Costumes Or Uniforms?: UniformMarketNews.Com

Recently, I saw the 2009 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—a yearly event that is presented to the public.  In just two days, over 120,000 performers filled the streets for this fabulous presentation.  There were huge varieties of apparel, but with hundreds of individuals at a time wearing the exact same thing—legions of people moving to the rhythm of the music.  They adorned floats, the streets, and the city, in an unprecedented salute to the samba.  Yet, aside from the bright colors and the incredibly varied fabrications, it was no different than a military parade.  I thought to myself, are these uniforms or costumes?  What’s the difference between the two?  Is it the material, the quantity, the purpose, the design?  Is it that one is worn by choice and another by assignment?  Perhaps it is the length of time that an outfit is worn.  What makes one a costume and the other a uniform?

At Disneyland—the closest the Americans could come to the Brazilian pageant—there are both costumes and uniforms.  The special characters such as the Goofies or the Snow Whites (yes, there are many of each, as it’s a big park and different people wear the ensembles on various days at rotating times and in different sizes) are made in the Costume Shop—marvelous creations with or without giant feathers (Big Birds) or shapes (the Seven Dwarfs) and masks (Captain Hooks).  The colorful and uniquely designed shirts and pants for the waiters and waitresses of Tomorrow Land, or Epcot, or the dresses worn by the Dance Hall girls in the saloon at Frontier Land, are kept in the Costume Warehouse—decorative items by the bushel, especially designed with fabrics solely woven and dyed for Disney.  But these are referred to as uniforms, not costumes.  Is it the quantity?  Is it that costumes are saved for the proper nouns, such as the Prince Charmings or Belles, but uniforms are reserved for this usher or that waitress, worn by the hundreds?

The Rose Bowl Parade: What about the fabulous western wear that is sported by the equestrian groups, and the ornately attired marching bands?  Today’s band uniform is as much about Spandex and Star Trek as it is about trumpets and John Philip Sousa: slick 21^st century abstract multi-colored designs, metallics, winged shoulders, and gauntlets.  Are these not costumes?  Are the cowboy shirts uniforms and not costumes—hand made, hand braided with cording, embroidered with magnificent all-over designs, and hundreds of hand set rhinestones per shirt?  Is it about fancy vs. plain or ultimate purpose?   Regarding complexity of creation, one ornate cowboy shirt can easily out-cost and out challenge the manufacture of any band uniform by as much as two or three to one. 

Does the military only have to be about uniforms?  There’s nothing like a man in uniform, they always say.  Is it that a uniform is more masculine and a costume has more of a frou-frou aspect to it?  No, there are scores and scores of women in the military.  Is it that a uniform is more tailored than a costume?  Straight lines rather than ruffles or curves or colors?  The French and many other countries have had wonderful uniforms.  Laces, gold buttons, fold-back reveres, velvets, even braid made of 24 karat gold bullion.   Did you ever see a Cossack?  Czar Nicholas?  George Washington?  General Patton or the Marine Corps Honor Guard?  How about the Chinese warriors or the Samurai?  Uniforms or costumes?

Religion is a funny thing.  You have the Amish, the Pennsylvania Dutch, Mennonites, and the Chasidic Jews, who all look alike.  Black hats, long beards, black suit or frock coats, and pants.  The ladies wear somber head coverings and long skirts or dresses in very neutral, dark colors.  Go figure.  Costumes or uniforms?

Ever been to the country club where all the mavens are dolled up in sequins with red nails, or Stepford wives with matching haute couture Chanel suits; a school where all the kids look alike depending on geography and demographics for the neighborhood; an area where folks do similar kinds of work?  It could be a law office, a hospital, an auto garage, a restaurant.  What makes a dress shirt and pair of pleated pants more uniform than multiples of young men who run around with their pants hanging below their hips, and t-shirts that ride well above them?  Costumes or uniforms?  Is it numbers?  Is it fashion?  Can a uniform be fashionable, or once it’s a part of street wear, does it lose its separateness as a uniform?  Does uniform mean separate from everybody else?   Or does it mean being the same? 

