Standard Mark For Women’s Underwear Being Considered

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 3, 4 October 1948, Page 4

Standard Mark For Women’s Underwear Being Considered

Shortly a draft standard specification f<pr girls and women’s underwear is to be circulated among community groups to obtain comments and suggestions before it is printed and issued as a national standard. A panel has been set up to prepare proposals for a standard specification for girls’ outerwear. It must be understood that standardisation does not affect style or design in any way. v • Standardisation will mean that New Zealand women will have a definite means of knowing the real wearing qualities of a material, whether it will shrink, or whether it will fade, pull away at the seams and above all that it is the correct size. . ' ■ Hundreds of New Zealand women could tell tales of buying garments that did not prove to be the size they expected for their money. .Indeed, some manufacturers seem to have extraordinary ideas of what constitutes, say, “outsize” or a women’s “X.” During the war years one could buy a locknit slip marked outsize and find at the first washing that it had shrunk to something less than a fitting for a small woman, or S.W. size.

However, the majority of the manufacturers will probably welcome standardisation of sizes and they will be a real boom to busy buyers. The Standard Mark, which is easily recognisable, will be a guarantee of qualify and as the . mark becomes more widely known will ensure that those factories producing clothing to specifications are assured of regular buyers. The Standard Mark on furniture is fairly widely known because the Rehabilitation Department has required that all furniture bought on loans from the Department shall carry the mark. - . ; Paper patterns are used by homedressmakers and when they buy, say, 36in bust pattern they know the waist measurement will be 30in, the hip fitting 39 infches. Those groups asked to comment will do well tq discuss the matter of specifications now so that they can give the three women on the New Zealand Standards Council suggestions that will be beneficial to manufacturers and buyers.