the trend of clothing designers making women's apparel available in sizes below a zero

In a development that appears to challenge both common sense and the laws of nature, there is now a clothing size that is--seriously, people--less than zero. Banana Republic began offering its "00" duds on its Web site in the spring. Next fall, designer Nicole Miller will intro-duce a size tentatively called "subzero," for women with 231/2-inch waists (about the circumference of a junior soccer ball) and 35-inch hips. The company, which introduced a size 0 (with a 251/2-inch waist) 15 years ago, decided to go smaller when it learned women were taking in their 0's.

The less-than-zeros arrive as Americans are getting bigger. The average woman is about 155 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches, according to SizeUSA, a 2003 survey by industry research group [TC]2. That's about 20 pounds heavier than the average woman of 40 years ago. But don't assume today's woman is wearing a bigger size than her mother. "According to standard size measurements, that average 155-pound woman should be wearing a size 16, but thanks to vanity sizing, she's probably buying a 10 or 12," says Jim Lovejoy of the SizeUSA survey. "Most companies aren't using the standard ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials] sizes anymore. Sizes have been creeping up a half inch at a time so women can fit into smaller sizes and feel good about it."

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