Actually, uniform means “one shape.”  Uni = one; form = shape. It’s an adjective that morphed into a noun and ultimately became identifiable with clothing.  But if that’s the case, does this mean that everyone who is dressed in white tie and tails is wearing a uniform?  Are ballet and ballroom dancers in uniform?  What about ice-skaters, and skiers?  Uniforms?  Or costumes?  What if it’s a team?  Does a football team have uniforms because there are several of them, but golfers wear costumes because each is one at a time?

It’s all very strange.

The dictionary really does define them separately.  It refers to costumes as native folk dress, for instance, implying longevity and tradition—the hula skirt and lei from Hawaii, the Scottish kilt in Tartan plaid, the sari from India, and so on.  It also defines costume as dress—Mrs. Obama’s choice of outfit for this occasion or that.  And, from a designer’s point of view, costume becomes a verb; one is costumed.  But one is never uniformed.   

Interestingly, costume is derived from the word custom.  Here’s the trick:   Custom can mean unique as in specially designed and customized; or it can mean quite the opposite as in being accustomed to, a habit, or that which is quite ordinary.  Costumes have a wide berth when it comes to definition.  This includes Halloween, Thanksgiving Pilgrims, and Santa Claus suits, as well as cobbler aprons for the cleaning crew, polo shirts for the tennis team, and etons for the caterers:  Costumes for the customs.

I think the difference between a costume and a uniform is about assignment.  If a person gets to choose what to wear, and it further defines him, I say it’s a costume.  There’s an innovation to it—self-expression and a furthering of the inner being.  It’s a statement of individual definition, and he comes first.  I think if someone is told what to wear, then it becomes a uniform.  Here, it’s an assignment from without, and one becomes secondary to the garment filled.  Yes, that would imply that the exact same garment could be worn by one and be a costume, and by another and be thought of as a uniform. 

Hardwick Clothes: 129 Years of Excellence: UniformMarketNews.Com

Virginia, 1655, is the earliest trace of William Hardwick who emigrated from England.  His family settled in various parts of the South and, generation after generation produced children who were consistently committed to community welfare, industry, education, and values that revolved around the Masons and the Methodist church.  Eventually locating in Cleveland, Tennessee, C.L. Hardwick was the great great grandson of the original Hardwick, and it was he who took it upon himself to found a woolen mill in 1880. 

Why: No one seems to know.  The best guess is that as the country began to come of age and transportation allowed for access to more store-bought items, Hardwick decided to utilize his retailing experience along with his knowledge of farming.  He was working by the age of 15, went into the retail business at 19, lost the business and paid back his debts out of his own pocket, and began again in mercantile at age 30.  He also bought a farm, which he worked simultaneously, and it’s possible that his livestock afforded him more potential than imported shelf items which could by then be purchased elsewhere.  

Cleveland then was a town of about 5,000 people, in the midst of farm country.  Today, it boasts a community of about 40,000-50,000, the size of a large university. It has remained small, maintains its basic set of American values, and caters to the folks who live and work there.  There is one mall, no skyscrapers, and Sunday church as an important aspect of life.

Many of Hardwick’s 400+ employees as well as its CEO’s are family to one another, and have been serving the company for multiple generations.  Nancy Deakins who heads up Advertising, and Tommy Hopper as President, are descendants of the Hardwick family.  Jim Park, whose uncle was Sales Manager, is the Vice President of Sales, today.  One of the aspects about the plant is that it is all on one story, and everybody knows and sees everyone else.  “If a customer needs something special,” notes Park, “I can just walk out onto the floor, talk to a supervisor, and put the item into work.” 

