Slender size 12 who’s had to buy a dress in size 20 from H&M
MOST women grin and bear the fact that dresses in their size can fit somewhat differently from shop to shop.
But when Marianne Gray bought her usual size 12 from H&M she was shocked that it was much too small for her slender frame.
And she was furious when she discovered that, according to H&M sizing, she needed a size 20 dress to fit her.
She told the retailer she was ‘utterly horrified’ and accused it of being out of touch with ordinary women.
Even worse, she warned that such unrealistic sizing could convince healthy girls they were overweight.
Miss Gray, 29, picked up the dress in size 12 from her local branch of the high street retailer last weekend, planning to try it on at home. But when she did so, she could barely get the £24.99 fitted dress past her knees.
She returned to H&M to try on the next sizes up – 14 and 16 – but even these did not fit.
Mortified, Miss Gray asked for her boyfriend’s assistance. He unknowingly gave her a size 20, thinking it was an 18, and this turned out to be ‘almost perfect’, despite being four sizes larger than her usual fit. Typically, a size 12 woman has a 37in bust, 30in waist and 39in hips, compared with a size 20, who would be 46, 39 and 49 respectively.
In an open letter to H&M, Miss Gray, from Glasgow, said: ‘I am utterly horrified by what happened in your store.
‘I bought a lovely navy dress in a size 12, as I normally am a 12. I tried it on at home and could barely get it past my knees. I went back and picked up a 14 and a 16 just in case. I almost had a meltdown in your changing room when neither came close.
‘I asked my boyfriend to get me an 18, almost not believing what I was asking. Not really knowing women’s sizes, he came back with a UK size 20. Not wanting to let the dress go, I tried it on, expecting it to be huge – it wasn’t, it was an almost perfect fit.’
She added: ‘I am relatively secure in my body, but I can only imagine the psychological impact being a size 20 could have on a young impressionable girl. I was quite upset myself.’ Miss Gray accused H&M of having ‘issues with everyday women’, saying: ‘I am a 12 and you made me a 20. I have never seen such irresponsibility.
‘I am ashamed of you, horri- fied by you and will not be shopping in H&M again unless this is resolved. ‘I know your excuse will be that your sizes vary – perhaps you should take measurements of individual items and label them differently.
‘That dress is not a UK 20. Do not blame manufacturers for your issues – it is your company who clearly has issues with everyday women wearing your clothes. You should be ashamed of yourselves.’
Commenting on Facebook, Alexandra Rose Scott said: ‘I’ve had the exact same problem with that kind of dress, utterly shocking. They certainly know how to make girls feel insecure about their bodies.’
H&M said: ‘We hugely value all customer feedback. H&M sizes are the same across all the 64 markets in which we operate and online.
‘We work with our own inhouse sizing department to ensure size and fit on all collections. However, the fit of a garment may vary depending on style, cut and fabric.’
‘I am utterly horrified’