SIZING SYSTEM OF ITALY

ITALY- FASHION INITIATION :

Submitted by:

Raisa Gupta (15)

Dipali Modi (07)

Ziaul Hoda (11)

Renu Ranjita Lugun (19)

Rashmi Kumari (18)

• Fashion in Italy started to become the most fashionable in Europe since the 11th century.

• Italy produced robes, jewellery, textiles, shoes, fabrics, ornaments and elaborate dresses which were custom- made and targeted towards the royalty.

• Royalty, at the top of both the social and economic ladders, set trends while other members of the aristocracy followed their example to gain approval.

• Italian fashion reached its peak during the Renaissance.

• As Italy is widely recognized as the cradle and birthplace of the Renaissance, art, music, education, finance and philosophy flourished, and along with it, Italian fashion designs became immensely popular.

• Florence was Italy's fashion capital in the 50s and 60s.

TIME PERIOD PRIOR TO THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT :

• Prior to industrial developments in Italy, which occurred only after the war, 90% of Italians were rurally employed.

• The elite acquired their luxury products from France, and Italian goods were considered “poor” during that phase.

• Most higher fashion was reserved for men, as women did not have as many black tie events to dress for.

• At the time, the mass fashion industry in Italy was largely non-existent. With the high-end consumers buying their fashions from Paris, or having copies made by local tailors, some industrialists noticed a gap in the market supply, which called for functional, durable, high quality garments.

• This was a major reason for an  Italian company Gruppo Finaziario Tessile (GFT) to take the first initiative to measure a wide sample of the Italian population to create national sizing system.

A NEED FOR STANDARDISATION OWING TO THE WAR :

• The industrial basis of the business began in World War I and continued into the 1970s.

• Initially, the pressure of war demands led to clothing production becoming more standardized.

• The military factories that produced fabrics increasingly coordinated their operations with the activities of the women temporarily engaged in sewing uniforms and knitting soldiers’ underwear in their own homes.

• The arrival of fascism and its imposition of autarchic policies during the interwar years accelerated the production of artificial and synthetic materials and spurred attempts to manufacture ready-made clothing.

• During the 1950s and 1960s, large firms that specialized in the production and distribution of men’s clothing—women still preferred custom-made garments—emerged and Italy became transformed into an industrialized country.

• In order to accomplish the task of modernizing production and acquiring technological knowledge, Italy looked to the United States as a model.

• However, Italian firms adopted their own system of sizing to accommodate their distinctive physical features, which were different from those of Americans.

Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT) :

• The morphological structure of the Italian population differed from the American population.

• Thus, in the early 1950’s GFT literally measured more than 25,000 Italians.

• This allowed FACIS ( Fabbrica Abiti Confezionati in Serie) to effectivel construct a size chart able to dress the whole nation for the first time with non- tailored garments.

• There were 37 such charts made initially.

• These standards have been followed ever since with regards to mass production.

• Though now doubts and questions are being raised in the context of this system.

THE NEED OF THE HOUR :

• In 1951, an Italian importer for American goods, named Gian Battista Giorgini, realized the US market was also ready for something new and different from that offered by France.

• They had mass-produced garments, the elite could buy haute couture from Paris, and yet there was nothing in between.

• Giorgini used his US contacts for market research and development, and began to organize Italian designers, whom he encouraged to abandon their French knock-offs and pursue an affordable Italian style.

• With new production technologies from the States being imported into Italy as part of the recovery plan, and a large skilled workforce of women to operate the machinery, GFT and other Italian manufacturing firms such as Marzotto and Lebole developed the production end of the industry.

• As many of top producers had a background in men’s tailoring, there was still a strong industrial concentration in menswear, but the mass-production capabilities in the States found their way into Italian womens wear production soon enough.

PROBLEMS DUE TO THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH :

• Mail-order purchasing requires accurate methods for predicting the best-fitting size.

• For many types of garments, size cannot be described adequately by just a single number, because two independent body dimensions have to match for a good fit, sometimes even three. (This is a problem in sizing jeans.)

