Why do the cut and fit of clothing matter?
Why is body structure, or body shape, so important when selecting the cut and fit of clothing? The short answer: every piece of clothing fits different people in different ways. Understanding how each item of clothing fits each individual helps shoppers make informed purchase decisions for their unique body structure.
Afterall, we feel our best and are more confident shoppers when our clothes fit right, right?
The cut and fit of a garment have never been more important. As more customers shop online, and buy from a more diverse range of brands across the globe, understanding how each item’s cut fits each unique shopper, no matter the individual brand’s size labeling, has become far more challenging. The lack of understanding of cut and fit has had a big impact on shopper confidence, leading to cart abandonment, size bracketing– the practice of buying multiple sizes of each item and returning what doesn’t fit– and an exponential increase in apparel returns.
In fact, poor fit is the #1 cause for apparel returns globally.
What does fit mean in clothing?
Fit is beyond the standardized spectrum of sizes (or, really, not-at-all standardized sizes, since sizing can vary greatly between styles and brands). Fit describes the ease, line, grain, balance and set of a garment’s structure. Fit is how the clothing’s many attributes collectively factor into how it is meant to drape or envelop the particular body structure and shape of the person wearing it.
What’s the difference between cut and fit?
Okay, let’s get into it. How is fit different than cut? Well, the cut of clothing refers to the shape of the garment itself, and how it’s sewn, knitted or otherwise put together. It’s the overall grouping of attributes that go into creating its overall silhouette when worn by the shopper. This includes the collective shape of a garment’s neckline, tapering of a pant leg, darting of a dress at the chest, hip or back, and the circumference, characteristics and embellishments of the sleeves, all of which factor into the clothing’s cut.
The cut or structure of clothing determines how it will fit on your body structure.
We are all built differently. As with standardized sizing, people don’t always fit into typical body shape groupings like hourglass, pear, inverted triangle, rectangle or oval shapes, or even ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. These body shape groupings don’t truly encapsulate the nuance of the diversity of our body shapes or tailoring, and serve to simplify clothing manufacturing, particularly for large retailers.
How to pick the right cut and fit for different body structures
A practical example of understanding cut and fit that can help a shopper while searching for clothing online would be:
Let’s say the shopper feels their best feature is their waist. But they have other areas they feel overshadow or take focus away from their waist. Their garment selection should focus on clothing attributes that accentuate their waist by balancing out the areas that detract from it.
In this example, maybe they also feel they have narrower shoulders and rounder hips. Because of this, they feel their hips draw focus. How can they use cut and fit to ensure their waist is the focal point?
In this case, clothing with shoulder epaulets, shoulder pads, or a straight shoulder yoke, with sleeves, either long or short, would work best to broaden a narrower shoulder. This will create a natural V shape that draws focus down to their waist. Likewise, an a-line cut skirt or dress, as well as wider leg pants with a high-cut waist will have a similar effect, creating a caret (or upside down V), drawing attention up to the waist.
In short, focus on what elements of body structure should be emphasized, and use garment cut and fit to find the clothing and accessory combinations that bring focus to that area.
How does Catecut help shoppers find the right cut and fit for their body structure?
Online, a retail shop that has Catecut’s styling solution would be able to identify characteristics of each item of apparel in their inventory, recommending to the shopper the clothing that is best for their unique style and form.
This saves shoppers endless scrolling. It builds buyer confidence when shopping online and fosters brand loyalty. The better something fits, and makes a person look and feel their best, the less likely they are to return it.
Behind the scenes, we have created proprietary AI models and algorithms that power the Catecut styling solution, trained on the principles of the wardrobe styling profession. This gives our retailer customers the unique ability to digitally match apparel to their shopper’s figure, increasing customer satisfaction, while giving them actionable insights into their apparel inventory performance, customer needs, and reducing deadstock.
