Ramblings: finding clothes to fit

So I was sitting reading a few threads in the off-topic part of the LHC forum (that's haircare, by the way, not the Large Hadron Collider). It seems a lot of women these days are finding it exceptionally difficult to find clothes to fit - me included.

First off, let me explain my problems. I'm what someone else aptly once described as "thin and curvy". In fact there's a brilliant blog on it if I can find the link again. Basically, I'm 5'6", with a 26" waist and a flat stomach. But I'm also a D-cup, and measure almost 40" around my hips, which puts me firmly into curvy pear territory. I have "dancers legs" full of muscle, narrow, sloping, muscly and low-set shoulders, and defined arms from all the press-ups and circuits for army training. My thighs touch and wear holes in my jeans. I am perfectly happy with my body - which is a rare enough thing in itself today.
The problem lies in that manufacturers just don't make clothes for people like me. Or indeed, the majority of people out there.
In my case, trousers and jeans gape at the waist, cut into my hips bones, and are tight around my thighs. Skirts gape at the waist and cut into my hips. T-shirts which fit my bust hang baggily below. Those which fit my waist stretch at my bust and shift up away from my hipbones as the day goes on. I end up with a crop-top, which is not really great attire for cold Aberdeen. As for dresses, with the exception of some old-style vintage dresses, I pretty much always need to take it in around the waist. And I always, always (no exceptions, except strapless ones) need to take in the straps about 2 inches. My sewing skills have saved me a lot of headaches, and a lot of money.
Then there's my army gear. Made to fit guys, there's no chance it's going to fit me in the first place, and to be honest, it's probably not bad, all things considered. The problem is in the stable belt. The top of my trousers and my belt both hit my waist, but the belt is wide enough that the bottom buckle catches my hip bones, and sometimes leaves a big bruise there. But the top buckle can be fastened to the smallest hole, and still leave a gap at my waist. And they're meant to be on the same hole. If I shift my trousers down a little, they at least sit reasonably on the same hole, and no one notices, but I still get a sore hipbone under the buckle.

Now the thing is, if I'm a pear, and the majority of women out there are also pears, then I know I'm most definitely not the only the only one with these problems. In fact, judging by the threads over at the LHC, everyone from tomboyish-rectangle, to triangle, to apple, to the often coveted hourglass figure are having issues with clothing. One has to wonder why there aren't more speciality shops out there. Indeed, those that do exist would probably make a bundle if they were better known/shipped worldwide.
People are too wide an array of size ratios to fit into any one size. Most people I know, are a different street size in the top than the bottom. And even then they don't fit.

Then there's bra sizes. The only places that carries my band size in store are Bravissimo, and, occasionally, Marks and Spencer's. Which brings me onto another thread I saw on the LHC about bra fitting. The point that it has thousands of replies says something in itself really. Most people, even after being measured, are still wearing a bra that is too big in the band and too small in the cup. Its a common source of neck and back pain amongst bustier ladies, because they can't get the support they need from the wrong size. And apart from anything else, with the difficulty of finding a wide range of sizes in store, it's no wonder people are wearing the wrong sizes. I certainly prefer to try on in a store, without the hassle of buying online and sending back the ones that don't fit etc. especially if my bra size is changing.
But really there is little option for those girls who are, say, a 26C. Because, where I live, bravissimo only carries D cup and upwards, and Marks and Spencer's barely, if ever carry anything below a 30 band. Pretty much every other store I know only carries 32 bands and up in store. Now if you can't try on in store, and fitting services are spewing out strange, unfitting numbers, how can you ever even attempt to find the right size online? Part of the big problem is the whole "add 4 to your under bust measurement and round up" thing. Really? That would give me 33.5, so 34... A 34 band would fall down on me and put all the pressure and weight on my shoulders. It would be hello to a sore neck within the week. Believe me. Once upon a time I wore a 32 band and it was so uncomfortable. I don't even want to think of the sort of hassle the 24H girls (because, yes they do exist) would have gone through to find their right size. Thankfully, moving online, there are plenty of places that do stock wide ranges of bra sizes, even if their sizing guidelines do often accommodate the "add 4" system. The point is that they are out there.
I wish I could say the same for normal clothes. I guess I'll just have to carry on altering, and putting up with it.

Rambling over for now. Why not let me know what issues you have with clothes and fitting?

Speak again soon,
Tigereye

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Location:High St,Aberdeen,United Kingdom