Pear, apple, beanpole, hourglass — women’s body shapes vary so much that the idea we can all squeeze into the same underwear or strappy dress — and all look good — seems laughable.
We are very tall, and very short. Our shoulders can be square or our hips ultra wide. To imagine one miracle item that truly fits without unflatteringly swamping, pinching or puckering seems as likely as swimming to the moon.
And yet one-size-fits-all clothing is the new buzzword on the High Street. Where once it was just kaftans and sarongs that were ‘one size’, now there’s an Aladdin’s cave of garments which claim to be universal in fit.
From left: Borina Vokou, Bolle Long, Amy Smith, Valentina Gomez-Echavarria, Virginia Offiah and Debbie Montgomery in an adjustable midi-length halter-neck dress by Dancing Leopard
Technological improvements in production, cut and stretchy synthetics that can mould to all body shapes have made it possible to own one-size underwear, coats and dresses and, even, jeans.
Cuba Clothing has a range of ‘one size fits all’ Tiffosi jeans made from a cotton, polyester and elastane mix for £54.95 a pair. John Lewis offers one-size knitwear and Phase Eight has elegant semi-sheer tops and wraps.
It’s not just the High Street, designers are in on it, too. Burberry has long championed one-size ponchos and shrug jackets, Issey Miyake does glorious printed one-size dresses and Net-a-Porter-favourite We11Done has one-size loose dresses, T-shirts and jackets that promise to cloak anyone from a size XS to L.
One-size clothing is fast becoming the feel-good purchase of the moment. It means no changing room fear that you’ve suddenly gone up a size overnight, or angst when you discover you’ve inexplicably shot up two clothes sizes from the shop next door.
The women try a pair of high-waisted knickers from Chantelle that are soft, stretchy and claim to adapt to all body shapes. Left to right, Borina, Bolle, Amy, Valentina, Virginia and Debbie
Putting briefly aside for the time being quite how this is possible, the reason we buy into this new sizing ploy is fascinating, says Kate Nightingale, who runs her own brand consultancy called Style Psychology.
As well as the joy of not being confronted with your actual, fluctuating size, she says, there is something much deeper at play.
‘Buying one-size clothing gives you the feeling you’re normal, that you belong somewhere. Most people won’t ever think this consciously, but the concept will exert a subconscious influence, making them more likely to buy.’
Buying one-size clothing gives you the feeling you’re normal, that you belong somewhere. Most people won’t ever think this consciously, but the concept will exert a subconscious influence, making them more likely to buy
Fiona Davis, The Brand Inspiration Co
It’s also clear why manufacturers love going one-size.
‘It’s cheaper to produce as only one pattern has to be created,’ explains managing director of The Brand Inspiration Co, Fiona Davis.
‘It means there is greater efficiency in fabric used. Hopefully, the savings are then transferred to the customer. A consequence can be there’s more choice in style as less investment has been spent on sizing.’
However she’s under no illusions that one-size only works commercially if it really does look good on everyone. If not ‘it’s a false efficiency’ and you might as well split things into proper sizes.
Certainly, in some stores, the one-size-fits-all market is not all it appears. It comes with provisos and small print. It’s common for items touted as ‘one-size’ to go on to specify a size range they cover.
All six women also modelled a one-size-fits-all a belted maxi-coat from PrettyLittleThing
Cuba Clothing’s Tiffosi jeans, for example, say online they are suitable for UK sizes 6 to 14 — this despite the average dress size for women in the UK being a 16. It’s certainly true that the fallout of not fitting a ‘one-size’ garment can be twice as painful as not squeezing into whatever your regular size might have been.
To test how successful the High Street is at answering the one-size-fits-all conundrum we asked six women — a size 6, size 8, size 10, size 12, size 14 and size 16 — to road test three items: a pair of high-waisted knickers from Chantelle that are soft, stretchy and claim to adapt to all body shapes; an adjustable midi-length halter-neck dress by Dancing Leopard; and a belted maxi-coat from PrettyLittleThing.
Size 12 Valentina Gomez- Echavarria, a 20-year-old trainee beautician, was deeply sceptical about the experiment and one-size offerings in general, especially the underwear. But the Chantelle Soft Stretch briefs, made of a stretchy polyamide to give a seamless finish, fitted her perfectly.
Borina Vokou, left, a 31-year-old size 6 care home assistant, was swamped by the coat, but not the dress or knickers. Right, Size 8 Bolle Long, a 22-year-old student, was less pleased with the overall fit of the piece
‘I would recommend them to my friends and my mum,’ she says. ‘I approve of not having a specific size label. Today fat shaming is everywhere. There are women who are self-conscious about their size, when it shouldn’t be a problem.’
Virginia Offiah, 42, a size 14 mum-of-two and photographer, liked all three items.
‘Today there is no accuracy to clothes sizes. What I am in one store is entirely different in another. I felt the coat and the dress showed my figure well.’
Likewise Debbie Montgomery, 51, size 16, a full-time housewife and mother-of-two, said: ‘I applaud the manufacturers for not defining their customers by their dress size. At first the coat looked really oversized, but it was nice on.
Size 10 Amy Smith, left. Right, Size 12 Valentina Gomez- Echavarria, 20, left, a trainee beautician, was deeply sceptical about the experiment but the Chantelle briefs, made of a stretchy polyamide to give a seamless finish, fitted her perfectly
‘And even though it generally doesn’t bother me buying a size 16 or higher in knickers, there is definitely a potential place in the market for these.
‘From my perspective, all the garments lived up to the one-size-fits-all claims.’
Borina Vokou, a 31-year-old, size 6 care home assistant, was swamped by the coat, but not the dress or knickers. ‘I was stunned,’ she says. ‘I’m a single mum and I like the idea of ordering underwear like this online and not having to worry about whether it will fit me properly or not.’
Size 8 Bolle Long, a 22-year-old student, was less pleased with the overall fit of the pieces. The knickers were too loose on the waist, the dress hung unflatteringly and the coat didn’t do much for her figure.
Virginia Offiah, 42, left, a size 14 mum-of-two and photographer, liked all three items. Right, Debbie Montgomery, 51, size 16, a full-time housewife and mother-of-two said: ‘From my perspective, all the garments lived up to the one-size-fits-all claims’
‘I imagine it is much cheaper to mass produce one size of stretchy underwear than six or seven different sizes. Most of the one-size clothing was to accommodate larger sizes, so it actually made me feel skinnier that they weren’t quite right on me.’
When it comes to clothing, the one-size option seems a strange approach. We’re constantly told to strive to be better than average.
For decades, bespoke tailoring and fittings have been the mark of luxury. Yet if the success of one-size clothing is anything to go by, maybe we’ve grown tired of being individual. Maybe we just want to spend more time doing anything other than shopping.