Which shop’s best for YOUR shape

Take one size 8 and one size 16. Get them to try the same styles in different stores. The fascinating results reveal ...

TWO women. The same pretty polka-dot dress. One in a size 8, the other a size 16. In theory, the frocks from H&M should fit perfectly. Yet while the size 8 woman gets into hers in a trice, for the size 16 it’s a different story.

She struggles to do the zip up and the material is pulling across her ample bust. Seamstress Alison Leese, owner of Ministry of Craft in Manchester, rightly points out the dress just hasn’t been designed with a curvier body shape in mind. When they try a size 8 and size 16 dress from Monsoon, the opposite happens. So what is going on?

Despite High Street boasts of catering for everyone from a size 8 to a 16 and beyond, we found in this intriguing experiment that in almost every case, the sizes on offer simply do not fit the women they are intended for.

In an increasingly tough market, stores are focusing on the shape of their core customer and using her as the benchmark from which to size up or down. It’s leaving the women who don’t fit a particular store’s ideal heading home empty-handed or in badly fitting clothes.

‘ If you’re 50 and want to be fashionable, it makes sense to head for somewhere like Jaeger, which is more likely to accommodate such concerns as a disappearing waist,’ says Alison.

‘Monsoon also targets the over-45 market. A size 10 when you are in your 40s is very different to the size 10 figure of a teenager, so the measurements are adjusted accordingly. Grading the sizes will vary from company to company depending on their target customer.’

So which shop caters for your shape? Here, a size 8 and a size 16 try on outfits from eight High Street favourites to find out.

MARKS & SPENCER Floral dress with cold shoulder, £49.50, marksandspencer.com

ALISON SAYS: M&S is known for taking its sizing and customer research seriously. It covers a large market and adjusts accordingly.

I notice from the measurements on its size charts that it allows a more generous hip for a size 16 than some — a full 43.5in. While both sizes looked gorgeous, there was excess material around the hips for the size 8 and the sleeves were falling off a little.

If I’m being fussy, the fit across the chest on the size 16 has pulled up the waistline a bit too far. But the cut skims her curves and there’s no skimping on material. SIZE 8 ( FROM SHOP SIZE CHART): Bust 32.25in, waist 25.5in, hips 35.5in.

SIZE 16: Bust 40.25in, waist 34in, hips 43.5in. ZARA Tweed jacket, £79.99, white T-shirt, £12.99, blue skinny jeans, £29.99, zara.com ALISON SAYS: Skinny jeans and a tweed jacket. How could you go wrong? Unfortunately, Zara’s jackets are often cut too small across the bust in the larger sizes.

It looks as though the size 16 model has squeezed into it.

Interestingly, though, the jeans are probably more flattering on her because she fills them perfectly, which suggests the target market is petite but still has hips and a bottom.

SIZE 8: Bust 33.9in, waist 26in, hips 37in.

SIZE 16: Bust 40.2in, waist 32.3in, hips 43.3in. H&M Pink polka-dot dress, £24.99, hm.com

ALISON SAYS: This is well made. The ‘princess’ seams over the bust, along with darts at the back, give the dress shape and curve. For all this detailing and thought, though, the size 16 measures only 37in across the chest — smaller than the 37.75in given on the sizing charts.

This means the material is pulling over the bust and the zip won’t do up.

There is also hardly any difference between the two sizes’ shoulder seams, even though our size 16 has far broader shoulders.

She looks like a child bursting out of her clothes. The size 8 woman, meanwhile, looks and feels fantastic.

SIZE 8: Bust 31.5in, waist 25.25in, hips 34.5in.

SIZE 16: Bust 37.75in, waist 31.5in, hips 41in.

MONSOON Linen dress, £69, monsoon.co.uk ALISON SAYS: These lovely, bright red skater dresses look so different on the two models. Monsoon takes its sizing very seriously — it uses 3D scanning to map and chart women’s body shapes — and these pieces are well thought through and made from good quality linen.

However, and I think this is because Monsoon is so aware of its customers, while the size 16 looks incredible, with a nipped-in waist, a flattering length and well-draped sleeves, the neck on the size 8 gapes, there’s too much fabric on the sleeves and the accentuated curve at the hips makes her look larger than she is.

SIZE 8: Bust 32.5in, waist 25in, hips 34.5in. SIZE 16: Bust 40in, waist 32.5in, hips 42.5in. PRIMARK Blouse, £10, and blue skinny jeans, £8, primark.com ALISON SAYS: Primark’s strength is fast fashion rather than a great

fit. The shirt rides up far too high on the size 16, the shop hasn’t allowed enough fabric for bust size and the jeans are horribly unflattering — creating unseemly rolls across the stomach area.

Upper arms are a problem for curvy women, particularly as they age. And although the difference in the arm widths of the shirts is 7cm, the sleeves are only just loose enough. Both pairs of jeans are 1in or 2in too small when compared with usual sizing charts. SIZES: Not specified.

LK BENNETT Floral dress, £295, and black court shoes (worn throughout), £185, lkbennett.com ALISON SAYS: These patterned dresses are very clever, as they’re cut to fit any figure. It’s a shame the garment measurements aren’t put on clothes — that really would help women decide.

These flowing dresses look fantastic on both sizes, which is quite an achievement. The size 8 is more generous than the likes of H&M, which presumably reflects a more mature typical customer, but both sizes fit well. SIZE 8: Bust 33in, waist 25.5in, hips 36in. SIZE 16: Bust 40in, waist 33in, hips 43.5in. HOBBS Green blouse, £110, and navy pencil skirt, £89, hobbs.co.uk

ALISON SAYS: The big waist on the size 8 (28in, so different from the store’s official size chart, perhaps due to the style of the garment) and the standard waist for the size 16 indicate Hobbs is designing clothes with the post-menopausal woman in mind.

In both sizes there’s not a drastic difference between waist and hip, as the waist can disappear at this time of life. Also, there’s no waistband. This lack of structure means the skirt isn’t held on the waists on our younger women, but would likely suit their mothers.

SIZE 8: Bust 33in, waist 26in, hips 36in.

SIZE 16: Bust 41in, waist 34in, hips 44in. TOPSHOP Blue jacket, £65, white T-shirt, £10, and blue trousers, £35, topshop.com

ALISON SAYS: Topshop isn’t known for chasing women over a size 16 — even though it is the average UK size — and the style and cut of these pieces reflect this.

The trousers have a very structured drop waist, which suits a slender teenage figure but isn’t flattering for a larger body shape.

The crotch depth here is important — I don’t think they’ve taken larger bottoms into account at all and the fabric is pulling all over the place on our size 16.

The jacket is far too small over her chest and from the side she looks much larger than she is. It’s unfair as you can see on the size 8 how great it can look when it’s made to fit properly.

SIZE 8: Bust 32in, waist 26in, hips 34in.

SIZE 16: Bust 40in, waist 33in, hips 42in.