First known as the Cleveland Mills, 1880 marked the founding of the company with five owners who ultimately became one—C.L. Hardwick.  The firm was besieged by fire as many as four times, but as the building and its contents were repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, each time forced modernization with positive change and growth to occur in spite of damage and loss.

The Mills weaved what was known as “jean cloth”—a heavy-duty twill or kersey for pants that was created in Virginia.  It was roughly 76% wool, and 24% cotton, with the cotton being on the inside close to the leg for softness, and the 22 oz. wool fabric being on the outside.  Once the goods was woven, it was transformed into “Dollar Pants,” due to their low cost. 

Over time, Cleveland Mills evolved into a manufacturing plant as well as a mill, making “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” according to company records of 1920; in 1925, it became Hardwick Mills with the family’s name attached.  During its heyday, Cleveland Mills was the largest facility of its kind in the world.  It produced the fabric and it made the garments: Suits, overcoats, knickers, and boy swear.  It produced plaids, various weaves, and solids.  It transformed from industrial wear to dress attire, with pleated and then plain front pants, and it followed the all coat styles of the day, from the earliest part of the 20^th century until modern times.  Even during the Great Depression, Hardwick managed to grow.  Its motto was “Off the sheep’s back, and onto the rack.”

Ultimately, with huge Post War demand for ready-to-wear garments, and with the invention of synthetics, Hardwick decided to abandon its line of overcoats, boy swear, fashions that had gone out of style, and to sell its mill.  Instead, it became a manufacturing plant alone, and went full force into men’s wear for dress and sport.  Since 1980, it has added a lady’s line to complement the men’s garments; however, Hardwick is ultimately a medium priced line that is sold in retail men’s stores.  Today, it produces suits, separates, and sport coats.  Its inventory is not so much a matter of variety, but rather of volume regarding the products it handles.

The current 175,000 sq. foot one-story facility was built in 1974, when the company was producing over 10,000 coats and pants per week.  Strictly American made, the company has continued to adapt with the times and now focuses on career apparel for groups and corporations plus its sales to men’s stores and individuals.  Keeping inventory plentiful for superb customer service, but keeping the economy keenly in mind, anything that doesn’t sell is discontinued.  “Patterns for sport coats eventually run themselves out,” cites Jim Park.  “We temper current styles with what we think is the best.” 

The Hardwick line is very traditional—conservative.  Manufacturing in the

South, its focus has been influenced by the population; heaviest sales seem to be in the Midwest and the Sunbelt, where people prefer classic grey, black, and navy—“the marry ‘em and bury ‘em” colors,” smiles Jim.  It used to be that Hardwick made blazers in a myriad of colors, but due to the lack of interest, had to cut them.  “We find that since we’ve narrowed our focus to certain items rather than many, our sales have greatly increased.”

Despite society’s more recent trend toward casual dress, Jim feels that the future is very bright.  “Sure, there are folks who are loyal to their pocketbooks and want to buy offshore, but we see the economy improving, people are getting back to dressing up, and there’s a lot to be said for being an American made product.”

“The age of our customers is unlimited.  We appeal more to the middle-aged person, but we’re also reaching out to people in their 20’s.  We have an excellent value in our garments; our history and tradition speak for themselves; we go out of our way to be a team and a family, and take care of our customers.  If someone calls and says ‘I’ve got to have this for a special event,’ we do our best to accommodate.  People can count on us.”    

One of the best aspects of Hardwick in more recent years is its ability to do special orders.  “We’re not a custom house,” reminds Jim, but we did uniforms for the Second World War, and now for the Salvation Army, pants for umpires, or certain colors or styles if there’s enough for a special request.  It’s a great place to work, and after 25 years, I only hope I’ll be here for many more.”

Dressed To The Nines: UniformMarketNews.Com

Do you ever wonder what certain phrases mean?  Do you ever use certain words or terms without having a clue regarding origin or meaning?  Here’s one for you: “Dressed to the nines.”  We use it more with the upper crust than the lower, and maybe more with women than men.  But the term itself has been around for a few hundred years; perhaps longer than that.  It’s been used with the height of couture fashion covering designs for daytime and evening wear; it’s been used to describe the average Joe who is one step above; and it’s been used with top-notch uniforms.

