J. Crew has become the subject of controversy after revealing women's items in size 000, also called XXXS, on Tuesday.
Many fashion bloggers decried the move, saying the new size was a case of so-called "vanity sizing" gone too far. The practice, an old and widely used one, is a re-labeling tactic used by companies to trick customers into thinking they fit into a smaller size.
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"According to standard size measurements, that average 155 pound woman should be wearing a size 16, but thanks to vanity-sizing, she’s probably buying a size 10 or 12,"
Jim Lovejoy, the industry director for the SizeUSA survey, told Newsweek. "Most companies aren’t using the standard ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials] sizes any more. Sizes have been creeping up a half inch at a time so that women can fit into smaller sizes and feel good about it."
Fashion blog Racked wrote, "J. Crew’s vanity sizing has reached a whole new level of crazy. ... What’s next, negative numbers?"
"I won't support J. Crew's decision to expand their sizing downward because it feeds into the notion that clothing size is a scarlet letter,"
wrote another blogger at Capitol Hill Style.
After the initial outcry, J. Crew responded in a statement saying the new size had nothing to do with vanity sizing, and everything to do with global demand. They noted that their sizing chart shows size conversions in inches, and that the triple-zero sizing does reflect a truly small waist, one that is 23 inches around.
"We are simply addressing the demand coming from Asia for smaller sizes than what we had carried. Our sizes typically run big and the Asia market tends to run small. To further put into perspective [sic], these sizes add up to the smallest possible percentage of our overall sizing assortment. Also to note, J. Crew's sizes run across the board to try and accommodate as many customers as possible. ... We run up to size 16, we carry petites and talls, and our shoe sizes run from 5-12. [It's] all based on customer demand."
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