Shopping for clothes problems

Recently my good friend Lola said that she is unhappy with the hew trend in clothes she noticed – narrow fitting sleeves. 

I have a suspicion that it is not the narrow sleeves Lola dislikes, but just bad fit of armholes. Because narrow set in sleeves are very comfortable when they fit well and the problem most probably not the sleeves, but the combination of the armhole and sleeve fit. 

Most commercial patterns are developed for a figure about 5’6” tall; petite is less than 5’3”; tall is over 5’8”. If someone is in-between the petite-regular or regular-tall height – there will be a fitting problem. In addition to it, body proportions play a significant role too. Say, someone may be 5’4”, but have short torso and long legs. In this case most probably neither regular, not petite clothes will fit properly. For someone who has these proportions it may be worth a try to shop in petite sizes for a top, and regular sizes for a bottom. 

The problem with armhole-sleeve fit is related to one’s height and body proportions. Taller people need armholes that are deeper, than armholes for shorter people. It means, that if someone is about 5’4” and has a short torso, armholes on a blouse or jacket in regular sizes might be too deep. And it creates uncomfortable feeling that the arm can’t move freely, which is usually mistaken for the sleeve being too narrow. Actually, it is not a sleeve, but the armhole problem. 

Armholes that are too wide also feel uncomfortable; they feel like back of the blouse or shirt is too narrow and may restrict arm movement as well.

My advise is - try some more clothes on; try tops for petite; and remember that clothes from different companies will have different fit. Even clothes from the same company may fit differently, because it depends on a particular designer and pattern developer within a company.