“Dressed to the nines” simply means that one’s fashion statement is tip-top.  For the uniform industry, we are talking about an identity that puts our best feet forward, that advertises us as par excellence, that outwardly displays the kinds of qualities that we apply to our companies inwardly, with our entire collective focus as a team.  

In truth, no one knows where “dressed to the nines” comes from, but there are numerous possible origins:  Some say that it refers to the “whole nine yards,” which at one time was the amount of fabric used to make up a suit for an elegant gentleman or, imagine a single elegant shirt!  (Figure narrow, 36” wide goods, or even the most foppish 18^th century dandy would drown in ruffles and lace at this quantity). 

Some say it has to do with the nine muses from Greek mythology and the arts—the best that aesthetics has to offer in every genre: Some say it refers to the nine worthies, who are outstanding heroes from both literature and history—King Arthur, David, Joshua, and the like. 

Being dressed to the nines is born out by women who attended the opera, paying $9.00 for a splendid box seat, and who used to wear long white gloves with finger openings at the wrist, closed with nine pearl buttons.

In baseball, where the team is comprised of nine players, there is a ritual in putting together a uniform so that not only is the particular outfit of special quality and design with shoes, sox, knickers, shirt, and cap, but also that the entire team of nine wears the ensemble, together—all at one time, as in dressed to the nine players.

There is 18^th century poetry from Scotland, with Robert Byrnes waxing over nature as being painted beautifully to the nines.  There is the possibility of the medieval phrase, “dressed to thine eyne,” referring to one’s eyes being the loveliest ever—with the words gradually evolving to “the nines.”   In 18^th century England, poet William Hamilton refers to the nines—how they contented him.  In 14^th century France, John de Mandeville journaled that war without peace would always be to the ninth degree if his king were not to reform.

Military uniforms abound with the nine button design: Civil War uniforms, European uniforms, military school uniforms, were all made with a nine button closure, and many still are.   The Duke of Edinburgh’s 99^th Regiment of Foot during the 19^th century refers to the British army—legendary for its elegance and precision.  The whole concept of the uniform speaks to dedication and discipline, exemplary senses of order and honor of the highest rank, and yes, smart looking fashion.  This particular reference comes the closest in time frame to when the actual phrase “dressed to the nines” came into vogue. 

The number nine can be used in any number of important references, whether with regard to garment manufacturing, or design.  Often, it’s nine stitches per inch that makes a good seam—decorative or plain.   

When we talk about being dressed to the nines, we are truly vaulting an individual into the top drawer of impeccable presentation.   There is none better.  No matter what one’s reference, or choice of focus, the outfit that ranks as nine is the best.  Many companies have even named themselves “House of Nine,” or “Dressed to the Nines.”

For the uniform industry, this adage connotes the finest look that any group can have.  Whether it is corporate or casual, formal or industrial, or costume, the best is the nines.  One of the most easy and winning ways to achieve the “nines look” is to accessorize.   Think tie, think scarf, think vest or cummerbund. Think braid, think customized shoulder straps, interesting buttons, or contrasting sleeve application.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a busboy or a housekeeping uniform; it isn’t always about a power suit in poly wool.  It’s not only about customer satisfaction; it’s about the inner sense of pride that is radiated by an employee who wears the garment, too.  If the employee feels attractive and proud of his appearance, imagine how others will view him, and how he projects delight when he’s on the job.

When different publications award a company for its uniforms, it’s about being “dressed to the nines.”  When companies show off their personnel, when we want to identify with a particular group, when various industries use a particular garment that catches on in the private sector, that’s dressing to the nines. More than any other group, it’s fair to say that the U.S. Navy has had the most admired and sought after uniforms: Not only have they been impeccable on their seamen and officers, but as a fashion statement for the private sector as well—who hasn’t owned a midi blouse, a stunning navy double breasted blazer with brass buttons, or a pea coat at one time or another?

