I hear questions like these often when customers peruse our denim and pants selections – brands like Eileen Fisher and Stewart + Brown run in even sizes (4,6,8,10), while denim brand Levi’s goes both ways, with some styles sized in evens and some in odds (sizes 5,7,9, etc.)
The world of fashion sizing can be a confusing one, to be sure – and often times, when I tell a woman eyeing a pair of the Levi’s skinnys that the odd number means that it’s a junior size, I can see even more questions building. But what does “Junior sizing” really mean?
Ladies of Substance, fear not the junior-miss size. It does not (to my great relief as well as, hopefully, yours) mean that the divine denim before you was meant to be worn by a Justin Bieber fan.
In fact, junior sizing, or rather, junior-miss sizing, as it was called when such a thing first came about, is really more about flattering a body type that’s more curvy, and shorter from the shoulder to the waist than women with longer torsos. Fashion website Refinery 29 goes into more detail, with a link to vintage blog Couture Allure that shows Misses sizing at its most glamorous, in the form of 1950’s dresses and suits.
The thing I notice about each of the women in Couture Allure’s pictures is that they look mature, confident, and ready to take on a high-pressure world in style – and imagine, not a bedazzled t-shirt in the bunch. Makes those odd-numbered sizes seem a bit more glamorous, doesn’t it?
Now, the 1950’s definition of Misses sizing may not seem important when we flash forward into 2011 and think about our jeans (after all, your shoulder-to-waist measurement hardly has a say when it comes to the perfect fit on your lower half), but it’s nice to know that “Junior sizing” was never meant for the teens – it’s about fitting you in the best possible way, hugging those curves where they need to be hugged, and giving room where room is needed.
So next time you’re confronted with odd-size intimidation, remember that those sizes have more to do with flattering you than they do catering to a younger crowd: if you can rock it, you can rock it, and that’s a beautiful thing that’s true at any age!
- Cate