• Scalar ad-hoc sizes based on 1950’s anthropometric studies are no longer adequate, as changes in nutrition and life styles have shifted the distribution of body dimensions.

Conditions leading to change in body type and dimensions:

A. improved living conditions - better nutrition during infancy and childhood B. physical activity - there are two extreme attitudes:

static model of life active model of life

C. better medical care - level of development of medicine access to specialized research equipment, accurate and quick diagnosis and proper conduct of the rehabilitation and action on prevention of disease, strongly improved in comparison to the mid-twentieth.

In view of continuous volatility dimensional characteristics of the human, existing tables of sizes have become unavailable and require significant correction or complete change.

ITALIAN SIZE CHARTS :

Women’s Clothing sizes:XXS XS S M L XL XXL XXXL

Italy 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54

Women’s Bra sizes :Italy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 n/a n/a

Misses’ Chart :Italy 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50

Women’s Hosiery:

Italy I II III IV

Women's bra sizes:

Men – Clothing:Nation Size

XS S M L XL XXLItaly 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58

 

Men - Shirt (neck size):

Men – Clothing:Country XXS XS S M L XL XXL XXXL

Italy Trousers Waist (cm) 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58

Italy Neck for Shirt (cm) 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

Women’s Large Sizes : Italy 52 54 56

Italy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 n/a n/a

Children’s Sizes:

Italy 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100

Nation SizeItaly 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

Clothing size converter

In view of the widespread globalization, including the garment industry there is a need to find a relationship between different systems of garment sizes, used in various countries around the world. Only a properly defined and the corresponding correlation makes possibly to commercial transactions.

EN 13402- Size designation for clothing :

Men’s Sizes:Suits, Overcoats, Sweaters and Pajamas

Italy 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58Men’s Shirts:

Italy 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

EN 13402 is a European standard for labelling clothes sizes. It is based on body dimensions, measured in centimetres. It replaces many older national dress-size systems in popular use before the year 2007. Acceptance of this form of standardization varies from country to country. For example, the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs has commissioned a study to categorise female body types with a view to harmonising Spanish clothing sizes with EN-13402. Few other countries are known to have followed suit.

There are three approaches for size-labelling of clothes:

body dimensions- The product label states for which range of body dimensions the product was designed. (Example: bike helmet labelled "head girth: 56–60 cm", shoe labelled "foot length: 28 cm")

product dimensions - The label states characteristic measures of the product. (Example: jeans labelled with their inner-leg length in centimetres or inches: i.e., not the—several centimetres longer—inner leg length of the intended wearer).

ad-hoc size- The label provides a size number or code with no obvious relationship to any measurement. (Example: Size 12, XL)

Traditionally, clothes have been labelled using many different ad-hoc size systems. This approach has led to a number of problems:

Country-specific or even vendor-specific labels create additional costs.

Ad-hoc sizes have changed with time, often due to "vanity labelling", an inflation in body dimensions associated with a size, to avoid confronting aging customers with uncomfortable anthropometric truths.

Mail-order purchasing requires accurate methods for predicting the best-fitting size.

For many types of garments, size cannot be described adequately by just a single number, because two independent body dimensions have to match for a good fit, sometimes even three. (This is a problem in sizing jeans.)

Scalar ad-hoc sizes based on 1950s anthropometric studies are no longer adequate, as changes in nutrition and life styles have shifted the distribution of body dimensions.

Therefore, the European standards committee CEN/TC 248/WG 10 started in 1996 the process of designing a new modern system of labelling clothes sizes, resulting in the standard EN 13402 "Size designation of clothes".

It is based on:

body-dimensions the metric system (SI) data from new anthropometric studies of the European

population performed in the late 1990s similar existing international standards (ISO 3635, etc.)

