WASHINGTON — If a size 00 at J. Crew is too big, the retailer is now offering an even tinier option: a size 000, which is the equivalent of a XXXS.
A J. Crew spokeswoman says the new size is consistent with its effort to satisfy all customers — no matter the size, according to CNBC.
“J.Crew’s sizes run across the board to try and accommodate as many customers as possible … We run up to size 16, we carry petites and talls, and our shoe sizes run from 5-12. [It’s] all based on customer demand,” the spokeswoman told CNBC.
J. Crew’s size chart lists a size 000 as having a 23-inch waist and 30.5-inch bust.
The petite size is coming under scrutiny, too.
Fashion blog, Capitol Hill Style says the size 000 is an example of vanity sizing — a retail trick that adjusts sizes to make customers believe they wear a smaller size than they actually do.
“I won’t support J.Crew’s decision to expand their sizing downward because it feeds into the notion that clothing size is a scarlet letter,” the blog says. “The practical and reasonable thing to do would be to create a measurement’s guide that isn’t abhorrently dishonest, accepting that the brand now sells size 24 clothing.”
J. Crew’s spokeswoman denies that the smaller size has anything to do with vanity sizing.
“We are simply addressing the demand coming from Asia for smaller sizes than what we had carried. Our sizes typically run big and the Asia market tends to run small,” the spokeswoman said to CNBC.
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