As the title suggests I hate shopping for clothes. I have no idea how other people do it. How they could spend hundreds and even thousands on items. I just can't.
I very rarely find clothes that I like when I'm shopping. Either the fabric isn’t great, or the pattern, the fit isn’t quite right or it just doesn’t work for my body, the truth is, I find it hard to shop for clothes. This used to be a huge pain point when I was growing up and shopping for clothes with my mom. Going from one shop to the next, and me never liking any of the clothes.
The more I think about it, the more I realise that this was never really my fault. We live in a world where clothes are churned out with very little thought about the wearer (looking at you fast fashion). We are producing more clothes than ever before in history, but wearing them less. Most items are designed to last a trend or a season. Very few garments are designedto be repaired or worn longer than a few months.
We live in a world where clothes are mass produced for the ‘’average body’’ so they end up being wrong for everybody. Things are either too long or too short, stretchy or oversized. Nothing actually fits.
And that is expected because we are all different. Even if you compare me to someone of the same weight and height, you might find that they have narrower shoulders, or wider hips, bigger thighs, or smaller chest. We are all different. Yet we expect to find clothes that have been designed by someone who’s never laid eyes on us and we expect those to just fit? Absolutely not.
Back in the day, buying ready made clothes was for the poorest of people. Those who were purchasing pre-worn clothes that have been disposed of by others. The common practice for most people was to purchase fabrics and have clothes tailored to their bodies. Garments were designed with intent, made to last and tailored to each individual body.
Now however we mass produce clothes that rarely if ever fit and the art of tailoring is niche and a luxury. It’s hard to find good tailors and when you do the costs for their services are astronomical! The otehr day I was quoted £70 to change the zip of an old coat.
Make it make sense...
Clothes in most shops are so inconsistent when it comes to sizing as well. Size 12 in Zara is the equivalent of size 10 in Mango. Clothes of the same size are often too large or too small leading to frustration and discomfort. Why is it so difficult to find the right fit and when you do find something half decent, why does it desentigrate after 3 washes?
Why is this so hard?