EN 13402-1: Terms, definitions and body measurement procedure

The first part of the standard defines the list of body dimensions to be used for designating clothes sizes, together with an anatomical explanation and measurement guidelines:

head girth - maximum horizontal girth (circumference) of the head measured above the ears

neck girth- girth of the neck measured with the tape measure passed 2 cm below the Adam's apple and at the level of the 7th cervical vertebra

chest girth -maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing with the subject standing erect and the tape-measure passed over the shoulder blades (scapulae), under the armpits (axillae), and across the chest.

bust girth -maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing with the subject standing erect and the tape-measure passed horizontally, under the armpits (axillae), and across the bust prominence (preferably measured with moderate tension over a brassiere that shall not deform the breast in an unnatural way and shall not displace its volume)

underbust girth -horizontal girth of the body measured just below the breasts

waist girth - girth of the natural waistline between the top of the hip bones (iliac crests) and the lower ribs, measured with the subject breathing normally and standing erect with the abdomen relaxed

hip girth -horizontal girth measured round the buttocks at the level of maximum circumference.

height -vertical distance between the crown of the head and the soles of the feet, measured with the subject standing erect without shoes and with the feet together (for infants not yet able to stand upright: length of the body measured in a straight line from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet)

inside leg length - distance between the crotch and the soles of the feet, measured in a straight vertical line with the subject erect, feet slightly apart, and the weight of the body equally distributed on both legs

arm length -distance, measured using the tape-measure, from the armscye/shoulder line intersection (acromion), over the elbow, to the far end of the prominent wrist bone (ulna), with the subject's right fist clenched and placed on the hip, and with the arm bent at 90°

hand girth -maximum girth measured over the knuckles (metacarpals) of the open right hand, fingers together and thumb excluded

foot length- horizontal distance between perpendiculars in contact with the end of the most prominent toe and the most prominent part of the heel, measured with the subject standing barefoot and the weight of the body equally distributed on both feet

body mass - measured with a suitable balance in kilograms

These dimensions are meant to be measured preferably without or as few as possible clothes.

All body dimensions are measured in centimeters, except for the body mass.

The standard also defines a pictogram that can be used in language-neutral labels to indicate one or several of the above body dimensions.

EN 13402-2: Primary and secondary dimensions

The second part of the standard defines for each type of garment one "primary dimension". This is the body measure according to which the product must be labelled.

For some types of garment, a single measure may not be sufficient to select the right product. In these cases, one or two "secondary dimensions" can be added to the label.

The following table shows the primary and secondary dimensions listed in the standard. Secondary dimensions are shown in parenthesis.

Garment Men Women Boys Girls

Jacketschest girth(height, waist girth)

bust girth(height, hip girth)

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

Suits chest girth, waist girth

bust girth(height, hip

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

(height, inside leg length)

girth)

Overcoatschest girth(height)

bust girth(height)

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

Trousers/shorts

waist girth(height, inside leg length)

waist girth(height, hip girth, inside leg length)

height(waist girth)

height(waist girth)

Skirts —waist girth(height, hip girth)

—height(waist girth)

Dresses —

bust girth(height, hip girth, waist girth)

—height(bust girth)

Knits: cardigans, sweaters, T-shirts

chest girth(height)

bust girth(height)

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

Shirtsneck girth(height, arm length)

—height(neck girth)

—

Blouses —bust girth(height)

—height(bust girth)

Underpantswaist girth(height)

waist girth(height, hip girth)

height(waist girth)

height(waist girth)

Vestchest girth(height)

bust girth(height)

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

PyjamasLadies'

nightdresses

chest girth(height, waist girth)

bust girth(height, waist girth, hip girth)

height(chest girth)

height(bust girth)

Swim-suits/wear and bodies

waist girth(height, chest girth)

bust girth(height, hip girth, underbust girth)

height(chest girth, waist girth)

height(underbust girth, bust girth)

Bras —

underbust girth, bust girth(cup size)

—

underbust girth, bust girth(cup size)

Corsetry/upper and full body

—

underbust girth, bust girth(height, hip girth, waist girth)

— —

Corsetry/lower body

—waist girth, hip girth(height)

— —

Pantyhose —height(waist girth, weight)

— height

Stockings — foot length

Socks foot length

Gloves hand girth

Headwear head girth

EN 13402–3: Measurements and intervals

The third part of the standard defines preferred numbers of primary and secondary body dimensions.

