I had pizza for lunch today, and it was delicious. So much so that I decided to write down, carefully, what I had chosen. I went to tear a piece of paper off my pad when I noticed that the box was telling me clearly that this pizza had been made especially for me. And I realized that  peignoirs and nightgowns can be just like a pizza if they are custom made.

What’s interesting about the observation is that until around hundred years ago, if you bought new clothes, they were always custom made. Custom made was normal. Most women not only had a dressmaker they were capable of making their own clothes. If you were rich then it was always the dressmaker, and the result was two fold.

1. Clothes used to fit.

2. There were no standard sizes.

Of course there have always been standard patterns, but all dressmakers were taught as part of their art, how to measure clients and adjust the patterns accordingly.  So although your great grandma wore corsets all day, she never worried that she was no longer a size six, because the concept didn’t exist. So how and why did things change?

In the 19th century fashion as we know it did not exist. Of course styles changed over time, but truthfully the concept of something being ‘in’ in January and ‘out’ in June was not something your ancestors or mine would have found credible, because it seems incredibly wasteful.  One man,as they say in the film trailers, changed that almost single handedly. His name was Charles Worth.

In 1858 Worth (an Englishman) opened a shop in Paris, and because he was a talented designer, he attracted the highest class of client, the Empress of France, the actress Sarah Bernhardt, the singer Dame Nellie Melba.  Worth had a distinctive style, he avoided fussiness and frills and created more ‘sophisticated’ clothes, once reason for this was simple. Simpler outlines were easier and cheaper to make.  Clients loved Worth and his ideas were considered, for the first time, better than their own. Instead of dictating what they wanted, the customers waited for him to show model clothes, they then chose a garment and had it made in their size and favorite color and fabric.

Worth was, without a doubt and artist, but his legacy was a complete change in the world of clothing manufacture. As the cult of the designer grew the customers became less and less important until the major requirement became the design. Women didn’t want to look beautiful, they wanted to wear Worth or Chanel or Dior and they wanted in such quantities that a new idea was born, that of creating clothes which didn’t fit any one particular person, but were made to general sizes.

Even so, until the sixties, most dress shops had a department whose job was to take the ‘standard’ dress and alter it to fit the client, but with time even this had died out in all but the best stores. These days it is important that the label reads the right size and the logo says the right thing. Flattering the customer seems to be incidental, and since items are made in standard colors or sizes, the opportunity to for true style and flare is very rare.

So, when is a peignoir like a pizza? When it’s made the old fashioned way, to fit in size and shape, to flatter in color and design. When it is made with the client and the purpose in mind. A peignoir is like a pizza when it is made to order.

Moonlit Merlot, romantic peignoir set from Certain Style

It’s much easier for men to buy lingerie for the women in their lives if they buy online, especially if you buy from us but there are some simple things to look for when choosing an online store which will make your task easier.Before you go online shopping try to find out what size you are looking for. Take a look at one of the size tags in her clothes, but please be sure to check something that fits (like an item she wore yesterday) and don’t stick with just one. Sizes vary far more than you can imagine, so it’s best to get a picture of more than one. Standard sizes allow for a woman’s hips to be two inches larger than her bust. Try to check her hip size as well, as many women are pear shaped and may need top and bottom in different sizes to get the best fit. If you really cant find out, choose a store with a helpful attitude, some have programs where they will contact the woman on your behalf and get her measurements without spoiling the surprise.

Before you buy think, about whether your gift will ever be worn. The chances are that if it is too revealing or makes her feel silly, it will end up stuck in a drawer. If that’s the direction you want to go in, you may have to get there in small steps.

Before you decide to buy, check that the store you have chosen has a well displayed telephone number and give them a call. You can tell a lot by whether the phone is answered. You want your queries dealt with promptly so if you call at a reasonable time (check where the store is) and there is only an answering machine, you may want to give them a miss. Best of all, use live chat if it is available.

Once you have basic size information look at the numbers. If all you’ve gathered is S M L or XL then you need to do a little more research. Most lingerie sites will have a size chart, check the values you have against this chart. If her bust is smaller than 30 or larger than 40, the chances are that most sites won’t sell her size, in which case you buy made to measure or look for a plus size store. If you are buying for a special occasion, made to measure is the way to go, though it is generally more expensive.

