frustrated with women’s fashion

Don't get me wrong, Japanese fashion is very cute. I like the shoes, and the cuts, and the designs. I'm just frustrated when i go shopping, like most foreigners I suppose. Not because the clothes don't fit me. They do actually. But they don't help my body shape.

Shopping in Japan, of course I can expect that the clothes are made for the slim Japanese body, where the cuts are always below the breast line. This works well for Japanese women. However, it doesn't compliment my body shape, where my breast size is the same as a Japanese woman's (B), but my hip bone is wider, also making my thigh muscles thicker than most Japanese women. (49 kg and 160cm, so i'm not large...)

I know that the cut should be at my waist line in order to compliment my body shape, but with fashion these days, everything has some accent below the breast. Does anyone know a good brand to shop for when looking for a variety of cuts? I don't like shopping online, since I can't try it on before I buy...

Have you tried Top Shop/H&M/Forever 21/GAP? Western stores usually have similar merchandise to what they have abroad, so you should find some different cuts there.

ah, yes. I've been. Shopping with my bf as well, sometimes even those stores have sizes that were made for Japanese people rather than foreigners like you'd expect (but then not expect since their market is Japan?)

For example, at Helly Hansen a jacket comes in M, L, XL or XXL. In my boyfriend's case, he's tall and slim. But when he buys an XL, the jacket is simply made wider and slightly taller, rather than just taller. XL = fat it seems.

As for cuts... perhaps they're the same as the west... I guess I need a double check on that.