How we got standerized clothing measurements

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   In the early 1860s, the style of menswear began to change from close fitting, custom tailored clothes to more loose fitting, ready-to-wear clothes. New technology allowed manufacturers to mass produce large quantities of standardized clothing, and a shift in the social stigma of ready-to-wear clothing helped turn the tides toward more mass-produced clothing. The real turning point in the history of mass-produced clothing, however, came with the American Civil War. When the war began, most clothing, including soldier’s uniforms, was still custom-made in homes or small factories. As the war progressed and the demands for uniforms increased, manufacturers expanded their operations to larger factories in an effort to efficiently meet the growing demand for uniforms. Along with the expansion of factories, manufacturers realized that using individual measurements to produce uniforms was timely and costly, and they would be able to produce more uniforms if they could use standardized sizes.

Before manufacturers could begin mass-producing clothing according to standard sizes, they had to study and evaluate the measurements of soldiers to find general sizing trends to use as guidelines for their sizing system. Their evaluations revealed certain sets of measurements that reoccurred on a regular basis. These reoccurring measurements were used to mass-produce ready-to-wear uniforms in a few general sizes, which were then shipped off to soldiers. When the Civil War ended, the measurements used to mass-produce soldier’s uniforms carried over to the general public market and were used to create a commercial sizing system for men’s clothing.

Return of Business DressThere’s little doubt that men are making business dress a priority. Surveys of business trends are indicating that the casual dress movement has been a failed experiment. Confusion, frustration, careless work habits, manners and thinking, not to mention a poor impression on customers – this is what has become of the casual dress movement.
A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (New York Times June 13, 2001) found that “companies that allow casual attire fell to 87% from 95% in 1999.  By then, signs of misgivings about the trend had already appeared.”
In another survey last year by Jackson Lewis, an unemployment law firm, 45% of responding executives thought relaxed standards of dress promoted tardiness and absenteeism. Even politics have entered the fray, with George Bush’s directive of a conservative dress code for members of his administration.
Business once again seems to require professional dress, grooming, and manners. According to the NPD Group, a market research firm (also mentioned in the New York Times article), men’s dress shirt sales have been increasing steadily over the past several years.
According to custom tailors across the country, today’s men want comfort without sacrificing elegance and personality. More and more, men are turning to lightweight, softly constructed suits and sport coats in luxury fabrics such as cashmere, silk blends, and super merino woolens as lighter-weight versions of more traditional cloths.