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We are all unique. It boggles the mind to realize that
Among the billions of people living on Earth, no two are exactly
the same. We do fall into categories though, and clothing
manufacturers do an amazing job of providing a wide range of
sizes, allowing a unique body to "shop 'til they drop" in search
of the perfect fit.
There are some people who have a much harder time finding
the perfect fit. Let's call these people the GrandePetites of
the world. These are women who weigh more and are shorter
than the manufacturers' norms – the plus sized petite people.
Excuse the pun, but this segment of the population in the USA
is growing. Statistics indicate that 30% of adults and 16% of
children in the USA are considered obese. Put aside for the
moment the implications for healthcare in this country and let's
consider the horrors suffered by this population when it comes
to buying clothes to fit. The situation is getting better for regular
and tall plus sized people but for some unknown reason clothing
manufacturers have not yet jumped all over this potential money
making market, plus sized petites. The few stores that do carry
plus sized petite clothing usually have a very small inventory
of these sizes.
So, what does the plus sized woman who happens to be under
5 feet 4 inches tall do? What about women under 5 feet 0
inches tall? (Let's call these people the GrandePetites
Petites!) Some lucky people know how to sew and either make
their own clothes or do their own alterations. My mother sewed
when I was growing up and what a blessing that was. She saved
our large family (10 kids) lots of money and she even saved the
day for some of our friends on more than one occasion ..
There are many people who make their living making custom
clothes. Just ask the Professional Association of Custom
Clothiers (www.paccprofessionals.com), a non profit
organization demonstrating 500 members in 50 states. Who knew? I
was actually surprised to find 7 different businesses listed
under "Dressmakers" in the Yellow Pages in the metropolitan
area of the mid-sized city where I live. Of those, one phone
number was disconnected, several said they were way too busy
altering prom dresses and wedding dresses to talk, and one said
some of the work she does is for people who have deformities in
their body structure and have no choice but to have theirs
clothes custom made. (Makes me feel like I should stop whining
about the poor selection of sizes available for plus sized
petites!)
I read a very interesting book, Sewing for Plus Sizes by
Barbara Deckard. She gives very good tips on how to adjust
patterns, what styles look great on plus sized women and which
fabrics work best. Again, she focuses on regular plus sizes,
not plus sized petites., but her tips can be used for any plus
sized sewing.
I found this great company that I never heard of before:
Here James. (www.tomjamesco.com) Wow. They have several
manufacturing plants right here in the United States. They
actually send their sales force out to measure people in their
homes or offices and within weeks deliver custom made clothing
right to the person's door. Their focus is on clothing for
business wear for both men and women and they also have some
sportswear for men. The few "ready made" items they have for
women do not even come close to the sizing needs of plus petites,
but the custom made clothes are made to fit perfectly.
Other people wind up buying clothes that do not quite fit
and then paying for alterations. There were actually 9
lists under "Alterations" in my Yellow Pages. One said it
would be at least two weeks before I could get my alterations
done. One was really nice and said she tries to get the job
done quickly for the client who has an urgent need. However,
just like the dressmakers, the major said they were just too
busy with prom gowns and wedding dresses to talk on the phone!
And now, the ultimate fit can be found by visiting
[http://www.fitme.com]. They have this really innovative approach to the
perfect fit. You can enter your measurements on their web site
and they'll tell you which brands come closest to making clothes
that will fit. They ask for lots of different measurements so
do this with a friend and measure each other. They will also be
offering body scanning for perfect measurements in various
locations. Looks like this will be the up and coming thing.
So, that's about it. Plus Sized Petite women have a few
options for getting that perfect fit. Soon they'll have another
option – [http://www.GrandePetites.com].
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Source by Maureen Carney
