Vanity Sizing Out of Control?

sbrownallison

After a lifetime of being overweight/obese, I finally achieved a normal/healthy weight and have kept it off for four years. And, of course, with the help of My Fitness Pal and hyper-vigilance in my diet, plue exercise. Yay, me, right?

Buying clothes now, while easier than at a size 20, still remains a mystery. There is no consistency is sizing, and it seems to be ever-changing. Vanity sizing is real, folks! Today, I went to Old Navy (a good sale) to look for a pair of jeans. I haven't shopped for clothes there in years but -- a good sale, remember -- thought I'd try it out again. I've been wearing a size 8 lately, so took a pair of those into the dressing room. I have gained 5 lbs over the last year, so was a bit worried they might not fit. Swimming in them. What's going on? Went back out and got a size 6, a size I've never ever fit into, ever. They were OK, but big enough in the waist that I thought: I don't want to have to be hiking these up every 10 steps. Back to the rack and tried on a 4. Found the fit to be acceptable in all ways. Ridiculous.

Has anyone found this kind of issue in other stores? Is this just an Old Navy thing? Really, what is going on?

ChristineE63

Vanity sizing is real, I have 20 year old clothes size 6 in my closet that finally fit again, but if I buy something new it can be anywhere from a 0 to 4, 6's now are too big.

MudstainSally

Vanity sizing is for real, but Old Navy is especially bad. I could wear a large shirt at old navy when I was easily a 2x everywhere else. Their bottoms never fit me no matter the size. My teenage daughter is a 00 and not one thing at Old Navy fits her, she's swims in their smallest size. Of course she's on the other extreme.

ConnieT1030

Very definitely out of control. It needs to stop. I hate having to try on a million different sizes just to find one thing that fits. Every store/brand has it's own sizing scheme, and my memory is just not up to remembering what size I take in every single brand every store carries!!
I used to just go to walmart and I would consistently fit stuff in their plus size section (mostly just my size stuff) so I didnt bother going elsewhere even though i hated how it always looked the same. Now Ive been looking for more interesting and fun stuff in assorted places, but can't figure out what size I actually am, because every time I try something, it's a different size, from medium to XL, with pants from 12 to 16!

pariskathryn

Old Navy is pretty rough with their vanity sizing...I knew I was in trouble when suddenly their size 14 pants were tight on me.

canadianlbs

i just had the same experience last month with shoes, of all things. i'm fairly sure that my feet have not actually changed, since i bought squat shoes two years ago that still fit me just right. but suddenly new shoes in the size i've worn my whole adult life are too big. and they look like boats too.

PixelPuff

... I have to literally buy kid's pants. (I'm not joking or exaggerating - Do you know how hard it is to find dress slacks in kid sizes? I need interview clothes, too, retailers..)

Screw vanity sizing. Some brands I'm okay even in a size 2. But others, 00, DOUBLE-FRIGGIN'-ZERO, are falling off of me, fully buttoned. Wat.

earthnut

When I was a teen, I wore size 14 adult pants. Now I'm 20 pounds heavier and wear size 12's. I usually wear a size large, but I have a XS coat that fits perfectly.

I wish they would just switch to measurements, like men's clothes. Who cares if I would wear a size 37 or whatever. At least I wouldn't have to try on half the store. Although men's "body" measurements aren't immune to vanity sizing either, they do seem to be a lot more consistent. DH can buy shirts online, sight unseen, never trying the brand before, and they fit fine. I never buy clothes online unless it's a duplicate of something I already own and love. The risk of having to return it is too high.

flaminica

Vanity sizing makes sense when you remember that sizes are tailored not to women's bodies but to the desired demographic of the retailer. This is why a Medium at Forever 21 (age demographic 16-25) is much smaller than a Medium at Reitmans (where the age target is 35-50). Because an average twenty year old is a different size and shape than an average forty year old.

Old Navy clothing is enormous. I don't know what they're up to. H&M is teeny tiny; it's where my 85 lb mother shops because it's the only store that carries pants small enough.

This video explains it well. Fun trivia: In 1947 a size 8 was equivalent to a modern 00.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7QwlT5f7H1c

tiffaninghs

sbrownallison wrote: »

After a lifetime of being overweight/obese, I finally achieved a normal/healthy weight and have kept it off for four years. And, of course, with the help of My Fitness Pal and hyper-vigilance in my diet, plue exercise. Yay, me, right?

Buying clothes now, while easier than at a size 20, still remains a mystery. There is no consistency is sizing, and it seems to be ever-changing. Vanity sizing is real, folks! Today, I went to Old Navy (a good sale) to look for a pair of jeans. I haven't shopped for clothes there in years but -- a good sale, remember -- thought I'd try it out again. I've been wearing a size 8 lately, so took a pair of those into the dressing room. I have gained 5 lbs over the last year, so was a bit worried they might not fit. Swimming in them. What's going on? Went back out and got a size 6, a size I've never ever fit into, ever. They were OK, but big enough in the waist that I thought: I don't want to have to be hiking these up every 10 steps. Back to the rack and tried on a 4. Found the fit to be acceptable in all ways. Ridiculous.