The next time you put an outfit together, remember that form (style, color, design, fabric) is as important as function.  It’s absolutely necessary to be practical, but one’s on-the-job attractiveness matters, too.  Suddenly, it isn’t solely about work but rather, it’s about a pleasurable experience, as well.  If you see a group whose garments blend with its surroundings, whose theme matches the focus of the workplace, and yet whose appearance is one step above, you know that this is what’s called being “dressed to the nines.”  Whether in public or in private, it’s difficult to imagine that any individual would want to look any other way. 

Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?: UniformMarketNews.Com

In the late 19^th century, a fellow from Vienna, Austria—John Frederick Boepple—who was as bright, inventive, and dedicated as they come, came to the United States in search of what was known as “fresh water pearls.”  Because of European tariffs and difficulties overseas, his craft of making buttons out of multiple materials, such as horn, wood, lead, and “salt water pearls” had become an outrageous expense, and he was looking for a material less expensive.  He found an abundance of it along the Mississippi River, in Muscatine, Iowa; what was to become the button capital of the world.

Boepple, who was really the founder of the button industry, is well documented in books, articles, and even museums; his is indeed a remarkable story.  But also from Vienna, arrived around the same time, came another young and hardworking man in the button business—John Weber.  Weber, too, arrived in Muscatine, and it is more than likely—although the two men went their separate ways—that they knew one another. 

This is about John Weber, his family, “fresh water pearls” that are also known as clams, and the manufacture of buttons.  There was an enormous abundance of clams along the river—literally mountains of shells—and that part of gathering raw materials for the buttons was called “clamming.”  Fresh water clams or “pearls” were 1/100^th the cost of European salt water clams; hence, a fortune was to be made in the American button industry as a result. While many other firms came and went, Weber & Sons Button Company, Inc. not only still exists, but is one of the original manufacturers of buttons in this country. 

John Weber and his wife had 9 children, enough to run an entire factory at that time.  What began as a two-story 20,000 square feet building erected in 1860, grew and grew, and is now 45,000 square feet spanning two separate dwellings with 25 employees, many of whom remain family.  Muscatine is a blue-collar factory town, population 34,000, polka-dotted with churches, shopping centers, and monuments to a simpler way of life.  “It’s two degrees of separation,” says Lynne Weber, fourth generation office manager.  “If you don’t know someone, the person sitting next to you does.”  There are still multiple factories in existence, and they are operating despite the recession.  Farm country surrounds the area, but Muscatine, itself, is pure industry: Yes, in complete compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Boepple was an old-world craftsman who could never adapt to modern industrialization, and it ultimately proved to be his downfall.  He always insisted on making buttons one at a time with a foot-pedal lathe.  Weber, on the other hand, had different ideas and went to automation as quickly as he could.  His firm was well underway when he died in 1934, and his son, Edward W. Weber took over.  The younger Weber, with brothers who were superb machinists much like their uncles, was in charge of the company until 1963, when he died at the age of 57. 

Edward W.’s contribution as a second generation owner was to introduce synthetics to the button industry.  From clams that ultimately became too expensive to manufacture, he went into newly developed acrylics and, with his sons and brothers, adapted the original clam shell machinery to appropriately fit the new material.  What didn’t adapt or couldn’t be made by Barry Manufacturing that created their original machines, they invented and built, themselves.  Remarkably, in one form or another, the original pearl machinery lasted until 1985, with one of them currently residing in the Smithsonian Institution. 

The only problem was that early acrylic buttons melted with heat.  If they survived the finishing process, they then melted when a homemaker ironed a garment.  Yet another source had to be found, which was up to third generation Edward Walter Weber to find.   