The biggest mistake men make when buying lingerie on the web is that they get enthusiastic about the pictures. You are looking at a model. She is probably very tall and usually a very small size. You may be buying for someone the same, but the chances are that the woman in your life in shorter and wider. There are quality lingerie sites on the web, but take a look at the prices. You get what you pay for. Cheaply made garments may not fit particularly well, this is fine with a loose style, but if you are looking at figure hugging perfection, consider that someone has probably pinned the garment at the back, where you can’t see it, to make it look that way.

Think about the shape of the woman you are buying for. If she is pear shaped, (more than 2 inches bigger at the hips than the bust – and most women are) then unless you buy made to measure you will not be able to fit her with something really figure hugging, so opt for something that will suit her shape, like a babydoll nightgown which is tight around the bust but wide around the hips. If you are buying this as a romantic gift, why not give her a romantic gown? Something long and silk, with a lace trim would be ideal. Transparent may be sexy, but it isn’t romantic. For the ultimate in romance, take a look at peignoir sets.  This is the item most women want, but won’t buy for themselves.

Women with large cup sizes may find that they burst out of standard size nightgowns. If this is the case then a nightgown where the skirt hangs from a yoke will look better. This doesn’t have to be the sort of style your Mom would wear, there are plenty of short sexy styles which don’t have fitted busts. If your wife has small breasts then something with ruffles or pleating over the breast area will often be the most flattering.

Have you heard her say she hates her legs? If so, pick something long. I promise that if you get her something she really likes, and most importantly feels good in, you’ll get the effect you are looking for more than if you went for something which really only appeals to you.

Finally, this is a gift, so get it wrapped. Some companies (Certain Style is one of them) supply in a lovely box as a matter of course, others stuff the item in a bag. The web site should say, but if not, call, don’t leave it to chance and if you don’t buy made to measure be sure you can return it if it doesn’t fit.

Go to Source

Related articles

• Fast but not Fit (to wear) (luxury-nightwear.com)
• Plus size news roundup (fatchic.net)

Picture from the Huffinton Post

Yet again there is fuss about the existence of plus size models. women who walk along a runway (that’s catwalk to us British) turn and walk back. Apparently it’s great that some of these come close to the size of the average woman. This whole thing is completely ridiculous. Is it good that larger women are being used as models? Yes, of course it is, but the sizes involved (US size 10, UK size 12) are not exactly large, are they. They’re not exactly average either. What amazes me is that there is, or ever has been an audience for stick thin models. Why?
But that’s an old point. ‘Designer’ (and it’s in quotes for a reason) Mark Fast is in the headlines for using ‘curvy models’. He is described, in the Huffington Post, as ‘brave’. Well yes. It is brave, because NONE OF THE CLOTHES FIT PROPERLY.

Is this some important fashion statement about plus size women? Frankly I don’t care. Design should be all about the customer. How to make her look good, and feel even better. Design is not, and should not be about the designer. Here’s one designer who has proved to me that he can take a stunning woman and turn her into the plainest of the plain. Great job. If the idea was to stat a trend for clothes that are too small, sorry, but no, Ive seen the result. If the idea is to start a trend for clothes that actually fit, sorry but you missed the boat. No-one with any sense has ever worn anything else.

What is the purpose of a designer? Purely and simply to save you time. If you know that a particular style flatters you, go to the designer who makes it and buy their clothes.  That’s it. You have a name, you save time because you don’t have to look around. It’s the whole purpose of branding, and the only reason it survives, the convenience of the customer. But for some reason designers seem to think they are important, and the sad things is that women only have themselves to blame for a thoroughly shameful state of affairs where people with silly ideas like this one get space on the air and in print. In fact I wish I wasn’t talking about this at all, in case that was the idea.  So I’ll shut up.

Related articles

• Mark Fast Sends Curvy Models Down His Catwalk (PHOTOS, POLL) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Designer keeps it curvy on the London catwalk (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Designer Mark Fast Continues His Tradition Of Sending Plus-Size Models Down The Runway [Fashion Show] (jezebel.com)
• Bigger Is Better At London Fashion Week (news.sky.com)
• More Voices Join The Plus-Size Fashion Conversation [Style File] (jezebel.com)

Tomorrow I’m going to do something I should really enjoy, and that’s give a talk. I like talking, primarily as a result of ebing overly fond, as my grandmother said, of the sound of my own voice. Fortunately most people seem to find me easy and informative to listen to, so usually it’s a win win situation. But not tomorrow.

