Why are Joseph and other expensive brands sized so small?

[friendlyflicka]

And probably lots of other expensive brands. Is it to preserve their exclusive status.

I am a size 8 - 10 in other clothes (yes, OK, vanity sizing...) but have to wear a medium in Joseph. Are they cutting out a large amount of the population by design? And do other expensive brands do the same?

I can't really comment to the exclusivity aspect being a motivation as high fashion definitely has issues with larger sizes and I still have yet to see the rationale of business wise but WRT the sizing in brands like Joseph it's because they adhere to French sizing which is at least somewhat regulated and simply hasn't changed much over the years where everyone else has. You may not like the reality too much but French sizing does give a better indication of sizing across brands than any other system.

Yep French sizing pours cold water on my sizing
I do think it is one reason they have stated so slim relative to the uk

I don't mind the reality at all. I usually wear French clothes and buy from eBay, and yes you do know what you are getting. But I just wondered how it affected their sales. Other European nations maybe a bit behind us in terms of an increase is size, but they are still growing, just like everyone else in the world

I think there is the thinking that those who are carrying excess weight are often reluctant to spend money on themselves until they're in a shape/size they're more comfortable in so highly unlikely to buy designer goods. It completely ignores the reality though that everyone's healthiest size isn't necessarily their absolute smallest. Italian exclusive brands go up to larger sizes 48 or 50 sometimes which would be a French 44 or 46 but you won't always find them in Italy itself. In contrast I'm in the Netherlands where everyone is very tall and therefore naturally larger and no one, not even the most exclusive boutiques will carry anything under a size FR36.

botemp, my daughter is absolutely beautiful and very tiny. She is always coming out of changing rooms with the waist on whatever she is trying on, hanging off her, and then moaning about it being a 4. Hardly any shops go down to a 4 anyway. I always find it quite funny, but it is a real problem to her...

As a fellow 4/6 I can only relate, it's very frustrating but not something you feel rightly complaining about. If you're on the shorter side it's quite a normal size, not excessively skinny at all. I usually fit in store and have to guess if a size or two down would be workable and have to shop almost exclusively online or by special order these days.

It must be a real problem - not being sarcastic at all (and that's how strange a problem it is - that no one will sympathise!). I assume my daughter will grow a bit. She has a best friend who is as tiny as her but really tall so she can't even wear petite

I'm just outside the petite range as well and have the double whammy of being an hourglass too so can't raid the teenage or children's section either.

It's not an issue of not sympathising, it's more that you keep quiet about it because it's a problem a lot of people think they'd love to have. Talk around sizing is strange, on one hand extreme thinness has always been elevated as the most aspirational but it's condemned just as harshly. It's weird to be ordering a size smaller than the models in the picture are wearing who look nothing like you. It's disconcerting to hear them banning US size zero models from runways even though at their heights it is most likely unhealthy but you have that size hanging in your wardrobe. It becomes hard to differentiate the bodies from the sizes sometimes. At the end of the day I think my body looks pretty average but the odd news it like that will constantly have you second guessing it regardless.

I know. My daughter doesn't look unhealthy and she is curvy as well. Just all on a small scale.