Women Shop by Size vs. Fit

In a Survey conducted by Talbots inc, Women Shop by Size vs. Fit

* 85 percent of women determine if something fits them by looking at the size tag.
* 62 percent said they only consider items in their specific size when shopping for clothes, yet the same percentage said they don’t know their body measurements.
* Among the respondents willing to try a larger size, 40 percent indicated one size up was their limit and less than 20 percent said they would be willing to try two sizes up in their quest for the best fit.
* Nearly 80 percent of the women own a dressmaker’s tape measure, yet only 39 percent said their measurements were taken in the last year, and 46 percent said they were taken more than two years ago.
* Women are not likely to check the manufacturer’s size chart against their own measurements. Only 16 percent said they regularly check the size chart when shopping in a store, and nearly 19 percent said they did only when shopping online or via catalog.

Closets Are a Wasteland

* Only six percent of the women surveyed said they wear all of their clothes on a regular basis. 40 percent of the women surveyed admitted to buying clothes they planned to fit into when they lose weight, while 33 percent said that the clothes in their closet were too small. 36 percent said they owned unworn apparel that needed to be tailored, while 20 percent said their unworn clothes no longer suited their lifestyle.
* The survey found that women shop for size yet have "fat clothes" (63 percent), "skinny clothes" (58 percent), while what they desire are clothes that are comfortable but shapely.

No Celebrity Role Models
They may love celebrity gossip, but they don’t relate to celebrities’ figures. In fact, 42 percent of the women surveyed said that they do not relate to any of celebrities mentioned, which included Kirstie Alley (19 percent), Wynonna Judd (11 percent), Oprah Winfrey (8 percent), Jamie Lee Curtis (6 percent), Salma Hayek (4 percent) and Candice Bergen (3 percent).

"This woman is self reliant and confident in her own opinions, with less than 25 percent of the women surveyed saying that they are very likely to seek feedback from others when trying on clothes," said Ms. Thompson.

When asking for advice on fit, survey participants most often said their own opinion matters most (37 percent) – more than husband/significant other (25 percent), friend (13 percent) or daughter (11 percent).

So what does the 35+ woman want? A clear choice of styles in sizes that fit her proportions... clothes that spend more time on her body than in her closet.