The product should not be labelled with the average body dimension for which the garment was designed (i.e., not "height: 176 cm."). Instead, the label should show the range of body dimensions from half the step size below to half the step size above the design size (e.g., "height: 172–180 cm.").

For heights, for example, the standard recommends generally to use the following design dimensions, with a step size of 8 cm:

Height

… 160 168 176 184 192 200 …

Range

…156–164

164–172

172–180

180–188

188–196

196–204

…

For trousers, the recommended step size for height is 4 cm:

Height

… 156 160 164 168 172 176 180 184 188 192 196 200 …

Range

…154

–158

158–

162

162–

166

166–

170

170–

174

174–

178

178–

182

182–

186

186–

190

190–

194

194–

198

198–

202…

The standard defines similar tables for other dimensions and garments, only some of which are shown here.

Men:

The standard sizes and ranges for chest and waist girth are defined in steps of 4 cm:

Men’s standard sizes for drop = −12 cm

Chest

girth84 88 92 96

100

104 108 112 116 120 126 132 138 144

Range

82–

86

86–90

90–94

94–98

98–102

102–

106

106–

110

110–

114

114–

118

118–

123

123–

129

129–

135

135–

141

141–

147

Waist

girth72 76 80 84 88 92 96 100 104 108 114 120 126 132

Range

70–

74–78

78–82

82–86

86–90

90–94

94–98

98–102

102–

106–

111–

117–

123–

129–

74 106 111 117 123 129 135

drop = waist girth − chest girth.

Example: While manufacturers will typically design clothes for chest girth = 100 cm such that it fits waist girth = 88 cm, they may also want to combine that chest girth with neighboring waist girth step sizes 84 cm or 92 cm, to cover these drop types (−16 cm and −8 cm) as well.

The standard also suggests that neck girth can be associated with chest girth:

Association of neck and chest girth

Neck

girth

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46.5 48 49.5 51

Range

36.5–37.5

37.5–38.5

38.5–39.5

39.5–40.5

40.5–

41.5

41.5–42.5

42.5–43.5

43.5–44.5

44.5–45.8

45.8–

47.3

47.3–48.8

48.8–

50.3

50.3–

51.1

Chest

girth

88 92 96 100 104 108 112 116 120 126 132 138 144

The standard further suggests that arm length can be associated with height:

Association of arm length and body height

Height 156 160 164 168 172 176 180 184 188 192 196 200

Arm length

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

Range59–60

60–61

61–62

62–63

63–64

64–65

65–66

66–67

67–68

68–69

69–70

70–71

Women:

Dress sizes:

The standard sizes and ranges for bust, waist and hip girth are mostly based on a step of 4 cm, for larger sizes 5 cm:

Bust girth

76 80 84 88 92 96100

104

110

116

122

128

134

140

146

152

Range

74–

78

78–

82

82–

86

86–

90

90–

94

94–98

98–102

102–107

107–113

113–119

119–125

125–131

131–137

137–143

143–149

149–

155

Waist

girth

60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 94100

106

112

118

124

130

136

Range

58–

62

62–

66

66–

70

70–

74

74–

78

78–82

82–86

86–91

91–97

97–103

103–109

109–115

115–121

121–127

127–133

133–

139

Hip girth

84 88 92 96100

104

108

112

117

122

127

132

137

142

147

152

Range

82–

86

86–

90

90–

94

94–

98

98–

102

102–106

106–110

110–115

115–120

120–125

125–130

130–135

135–140

140–145

145–150

150–

155

Bra sizes:

The European standard EN 13402 also defines bra sizes based on the "bust girth" and the "underbust girth". Bras are labeled with the under bust girth (rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 cm), followed by a letter code that indicates the "cup size" defined below, according to this table defined by the standard.