Usually when I’m talking it’s an aspect of business, and particularly business on the internet that I’m discussing, but tomorrow I’m talking about fashion, and in particular about wardrobe building and fit. Why is this a problem I hear you ask? Well because somewhere in the audience, and I’ve done this several time so I must ask you to believe me, there will be a lovely lady wearing something that neither suits nor fits, and I will be spending the whole time trying hard NOT to look at her.

For some reason my audiences for these things seem to include a lot of plus size ladies. That could be because plus size is really stupidly defined, or it could be that some people think made to measure is something only plus size people need (really? Yes, some people are that daft) and as we know, there is nothing worse than plus size clothing when it comes to fit and design. Yes, there are some great designers, but the majority? Who on earth decided that horizontal patterns, like border prints, were good for plus size women? No, in case you’re wondering I’m not talking about the size 12′s which have been so recently ‘discovered’ by the media (oh my, they may be fat but some of them are almost human) I’m talking about real women with some meat on their bones.

So tomorrow, I apologise in advance to the poor lady who is going to feel victimized by what I’m saying. If only I could make the people who sold her those ill-fitting clothes, feel as bad as they should, the it would ‘all be worth while’.

Related article

• Blazers, vests and sweaters (fatchic.net)
• Fashion First, Whatever the Size (nytimes.com)
• New biz markets fashionable clothes for fat girls (the-f-word.org)
• Sidibe’s Designer States The Obvious: “It’s All About Picking The Right Silhouette For Her Shape.” [Dressing For Success] (jezebel.com)

Bonnie is a beautiful plus size model.

Having spent ages simply trying to find mannequins we could use to display our clothing at shows or in occasional pictures I wasn’t surprised to hear that plus size mannequins aren’t common, but I was surprised to see the following quote from Leif Anderson, co-owner of Gender Mannequins, a Canadian company who sells mannequins throughout the world.

Asked

Magazines and fashion models are often blamed for creating unrealistic body standards for women. Surely mannequins contribute to that as well?

He replied

I don’t think so. They’re just coat hangers. I’m not trying to say that people should be one way or another. The fact is, clothes look the best on this type of shape. I’m not judging anybody for being one way or another. The fact is that if you put a pair of high boots on her (gestures toward a skinny mannequin) and a little mini-dress, it looks good. I’m selling clothes here. I’m selling a dream, not reality.

I have to disagree. I can think of lots of clothes that do not look best on ‘this type of shape’. Some styles actually need curves in order to look good. Ask anyone who has ever tried to sell lingerie! This attitude is however pretty typical in the fashion industry as a whole. Think of the fuss they make on project runway if they’re asked to make something for a plus size client! There seems to be some belief that fashion can’t look good on the plus size figure; we can all think of plus size stores that prove the point, but plus size models can look good, even fabulous. We are all a little more cautious about spending money at the moment, so surely giving us something we can relate to is MORE likely to make the sale? When I can look at something on a women with a real shape, AND see that it looks great, then I KNOW I want one. Am I alone?

“I’ll tell you what’s comfortable — clothes that fit are comfortable. I try to teach women the importance of fit. So many women have anger and resentment that things don’t fit them off the rack. If you don’t find pants that fit you perfectly, then you make them fit you perfectly with tailoring.”

There’s no need to take my word for it, The above quote comes from Clinton Kelly, co-host of ‘What Not to Wear’. Of course he could have added that if you can’t find things that fit you can have them custom made by Certain Style, but we can’t have everything! He’ll learn.

To read the whole article, go to

Tomorrow, in Hollywood, the Miss Plus Top Model Awards show celebrates it’s 5th anniversary as 18 lovely plus sized models compete for the title of ‘Miss Plus Top Model’. Is this a plus for plus sized women? That’s a difficult one. While it’s great to see our existence acknowledged it’s kind of sad that the question in ‘should we have plus sized models’ and not ‘should we have sick looking thin models’ as examples of beauty for our daughters. I know which side I’m on. How about you?

Note: The show will be held Sunday, November 8, 2009, at The Celebrity Centre International, 5930 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, CA. Showtime is from 6:30 to 8:00pm with red carpet arrivals at 5:30pm.