England 21/10/2012 – The shape of UK women has changed over the years, but this is leaving one section of the population with a problem…
Over the decades, the way we live hasdrastically changed the shape of UK women. Today, there are very few truly petite women living in the UK. Understandably, this means that buying petite dresses and other clothing designed specifically for smaller, lighter women is becoming increasingly difficult. Faced with a shrinking market many manufactures have given up on looking after women with petite figures.
Viewedover an 80-year period the changes have been drastic. Our great grandmothers would be stunned at how different we are from them. In the 1920s, the average measurements for women were 31-20-32. Today, the measurements are 38-34-38, so the change is drastic to say the least.
In the 1920s, food for many people really was scarce, so being extremely skinny was quite common amongst women. On top of that, there was virtually no transport, so you walked or cycled everywhere. Housework and other work was also all manual, meaning that a combination of exercise and eating fewer calories lead to a population ofmuch slimmer people.You also have to bear in mind that women were also much shorter. Today, on average, UK women are around 5′ 3″ whereas in the 1920s 5 ft was the average.
Better nutrition, changes in activity levels led to a shapely hourglass figure of 33-28-33 in the 1950s. Then people were truly healthy, the quality of the food they ate was good, and their day-to-day life meant they really burnt the fat off. Today, we are not just bigger; a larger percentage of our body weight is made up of fat. Petite women are very much the exception, not the norm anymore, so for them buying clothes that really fit has become increasingly difficult.
Some manufactures still cater properly for petite women
Fortunately, Viyella offers a great petite range as well as other clothing; they have done so for several decades and have a strong customer following. However, the change in overall shape is not confined to taller women. Petite women are also getting heavier overall and have bigger busts than they once did. This means that the cut and shape of this famous chain’s petite range has also had to evolve to enhance this petite figure. Viyella’s collections have been created with this is mind to produce a beautifully proportioned wardrobe for today’s woman.
Contact:
Viyella
Station Road
Thirsk
North Yorkshire
Zip: YO7 1QH
Tel: +44 (0) 1845 573 120
Website: http://www.viyella.co.uk
Email: customer.services@viyella.co.uk
