Production Standards

A common problem for shoppers in the fashion industry is the vast difference in sizing and production standards. Personally, as a self-confessed shopaholic, I've learnt what size I need for which store but it can be a confusing process! 

I've found that my top size is fairly consistent across the market but when it comes to pants it's a whole different story! In one store I can go as low as an AU6 but others can be an AU10. I believe that pants would be the most common garment that females find hard to source the 'perfect fit' as people can be the same size but a completely different shape in the hips/thighs region. This makes it incredibly hard for stores to have one universal production standard as they may all be basing their design around completely different shaped models.

Eventually you may figure out a brand and size that works for you but that still doesn't guarantee you'll have the perfect fit every time. Production standards within the one brand can also vary slightly - of course this shouldn't make a significant impact though as this should technically be less than 1.27cm (0.5"). I found an inconsistency in the brand Riders by Lee. As you can see in the picture these are the exact same style but the width of the waist is not exactly the same. There were four size 9 jeans in-store and this was the only pair that had an inconsistency. However after trying them on I found that it didn't make a difference to the fit, this is probably because these are a stretch denim which is much more forgiving of these inconsistencies than a traditional denim would be.