Has anyone found this kind of issue in other stores? Is this just an Old Navy thing? Really, what is going on?

honestly Old navy is the worst for this!!!

Meganthedogmom

sbrownallison wrote: »

After a lifetime of being overweight/obese, I finally achieved a normal/healthy weight and have kept it off for four years. And, of course, with the help of My Fitness Pal and hyper-vigilance in my diet, plue exercise. Yay, me, right?

Buying clothes now, while easier than at a size 20, still remains a mystery. There is no consistency is sizing, and it seems to be ever-changing. Vanity sizing is real, folks! Today, I went to Old Navy (a good sale) to look for a pair of jeans. I haven't shopped for clothes there in years but -- a good sale, remember -- thought I'd try it out again. I've been wearing a size 8 lately, so took a pair of those into the dressing room. I have gained 5 lbs over the last year, so was a bit worried they might not fit. Swimming in them. What's going on? Went back out and got a size 6, a size I've never ever fit into, ever. They were OK, but big enough in the waist that I thought: I don't want to have to be hiking these up every 10 steps. Back to the rack and tried on a 4. Found the fit to be acceptable in all ways. Ridiculous.

Has anyone found this kind of issue in other stores? Is this just an Old Navy thing? Really, what is going on?

So what you're telling me is, if I want a boost of confidence, go shopping at Old Navy? ;D

GemstoneofHeart

Yep it's totally out of control! I wish companies would just switch to measurement sizing. It makes a whole lot more sense and with the major online clothing industry, it would make for far less returns as well (avid online shopper here).

suruda

On the other end of the $$$ spectrum (or near the other end) NYDJ, are bad for this as well. I wear a smaller size in those than any other pants! (not your daughters jeans)...I love them though!

sarahthes

tiffaninghs wrote: »

sbrownallison wrote: »

After a lifetime of being overweight/obese, I finally achieved a normal/healthy weight and have kept it off for four years. And, of course, with the help of My Fitness Pal and hyper-vigilance in my diet, plue exercise. Yay, me, right?

Buying clothes now, while easier than at a size 20, still remains a mystery. There is no consistency is sizing, and it seems to be ever-changing. Vanity sizing is real, folks! Today, I went to Old Navy (a good sale) to look for a pair of jeans. I haven't shopped for clothes there in years but -- a good sale, remember -- thought I'd try it out again. I've been wearing a size 8 lately, so took a pair of those into the dressing room. I have gained 5 lbs over the last year, so was a bit worried they might not fit. Swimming in them. What's going on? Went back out and got a size 6, a size I've never ever fit into, ever. They were OK, but big enough in the waist that I thought: I don't want to have to be hiking these up every 10 steps. Back to the rack and tried on a 4. Found the fit to be acceptable in all ways. Ridiculous.

Has anyone found this kind of issue in other stores? Is this just an Old Navy thing? Really, what is going on?

honestly Old navy is the worst for this!!!

I think you mean the best . Love that I can shop there and find something that fits. Sadly the local plus sized places also vanity size and I find even their smallest size 12 is a little big in most of their brands... And I'm 5'4" and 200 lbs. I should still fit some of their stuff at this size.

MsMaeFlowers

I seem to have the opposite problem. Trying to shop at Walmart to keep things cheap, and I'm almost in a large for underwear at 5'5 and 135lbs. They sure make me feel fat

GeorgiePie88

I completely understand. I regularly move between NZ and Canada, both which have different sizing systems. I can barely squeeze into a size L underwear in NZ, but when I go to Old Navy in Canada, I am swimming in a size S shirt. I find Old Navy is getting worse everytime I go home.

The weird thing is places like H&M, which have stores all over the world. I could barely zip up a dress from H&M New Zealand that was a US size 8 equivalent, yet I can comfortably fit a size 6 in H&M Canada.

FutureThoughts

jtegirl1 wrote: »

I have jeans from American Eagle that range in size from 0, 2 & 4 and they all fit the same. My issue with Old Navy is their sleeves are way too small.

Yes!!! Tiny upper arms! Even at my biggest (244, 5'6), my torso/chest would swim in the Old Navy XXL tops but the arms were so tight I feared ripping a seam in the fitting room! GAP (same ownership) doesn't have the same issue though - their XL tops fit when ON XXL tops wouldnt! So annoying. Figured it was the price to pay for low quality, cheap (even though ON prices aren't really cheap anymore) clothing.

alyssag2011

Vanity is going out of business

janjunie

I don't know my real size, old navy's sizing system is weird. I have a size 0 jeans that need a belt and a size 0 jeans that give me a muffin top. Unless I really know the brand vanity sizing makes it almost impossible/ a hassle to shop online.

MaggieS712

I shopped the same exact old navy sale yesterday for jeans as well and found even in the super skinny jeans I was even a size smaller than another pair of just skinny jeans that I bought from old navy only a few months ago! I've also noticed the sizing at target has changed dramatically as well where as over the summer I was a medium in the majority of there clothes but now in half of the clothing the extra small (their smallest size) is still too big despite me gaining weight since the summer.