I wore same dress to six stores changing rooms to test mirrors – one made me look so bad I wanted to join Slimming World

FROM lighting to the size of the mirror and cleanliness, shop fitting rooms can have a big influence on your decision to make a purchase. Writer TANITH CAREY, 55, wore the same

Writer Tanith Carey, 55, who is a size 10 top and size 12 bottom, wore the same fuchsia dress in six different store cubicles in central London and reveals which made her want to splash out and which had her rushing for the exit.

GettyShop fitting rooms can have a huge influence on your decision to make a purchase[/caption]

Primark

Flatter factor – 3/10 ‘Small mirror’

PRIMARK is great for value, but it’s not worth the price I paid with my body confidence.

On visiting the changing rooms at the Tottenham Court Road branch with a dress I thought looked great on me at home, the glare from the ceiling spotlight instantly changed my mind.

Tanith Carey said: ‘My figure looked to have lots of lumps and bumps’Tanith Carey

My figure looked to have lots of lumps and bumps and the lighting accentuated every crease in the dress.

As well as the room being too small to get a full-length view, it also had the smallest mirror.

The cubicle was untidy with strands of cotton, tissue, and hangers on the floor.

I left the changing room feeling as if I should spend my hard-earned cash on a Slimming World membership instead of clothes.

M&S

Flatter factor – 5/10 ‘Harsh light’

THE M&S store in London’s Oxford Street is jam-packed with gorgeous new spring gear.

I felt eager to try on all the latest styles but apart from the lockable white wooden door which blocked off any prying eyes, the ­cupboard-like changing room was a let-down.

Tanith said: ‘My reflection wasn’t flattering’Tanith Carey

There was a nice stool in the corner but just three small knobs for hanging clothes on.

And at 122cm x 114cm, the room would soon fill up if you had shopping bags with you.

On the plus side, the mirrors were large, plain and white rimmed. But the extra lighting from the ceiling was too harsh.

My reflection wasn’t flattering and while I thought having kids had left me with a tummy, I didn’t realise it had actually left me with three.

H&M

Flatter factor – 9/10 ‘Drop a dress size’

STEPPING into the dressing room at H&M in Oxford Street, I looked as though I’d dropped a dress size and felt a million dollars.

I put this down to the two strip lights which ran either side of the mirror in just the right position, casting an even amount of light over my whole body.

Tanith said: ‘The mirror even made me look taller and slimmer’Tanith Carey

It evened out my skin tone, eradicating lumps and bumps.

Somehow, the mirror even made me look taller and slimmer – and because the room was spacious, I could get a good full-length view of my dress.

This changing room also had the best system for hanging up clothes – a long rail with five moveable hooks.

It was disappointedly untidy, though, with the corners full of debris and fluff.

River Island

Flatter factor – 4/10 ‘Look bloated’

LIGHTS let this cubicle down at the Brent Cross branch of River Island.

The two on either side of the main mirror gave off a warm glow which made my skin look healthier, but the yellowish tone also gave me a slight five o’clock shadow.

Tanith said the spotlight made her look eight months pregnantTanith Carey

The way the overhead spotlight was positioned to reflect on my bottom half actually made me look eight months pregnant.

On the plus side, this fitting room did have a nice wooden lockable door and three large-sized hooks which held the hangers securely.

But it was the dirtiest of the changing rooms with the floor strewn with fluff, hair and labels.

At roughly 111 x116cm, it was the tiniest too – it felt like I was trying clothes on in a loo. It wasn’t a wrench to leave the shop empty-handed.

ZARA

Flatter factor – 2/10 ‘Too bright’

THE fitting rooms at Zara’s Brent Cross branch in North London were the only ones I had to queue to use. I stood for around ten minutes, and it was the most stressful of my store visits.

Other customers trying on clothes had to keep constantly adjusting their curtains, to stop them gaping down the sides.

Tanith CareyTanith says ‘there was no place to hide from the unflattering strip lighting’[/caption]

Zara had the biggest mirrors of all of the shops I visited – floor-to-ceiling, measuring 221cm by 98cm – and they gave me a 360-degree view of my dress meaning there was no place to hide from the unflattering strip lighting.

It was so bright, it made my hair look like platinum straw. Worse, the light bounced off the mirrors and made my dress see-through.

Every single ridge and wrinkle was on display.

The muddy-brown curtain didn’t help my mood and I left quickly.

NEXT

Flatter factor – 5/10 ‘Most glam’

WHEN I walked up the steps to the changing rooms at the back of Next’s Oxford Street store, it felt like I was being ushered into the lobby of a five-star hotel – thanks to a glam-looking waiting room full of blue velvet sofas.

This cubicle was a generous size with expensive-looking wooden walls.

Tanith CareyTanith thought she looked ten years younger in this one[/caption]

It also came with smart chrome hooks and a rail, as well as an upholstered grey stool tucked in the corner.

The luxe tweed curtain, with plenty of give, was easy to close and the cubicle was pretty clean.

Motion-sensor mirrors which lit up as I approached were an extra bonus as they cast a soft yellow light, giving me a healthy glow.

I looked ten years younger! So I overlooked the few lumps, bumps on show around my midriff. Cleanliness was good too.