Western clothing brands altered to better fit Asian bodies?

[my3rdlang]

I went to the big Lacoste Labour Day sale at Jiu Guang in West Nanjing Road today.

One of the tops I purchased is taille 16 ans/size 16 years. It is no bigger than another Lacoste top (size 14 years) I bought a while ago in USA.

I bought a pair of Express (American brand) trousers at Everyday Online in Xiamen. To my surprise, the inseam was no longer than 29''.

A few months ago, I saw plenty of The North Face jackets and coats on sale beside Cloud 9 mall (Long Zhi Meng). Didn't try them on, but their S-XL sizes seemed small by western standards.

Are these just odd examples or do most western brands actually adopt a different set of measurements for the Chinese market?

[paike]

Yeah, the clothes are very different. I'm 5'11", not quite 6'. 175lbs and in America I'm a small, 33,32 blue jeans. Here in China I'm a Large or XL for sports shirts.

I bought an Adidas winter jacket here and it said "made specifically for asian bodies" which means, not obese 100+ overweight americans, its so awesome. In the states, if a shirt is long enough for me, i swim in it, or if its a good fit, i risk people seeing my midrift its so short.

asian clothes rock.

[Shelley]

Interesting :rolleyes: I have the opposite problem. I am 5'8" and slim, I have a problem buying women's Chinese clothes in the UK big enough to fit me. I bought a silk padded jacket in London and it fits but is just a little tight and it is labled as large. I wonder if anybody has caught on to the market available to someone who makes Chinese clothes to fit Western bodies:) Shelley

[abcdefg]

Are these just odd examples or do most western brands actually adopt a different set of measurements for the Chinese market?

The sizes here are different. A US L (large) is often an XXL here. But it's variable; so you must try stuff on before buying. Also need to ask if cotton clothes will shrink after being washed.

[my3rdlang]

Shelley: I have seen a lot in Shanghai Science and Technology museum subway station and Yong An Li (Beijing).

abcdefg: Yup, but considering US clothes are enormous and vanity sized like crazy, I am not surprised that corresponding sizes in China are usually 2 sizes down. I often don't try tops (mostly because most roadside/lower end shops don't let me). I get my size right around 95% of the time... the main problem I face is I notice poor tailoring and clothes not holding up after a few wears.

I have found the fake undies (Calvin Klein, etc) to run very small -- fits an average 12 year old girl best in my opinion. I can make-do those, but they aren't comfortable.

[Shelley]

My3rdlang, Thanks for your reply, I was trying to buy Chinese clothes in the UK. Actual Chinese clothes not western clothes made in China. Shelley