Baldilocks

UPDATE 2-Revamped women's clothing helps Abercrombie slow sales decline | Reuters

Pinup Girl Clothing Changing Lives By Design PR Newswire LOS ANGELES, June 4, 2014 LOS ANGELES, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinup Girl Clothing, a vintage inspired apparel company whose mission is creating American-made "couture for every body" celebrates their 15 year anniversary with a new campaign that shines the spotlight on their diverse and devoted clientele. "How PUG changed my life" is a photo entry contest taking Instagram by storm, connecting customers from around the globe who are sharing personal before and after stories of how the brand has not only changed their lives but empowered them. Submissions range from mind-blowing wallflower-turned-bombshell transformations to incredibly heart-breaking and inspirational stories, overcoming eating disorders, terminal illness and turning tragedy into triumph. One theme remains consistent, Pinup Girl Clothing is not just a clothing company but a community and lifestyle that resonates with women everywhere. Revolutionizing the fashion industry since its inception in 1997, PUG (as it's affectionately referred to by fans) began as an online clothier making custom garments for all shapes and sizes and continues to proudly produces their collections in sizes XS-4X.

According to the Wall Street Journal, moving away from the old 2-4-6-8 system and into a S, M, L system is something consumers prefer, as evidenced by their purchasing patterns. Clothing labeled small is much more likely to sell out than clothing labeled with a size 4, or even a size 8. And clothing labeled Small or Medium means that women are less likely to be unable to fit into the size they usually wear and leave the store empty handed (according to the WSJ piece, consumer researchers have found that if female shoppers can't fit into their "normal" size, more than half of the time they'll leave the store without buying anything). Manufacturers enthusiastically endorse this profitable move, saying stretchy fabrics and roomier clothing designs mean that shoppers don't need exacting sizes. I say that this is a kind of bullshit chicken-egg question. Who's to say that the current Spongebob Squarepants-fitting style of women's tops isn't the direct result of manufacturers simply realizing that it's more profitable to sell women clothing that isn't flattering or form-fitting? I've seen the havoc wrought by inexact sizing dresses that rely on drawstrings, bunchy elastic embedded in the waist of rompers so that fewer sizes can accommodate a wider range of bodies.

Clothing Manufacturers Think You Actually Want Fewer Size Options

After Abercrombie's logo-focused apparel fell out of fashion, it has tried to woo back its fickle clientele by expanding its merchandise to include larger clothing sizes for women and items such as shoes, and by lowering prices to combat the intense competition. While Abercrombie's sales still fell 2 percent in the first quarter ended May 3, that was less than the 5 percent decline Wall Street was expecting. It was also less than the nearly 12 percent declines in the preceding two quarters - a trend Piper Jaffray analyst Stephanie Wissink expects will continue. Abercrombie also stuck to its full-year earnings forecast, which Wissink said could be conservative given the lift in sales and the fact that merchandise margins were starting to show some points of stability. Abercrombie's move to sell a wider variety of women's clothing helped boost sales in categories such as dresses, denim and outwear in the quarter. Abercrombie also said its knit top business was improving. "The encouraging thing about the women's top business is that it is improving with a planned, marked decrease in logo wear," CEO Mike Jeffries said on a post-earnings call.