At 74, it is he (otherwise known as “Ed” or “Buster”) who is currently in charge of Weber, and it is he who transitioned from acrylic buttons to polyester plastic, which is what is used today.  Originally, the polyester pigment had a lead base.  By the 1980’s, however, lead was outlawed, and the trick became how to make a button without lead.  “I can remember him bringing home buttons and putting them on a cookie sheet to bake them, or he would iron them to try them out.  They smelled awful!” says daughter, Lynne.

There are two basic ways to make buttons, but Weber primarily uses one over the other due to too great a volume and too little for employees to do on the one, vs. constant production at a slower but steadier pace on the other.   There are also two ways to dye a button, with one being through and through (colorfast), while the other is topical, in which case the color can fade onto lighter shades of fabrics.  Interestingly, volume in part determines which way a customer has to go in the dyeing process, because colorfastness demands a minimum of 260 gross or 37,440 buttons.

Weber sells a great many buttons, and has huge diversity.  It used to make its own metal buttons by using the plastic base and then electro-plating the outsides.  Now, these buttons are outsourced, as well as those with rhinestones, cloth, and other combinations; in-house manufacturing itself is limited to the plastic material.

Lynne and her sister, Susan, will eventually take the helm, although Lynne insists that Buster is simply not retiring—Ever.  Having worked his way up from the bottom, Buster has the entire business and all of its processes in his head.  Even as Lynne was being interviewed, not a question went by without the echo of an answer from Buster in the background.

To make buttons, it takes about two weeks from the time an order is placed until the buttons come off a conveyor belt from inspection, and are placed into boxes.  The buttons are made from a paste that is dyed to a specific color, a thick Karo Syrup-like goo or pigment, and plastic, all mixed in a 25 pound bucket.  This is then poured into an open-ended sideways rolling solid drum that is much like a hamster wheel. The drum is spun centrifugally and the material inside is heated, hardened, then peeled off, put on a belt where it is cut into blanks, and dropped in hot water to solidify further.  The pattern and holes follow, plus three days of tumbling with 3/8” tiny wooden cubes to polish the material if a shiny finish is desired.  Inspection follows on the conveyor belt, and it’s done.  Presto!  Hundreds of buttons.

“Weber is strictly wholesale.  We don’t even have a website,” emphasizes Lynne.  Do they have actual button cards and pictures of their buttons?  Yes.  For 105 years Weber & Sons has been a company deeply committed to customer satisfaction.  It has no plans to change that arrangement.

           

More Can Be Better: UniformMarketNews.Com

I have been struggling for some months with baggy triceps, a ballooning bosom, burgeoning waistline, bulbous buttocks, and blossoming thighs.  What to do, what to do…  At last, I have unwillingly joined the millions in our society who classify themselves as “plus.”  It’s a whole new world: A kind of confirming nod we give to one another in passing that not unlike pregnancy or having grey hair, reveals a secret society. We’re all part of a certain bunch:  Big beautiful women…   Yes, men, too (although it doesn’t seem to phase them as much, if at all).

Anyone who is in the custom uniform business, tailoring, or alterations, is used to the steady trickle of folks who require a special fit—not infrequently because of oversize.  Once in a while, my father would jokingly say that he would need to get a pattern from Omar the Tentmaker. 

Lately, however, it’s been one plus size after another, and sometimes entire orders.  Recently, a group of Midwesterners ordered 60 polo shirts—half 2XL and half 4XL—all with 8” added to the length to cover the fronts and rears of strong, hearty farmhands who wear size 58 pants.

Men are weighing in like cattle, and the women are right there with them.   This spring, alone, we had two different orders for military and fire personnel, where the gals had 67” waists.  Waists!  Imagine the chests and the seats… 

We had a call for a size 72 coat from a Shriner.  Another gent requested that we come to his house to measure and fit some jumpsuits, because he couldn’t squeeze his way out the door to come to us.  There’s a cavalry order going out where the average frock coat for the battalion is a 48Long. 

