What am I, officially too small now?

[ailbhe]

M&S no longer stock clothes small enough for me. I used to be a 10, when I first moved here, but now their size 8 is too big. Darn them to heck.

All I want is a pretty, fairly plain, top to wear to a wedding at the end of the month, not made with child or slave labour. It's to go with a frankly glorious full-length skirt in slate or charcoal or some other blue-grey dark colour, so the colour range of tops available to me is vast. If I can find any tops which aren't vast.

I have a lovely top to go with the skirt but although it fits my bust nicely the sleeves are too long and the waist neatly conceals my best feature, ie my waist. I go in and out in all the right places and I'd like my clothes to reflect that.

I have a 30G bust and a 27" waist and from the back of my neck to the small of my back is just under 18". Well, ok, 17", but I could draw myself up some, yes?

Does anyone know whether those swimsuit type "bodysuit" things are still around?

Wah!

Comments

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Belts that cinch in your waist are very of the now. They could rescue a slightly billowy top, maybe?

[ailbhe]

I'd need Serious Guidance buying a belt. In general, they make me look about 2'6" high. And none of that leg.

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

The Next outlet has size 6, but I don't know how ethical Next is as a company.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

These folks are ethical and colourful, though in some of their garments the dyes run like a marathon winner for several washes, making them good aids for tie-dyeing sheets. When I bought things that were size 10, they really didn't fit me, so I think their sizes have not changed the way M&S's have.

However: the Jodphur block print blouse has a zip down the side which may require things sewing over the end to be comfortable, and the kaftan (there shown in green) comes in smaller around the breasts than one would expect. The handloom cotton blouse is absolutely gorgeous, though, even if the beads lose their varnish in the washing machine.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

(Actually they are sometimes pretty shit, but they have some gems too, and are definitely ethical.)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi

I don't agree with child or slave labour either but having been to India for 3 months last year I realised that if there was no child/slave labour people would starve. I met children working in clothing factories who needed to work to give their parents money as their families were so poor. Many other children had no parents or had been kicked out of home so needed to work or they would die. If we stop buying goods from non ethical sources we are not helping the people who most need help.

[ailbhe]

Actually, no, we can give money to organisations which actually *help* these people, thereby helping them, rather than just continue the system as it stands. It's harder, of course.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, It is much harder and the money doesn't reach the people who really need it. Which is worse - People (including children) working in sweat shops or people working as prostitutes? Stop buying goods from sweat shops then a lot of those people turn to prostitution.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Ideally the plan is to shut down the sweat shops and replace them with factories that have decent working conditions and pay a living wage. I'd rather work towards that than continue a bad system.

[(Anonymous)]

Ideally that would be great and hopefully one day that will happen but it is going to take years. The people and the governments of these countries need to want and help change conditions.

The people in the sweat shops know they have a job and somewhere to sleep (factory floor) and they are feed and receive a wage which they give to their families. It is better than the alternative of living and dying on the streets.

[ailbhe]

And if we don't create a market for fairly traded goods from these countries, dear Anonymous, where precisely do you think the people and governments will find the desire to alter anything?

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Yes it's going to take years, but honestly, what better time to start than now! Nothing's going to change until the sweatshop owners notice that profits are starting to fall. And THAT won't change unless people _stop buying from them_.

Seriously, please stop apologising for slavery.

[ruthi.livejournal.com]

You've seen www.nomads.com , right?
They have an email for enquiries.

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

Anything warp around should do you. It's easy to accommodate the boob to waist ratio by cinching in the belt and wearing a camisole underneath for modesty (or, erm, not).

I quite liked this:

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/22332772

A perfunctory Google search came up with no results linking "Monsoon/Accesorize" with "sweatshops", but I don't know anything over and above that re their ethical policy.

[random-c.livejournal.com]

How long until it's needed?