Hello Everyone,
I thought this may be a useful post so here we go.
Everyday I talk to ladies who have difficulty in understanding which size they truly are so here I am going to explain how we design and fit our garments everyday. I hope this gives you a simple understanding of how to select your correct size when shopping with us.
The most crucial step when choosing your size is always the shoulder fit. A good shoulder fit allows a garment to hang in the most flattering way possible. Throughout our styling the shoulder fit never changes and considering the fact that all our styling is created and manufactured in-house, this gives customers peace of mind when selecting their true size.
Below I have inserted an image which demonstrates how a good shoulder fit should look. The solid line shows how the garment would fit on your shoulder and as a result, how well the rest of the garment will fit too. Note how the shoulder of the garment sits up off your body natural shoulder slope. The positioning of the shoulder seam is crucial to how well the garment fits, without a good shoulder-fit, garments will collapse creating ugly folds of fabrics around the armhole and bust areas which will then affect the hemline.
Once we have determined your correct shoulder fit, from there we can create an endless option of fit and style. When you first start shopping with us it is best to double check your measurements against our size chart. If you take the time to do this your shopping experience with us will be far more enjoyable and you will gain a better understanding of how our new styles fit.
The positions of a garment that do change between styling is basically everything below the underarm. The following 3 points should hopefully help you to better understand how.
- The Bust position stays same however customers with larger busts really need to have a dart on all their styling. For extra large bust sizes the dart is increased. This rule also applies for jersey fabrics.
- Our standard fitting waist is a snug fit (please see size chart for true waist measurement). Our relaxed fit waist gives a loose fitting waist. You will find us explaining the fit of each style under individual styles. Therefore if you do not want a garment fitting tight on waist it would be best to shop our relaxed fitting styles. For example our Kelby Jumper has a relaxed fit waist whereas our Isobel top has a tight fitting waist. With our Gabriella style we have taken the waist out forming an a-line shape which flares from just below the bust line. With an oversize dress like our Amberley pinafore, the shoulder is still the same but all areas underarm and below have been increased.
- From the waist down, our hip size is the same on every pattern but style shape, extra pleats, skirt style etc will change the fitting.
One note I would like to emphasise is that sizing-up to give extra bust room or sleeve length for example, will never achieve a well fitting garment and quite honestly there is no need for you todo so, this will only achieve an ill-fitting garment full of compromises – which is exactly what we don’t want you to have!
When shopping through our online shop and in-store with us we offer the option for different sleeve length and necklines. We also offer a TALLfit range for customers who are 5’10” and over. Our standard TALLfit ideally suits ladies of 6’0″ plus best. Please read our TALLfit blog for further understanding of the fitting.
I hope this helps you to better understand how garment sizing works. If you have any questions please comment and post your pictures, we will reply and update this blog on a continuous basis.
Happy Shopping!
Gaynor and the Team at Jumping Ships