I’m not trying to make fun or ridicule.  Rather, I’m pointing out where a significant portion of our population’s sizing is headed.  Just as so many of our manufacturers for ready-to-wear have, of late, instituted petites and very small sizes to suit a particular frame, they’ve also gone to bigger and bigger sizing in order to accommodate both men and women in the workplace. 

Look at Edwards: It has two different fits of slacks for women.  It overhauled styling, and broadened its patterns.  There was a reason for it, in addition to staying current with the times.  A woman’s size is for a different figure than a misses—it’s rounder and fuller in all the important spots.  As baby boomers expand into midlife and younger women reap the rewards of the voluminous junk food culture, who wants to deal with the reality that she’s grown two sizes larger? 

Edwards has also re-sized its blazers.  It used to be that as the sizes grew, a pattern design that was lean to begin with, just got wider and longer all around like a set of nested boxes.  Now redesigned and re-proportioned, the larger sizes fit as well as the smaller.  Bravo!  In tandem, its blouses are mushrooming to sizes 28 and 30, and yes, made with Spandex in the fabrics for just a bit of easy stretch.  Sweaters for men and women are going up and up and up to a 5XL.

The sizes are getting larger for in-stock items, everywhere.  Red Kap carries up to a size 68 in a man’s jean.  Think about it.  While size 54 is standard bill o’fare for most pant styles, the larger sizes are available. Shirts go all the way to a 6XL with available lengths in extra plus 4,” 6” or 8” for oversize and non-stock.   For a guy to wear a shirt with a plus 8” tail is either to say he’s very very big, or it’s almost like putting him into a dress—the shirt is that long at 40.”

Dickies, Carhardt, Cabella—wow!  They’re out to capture the retail trade in uniform design, and make no bones about carrying the larger sizes.  One can find their brands with many uniform retailers, as well as in catalogues and online—they sell direct to the consumer as well as wholesale.    

Big Top Tees has been around for 20 years.  Who would’ve thought this little company that custom-manufactures knit garments for big and tall would last?  The truth is, business—and sizing—are booming.  Because oversize is all Big Top makes, it can manufacture for fewer dollars what bigger companies have to charge significantly more for—and, in far less time.  From T’s, they’ve diversified to fleece, polos, Henley’s, and other knit tops.

Broder and San Mar—two of the larger wholesale sportswear distributors—are carrying T-shirts in tall’s as the bigger manufacturers, such as Gildan, are catching on.  The larger sizes are becoming commonplace.  What used to be a range of S-XL went to 2XL, 3XL, and 4XL.  Now, many of the alpha sized companies go up to 5XL and 6XL without missing a beat.  Yes, the jacket trade is going in the same direction, too.

Scrubs and labcoats are made in 4XL, 5XL, and larger.  Pants and tops in solids and cute itty-bitty prints that fold around mammoth bodies—Fashion Seal, Medgear, Landau, Cherokee—all of them.  Aprons in bib and cobbler styles come in XL’s; there are even styles that are designed for fuller chests and hips, having added fabric to the tops and waists.  Fame makes three or four aprons that come from a tuxedo pattern and look terrific, while at the same time don’t fold into a woman’s fuller cleavage.

Our country as a whole has become a nation of wider and taller individuals: Whether it’s that some men are exercising and have athletic builds requiring looser sleeves and broader shoulders; or other guys who are portly’s or stout’s; whether it’s larger young women, or older gals who are experiencing “let-go” in every direction—the manufacturers are increasing their size ranges, and paying more attention to comfort and attractiveness, there’s no question. 

Nothing is worse than a heavier person who is wearing apparel that is too small and too tight with bulges, and buttons that are popped open, or that is too short and rides up.  “Sleek and Chic” is the motto, and no matter the build or the girth, with easy-fit, flattering designs that accommodate all sizes, and experienced sales reps, more really can be better.