What’s your height? Your weight? Your age? These three questions are the holy grail in guiding online shoppers to their correct size. But are they effective? The industry is plagued with increasing online returns each year due to size and fit issues. Software companies have convinced apparel retailers that algorithms will understand a customers fit preference by answering a few questions. Although there they posses some merit, we believe the solution to a better garment fit is hanging in your closet.
Similar body measurements, varying fit preference
Garment fit is completely subjective. What is a normal fitting garment? How loose is loose? I have the same upper body measurements as a couple of friends, and I prefer a tapered shirt, while they prefer the more classic look. Their issue is they don’t like a lot of material touching their skin at their mid section. What I’m getting at here is it’s difficult to truly learn a persons preference by asking a couple questions or gathering their body measurements. (see our post on why body measurements don’t predict fit preference)
Comfort with familiarity
We’re all comfortable with things we know. Chances are you already own a garment or two that fits you well hanging in your closet. Using items you own and love to help you locate new garments with a similar fit is the idea behind Tailored. Simply snap a photo of one of your best fitting garments using Tailored’s web app. Our software instantly measures the areas on your garment important to fit. Lastly, you are presented with a list of items matching the fit of your photographed garment.
I was told by the Fashion Director at the Institute of Design and Technology that buying apparel is an emotional experience. Fashion taps into ones senses of touch, sight and smell. Finding the right garment with the right fit makes us feel happy and can even boost confidence. We’re working with retailers to prevent returns, not reduce them.