EN 13402–1 pictogram for bra size 70B

The standard sizes for brassiere are based on a step of 5 cm:

Underbust girth

60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95100

105 110 115120 125

Range58–

62

63–

67

68–72

73–

77

78–

82

83–

88

88–92

93–

98

98–102

103–

108

108–

112

113–

118

118–

122

123–

128

The secondary dimension cup size can be expressed in terms of the difference

cup size = bust girth − underbust girth

and can be labelled compactly using a letter code appended to the underbust girth:

Code AA A B C D E F G H J K

Cup size range

10–12

12–14

14–16

16–18

18–20

20–22

22–24

24–26

26–28

28–30

30–32

Example 1: Bra size 70B is suitable for women with underbust girth 68–72 cm and bust girth 84–86 cm.

Example 2: A woman with under bust girth 89 cm and bust girth 108 cm has cup size 19 cm (= 108 cm – 89 cm) or "D". Her underbust girth rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 cm is 90 cm. Therefore, her bra size according to the new standard is 90D.

Letter codes:

For clothes where a larger step size is sufficient, the standard also defines a letter code. This code represents the bust girth for women and the chest girth for men. The standard does not define such a code for children. Each range combines two adjacent size steps. The ranges could be extended below XXS or above 3XL if necessary.

MeaningCod

eChest girth

(men)Bust girth (women)

extra extra small XXS 70–78 66–74

extra small XS 78–86 74–82

small S 86–94 82–90

medium M 94–102 90–98

large L 102–110 98–106

extra large XL 110–118 107–119

extra extra large XXL 118–129 119–131

extra extra extra large

3XL 129–141 131–143

4XL 141–154 143–155

5XL 154–166 155–167

EN 13402-4: Coding system

The fourth part of the standard is still under review. It will define a compact coding system for clothes sizes. This was

originally intended primarily for industry use in databases and as a part of stock-keeping identifiers and catalogue ordering numbers, but later users have also expressed a desire to use compact codes for customer communication. Writing out all the centimetre figures of all the primary and secondary measures from EN 13402-2 can – in some cases – require up to 12 digits. The full list of centimetre figures on the pictogram contains a lot of redundancy and the same information can be squeezed into fewer graphemes with lookup tables. EN 13402-4 will define such tables.

An earlier draft of this part of the standard attempted to list all in-use combinations of EN 13402-3 measures and assigned a short 2- or 3-digit code to each.Some of the industry representatives involved in the standardization process considered this approach too restrictive. Others argued that the primary dimension in centimetres should be a prominent part of the code. Therefore this proposal, originally expected to be adopted in 2005, was rejected.

Since then, several new proposals have been presented to the CEN working group. One of these, tabled by the European Association of National Organisations of Textile Traders (AEDT), proposes a 5-character alphanumeric code, consisting of the 3-digit centimetre figure of the primary body dimension, followed by one or two letters that code a secondary dimension, somewhat like the system already defined for bra sizes. For example, an item designed for:

bust girth: 100 cm (100) hip girth: 104 cm (B) height: 176 cm (G)

would bear (in addition to the explanatory pictogram) the compact size code "100BG". This proposal was agreed upon in a March 2006 meeting in Florence and a final draft was produced by AEDT on 6 June 2006.

Latest Development :

• Leading Italian apparel companies met to discuss the new size designation of clothes that will be soon into force.

• TREVISO (ITALY) - Feb 2011. The UNI, Italian organization for standardization, CAD Modelling Ergonomics and the leading Italian clothing companies discussed on the new labeling system of clothing  (prEN 13402-4) to define the structure.

• With the support of the leading apparel and industrial units, the Italian standardization body, is setting up the Italian position on the new scheme that will harmonize the different codes available today in the European countries.

• Pressure is being put by the ISO TC 133, the international standardization body for the identification of a unique European code. In the absence of an agreed system, ISO will impose a U.S. & China one, thus forcing Europe to accept it passively.

• The next meeting of CEN in April will create an additional table discussion for the final decision.