# Clothing makers will be first up against the wall when I take over! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796 "2011-04-26T18:30:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/1 "2011-04-26T18:30:33Z")
Because I cannot find clothes that fit!!! This is a common complaint from me. Either clothing makers suck…or I have a very strange body. People do not stare, point or snicker when I pass, so I have to assue that they suck. I bought a shirt from JC Pennys online. The size was XLT from the ‘big and tall’ section. I am 6’2", 260 lbs and I have a belly. I get the shirt. I put it on. I have enough room in the waist to wear an innertube and still be covered. But…_there is no room in the shoulders!_ I gotta wonder who they are designing these for! Someone who shops big and tall, and has that large a belly, is gonna have broader shoulders. Right?? This happens all the time. It is very hard to find something that looks nice AND fits without a proffessional alteration. And even then, they really fit right when altered. Am I the only one who has this problem? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/2 "2011-04-26T18:59:24Z")
Are you a dude? Are you a dude who doesn’t hang around women much? Cuz if you spent about three seconds around a group of women, you’ll hear the exact. same. complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/3 "2011-04-26T19:05:38Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Are you a dude? > > Are you a dude who doesn’t hang around women much? Cuz if you spent about three seconds around a group of women, you’ll hear the exact. same. complaint. I’m a dude. But I like to look good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/4 "2011-04-26T19:07:31Z")
I don’t have this complaint much. But I remember the first time I shopped at Express. Their dress shirts come in two cuts, one of which is tapered. The salesman really pushed that cut on me and sadly, I caved. I ended up with a shirt that looks great when I stand up, but gets my belly to do an Incredible Hulk impression when I sit. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/5 "2011-04-26T19:10:38Z")
I entirely approve of your rant. Unfortunately, I can’t participate fully, because I recently discovered that Lands End’s “fit 2” pants fit me like a glove, so I’ve been temporarily mollified. I like to switch the “nothing entirely fits” complaint with “fashion hates short people” (or tall people, in your case) and “every time I like something, it gets discontinued.” Clothes make me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/6 "2011-04-26T19:21:53Z")
It’s not kind to big people either. The last time I went to Express I discovered that they don’t carry my size in their stores anymore. They had to go online for me. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/7 "2011-04-26T19:24:38Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > I am 6’2", 260 lbs and I have a belly. > [@spooje](#): > > I’m a dude. But I like to look good. Are you sure about that? :dubious: Seriously, you expect clothing manufacturers to make clothes off the rack to fit you specifically? You’re not exactly the general demographic. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/8 "2011-04-26T19:25:38Z")
When I take over, there will be some clothing rules. The first being uniform sizing. A 40 waist will be a 40 waist and we will understand that the measurements are _supposed to mean something_. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/9 "2011-04-26T19:42:13Z")
I just heard an interesting podcast on this topic yesterday. Of course, it’s from a female perspective (nerdy females!) and suggest that men have no room to complain, but you can sort of apply the topic to the OP’s rant. [Here’s the MP3 from HowStuffWorks.com](http://podcasts.howstuffworks.com/hsw/podcasts/smnty/2009-06-29-smnty-clothing-size.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![MobiusStripes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@MobiusStripes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MobiusStripes)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/10 "2011-04-26T19:59:58Z")
It never made sense to me that women’s have a single number for a size despite having greater variance in … bits that change. At least mens pants have a separate waist and inseam measurement (good luck finding anything below 32 these days). For me, mens dress shirts are almost entirely unwearable. Even the “athletic fit” style look like a tent on me. I’m so very close to trying one of those custom dress shirt sites where you do the send in your specific measurements for waist, chest, neck, arm length, etc. I just have trust issues. Given the great advances in laser cutting CNC machines, shouldn’t all clothing be entirely customizable by now at no additional cost? Like “print on demand” books. (Perhaps a bad example because I don’t think they have exactly taken the market by storm.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/11 "2011-04-26T20:10:44Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Seriously, you expect clothing manufacturers to make clothes off the rack to fit you specifically? You’re not exactly the general demographic. Maybe so, maybe not. The point of the OP’s rant is more that clothing should be _proportionate_: a shirt with that much room to spare around the middle should also be cut generously through the shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/12 "2011-04-26T20:35:01Z")
What I hate it that clothes that fit may be theoretically available, but _NONE ARE AVAILABLE!_ My size is always sold out. When I ask the sales people why the lack of one particular size, they say that its the most popular size and it sells out right away. My question is; if you know its the most popular size, why in the hell don’t you order more of it? ---
**Author:** ![Richie\_Incognito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e36b37/32.png) [@Richie\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richie_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/13 "2011-04-26T20:41:33Z")
All my clothing fits properly because I tried it on before purchasing it. When you order something online or via mail order it’s a crap shoot. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/14 "2011-04-26T20:47:05Z")
Guy here. I’m sick of the skinny jean cut trying to make it into every other pant made. I bought a pair of slacks in my normal 36 waist, 30 leg size. The waist felt like the open end of a funnel while the thighs felt like the small end. WTF?! ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/15 "2011-04-26T20:47:33Z")
> [@Vihaga](#): > > I like to switch the “nothing entirely fits” complaint with “fashion hates short people” (or tall people, in your case) and “every time I like something, it gets discontinued.” I dunno, I’m short and I’ve never had a problem. Besides, if you’re on the short side, and your trousers are too long, you can just get ones that fit really well in every other way and have them hemmed. If they fit great but are too short, there’s nothing you can really do. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/16 "2011-04-26T20:58:26Z")
I’m 6’2", 275 lbs, and I agree with the OP wholeheartedly. Except that, oddly, shirts from JC Penney’s Big & Tall department are among the few that usually fit me well. Go figure. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Are you sure about that? :dubious: That didn’t seem exactly called for. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/17 "2011-04-26T21:00:40Z")
I’m tall and skinny, with long arms and legs. Pants I can find occasionally. Long-sleeved shirts? Good fucking luck. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/18 "2011-04-26T22:14:56Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > The point of the OP’s rant is more that clothing should be _proportionate_: a shirt with that much room to spare around the middle should also be cut generously through the shoulders. Thank you. That is\* exactly \*what I meant. The only being I can think of with the dimensions of the shirt I purchase would be a large weeble. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/19 "2011-04-26T22:17:58Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I’m 6’2", 275 lbs, and I agree with the OP wholeheartedly. Except that, oddly, shirts from JC Penney’s Big & Tall department are among the few that usually fit me well. Go figure. I bought one there that actually fit perfectly! Beautiful shirt! I went back to find a different color, or at least from the same maker. You see where I’m going with this? They were all gone. Everything even remotely similar was gone. They were replaced by gaudy sytles and colors that no\* sighted \*person would choose. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796/20 "2011-04-26T23:11:23Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Thank you. That is\* exactly \*what I meant. > > The only being I can think of with the dimensions of the shirt I purchase would be a large weeble. My guess is that part (or all) of the reason is that people aren’t proportionate. Lots of weebles out there . I feel for you, though. Every shirt I buy that will actually button billows around my waist \*and \*has shoulders that are too big. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothing-makers-will-be-first-up-against-the-wall-when-i-take-over/579796.md?page=2)