and tall men's clothing from an online store if you know precisely what your physical dimensions are. Determining measurements such as your waistline, chest circumference, neck size and height down to the centimeter or inch will help you a lot when it comes to doing your shopping from an online big and tall men's clothing store.
When shopping for big and tall men's clothes, it is important to have a clear picture of your body type, and what particular clothes will best enhance your particular physical characteristics.
Buying large size Clothing Tips For Men
Large men know better than anyone else just how difficult it is, to put it mildly, to find clothes that fit properly.
You should know however, that you no longer have to buy your big and tall casual clothing at a sporting goods shop and you don't have to hire a tailor to make you a suit.
There are big and tall men's stores now that cater to this special market, but there are still some things that you need to consider when you are buying a suit.
1. A well stocked Big man shop will carry a large variety of sizes, up to 80 different combinations. From Regular fits to Extra Tall, Portly and Stout.
Online shops are less likely to have a larger selection of sizes, however simply call Kingsize Big & Tall and they will guide through the selection process.
2. You want to shop where you'll be able to get everything in one location. Another valuable trait of a well stocked big mans shop is the ability for you to purchase, big size jacket, extra large trousers, big size shirts, extra long ties and anything else you'll need right there.
3. It's best to avoid the standard department stores whose selection will be limited at best. A good big and tall shop will have what you need, with little alteration if any needed on most products.
4. You do not have to pay more for big and tall clothing.
5. If you buy online, make sure you have access to a tailor who can make an ordinary big and tall suit look exceptional! Let's face it, men hate shopping, and if you can knock it out with the click of a mouse then why not? Just make sure whichever store you buy from has a generous return policy and stocks plenty of sizes. Once you find one, stick with them because you know full well how hard it is to shop.