Vanity Sizing Out of Control?

LivingtheLeanDream

Vanity sizing is a thing, in the UK we have it too - when I was (much) younger and 9 stone/ 126lbs I was a UK size 12, I am now back at around 126lbs and now a size UK 8 - 10 - so in 20 yrs there has been a huge difference to clothing sizes....maybe if they keep going by the time I'm 60 I'll be a size 0 .

MissMaggieMuffin

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

When i was a teen, i dreamed of being able to shop at the mall with all those stores that always stopped at size 13.

now that i am petite, i find my favorite place to shop is the second hand store here, value village
I let everyone else find the cute colored and fun stuff and wait for them to donate it. lol
I can sweep all the sizes, all the brands and try everything on in one store. And granted my sizes are all over the place too.. but my jeans are usually consistant, i take a large in womens t shirts and tank tops, xs in yoga pants, medium/small in hoodies..

Sidebar comment on this thread - LOVE shopping at Value Village - not something you can do when you're in a hurry and have to find something, but I have found some fantastic 'deals' there. Often, NWT!

wellthenwhat

I HATE vanity sizing! give us measurements like mens clothes, that would be great!

maybe1pe

I honestly don't have this problem with Old Navy. I wear a size 12 there and a size 12 every where else too. I wear a size large in tops there and a size large every where else too..... Maybe that's just me

bfanny

Haha you just made me want to run to Old Navy, I'm a size 6 so maybe I'll fit into their "2"

SparklyBubblyBabe

sbrownallison wrote: »

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.

See, now I feel bad because in other stores I'm a size 10 right now, but I'm still between a 12-14 at Old Navy, but everyone else seems to be having the opposite problem

GoldBikiniGoals

I'm a retail manager for a store that carries a lot of branded jeans (Silver, Mavi, Guess etc) and I always tell customers not to bother trying to pull their own jeans. I figure out what size they wear in one brand and then know what sizes to grab them in everything else. Vanity sizing is real, but sizing in general is just incredibly inconsistent and a lot of it has to do with the differences in how fabrics and key items are made; Denim in the 1970s had virtually no stretch to it (lycra/spandex etc) which left your size very stable, a jean with 2% spandex is going to accommodate a larger person than one without spandex. The cut of an item greatly effects it's size as well; I have large hips, so if a jean sits mid-rise or higher I tend to take a 27 or so; low rise and I may struggle to fit in a 32.

I will say though, it's not just on the women's side anymore. I see it all the time with mens' clothing as well.

zyxst

wellthenwhat wrote: »

I HATE vanity sizing! give us measurements like mens clothes, that would be great!

Only jeans I can't find to fit me in the men's department. I have a big butt and gut and men's jeans don't accommodate both. If I want to go plumber's cracking around, I'd be great.

The biceps fitting in women's is horrible.

MaybeLed

GoldBikiniGoals wrote: »

I'm a retail manager for a store that carries a lot of branded jeans (Silver, Mavi, Guess etc) and I always tell customers not to bother trying to pull their own jeans. I figure out what size they wear in one brand and then know what sizes to grab them in everything else. Vanity sizing is real, but sizing in general is just incredibly inconsistent and a lot of it has to do with the differences in how fabrics and key items are made; Denim in the 1970s had virtually no stretch to it (lycra/spandex etc) which left your size very stable, a jean with 2% spandex is going to accommodate a larger person than one without spandex. The cut of an item greatly effects it's size as well; I have large hips, so if a jean sits mid-rise or higher I tend to take a 27 or so; low rise and I may struggle to fit in a 32.

I will say though, it's not just on the women's side anymore. I see it all the time with mens' clothing as well.

You know now that you say that it makes so much sense. Made me think about when I bought my wedding dress. I started telling her about my sizes, and she was like nah. Just measured me got a bunch of dresses after checking some sizing tables and every single one fit perfectly, but they were all different sizes.

Queenmunchy

Old Navy is the worst. I wore my size 4 jeans (they're my bigger jeans) until I was about 22 weeks pregnant, and I'm not small!

KNoceros

Sizing itself is just odd and increasingly seems random.

A while ago I bought some jeans from Marks and Spencer (UK clothing shop). They came in several colours, but in the shop they only had navy blue in "my" size so I bought those and ordered a grey and a chocolate pair from the internet. Exact same jeans, same size on the label, everything.

Well, the grey ones didn't have a snowball's chance of doing up, let alone fitting, and the chocolate ones wouldn't even stay up convincingly with the aid of a belt! (They both got sent back).

I don't get it. Is modern quality control that awful?

GottaBurnEmAll

Old Navy... it's funny. I always used to think everyone was silly who talked about the exaggerated vanity sizing. And then I tried on a different cut than I usually wore. NIGHT AND DAY. There's almost a full size difference between the Rockstar cut of jeans and the Curvy cut of jeans in the same size. The Curvy run smaller, oddly enough. I'd always worn the curvy cuts.

Rockstar size 0's fall off me. It's ridiculous. Curvy's fit just fine... sort of. I'm not really curvy any more. There's a little room in back.

HeliumIsNoble

kathrynhoward84 wrote: »

Sizing itself is just odd and increasingly seems random.

A while ago I bought some jeans from Marks and Spencer (UK clothing shop). They came in several colours, but in the shop they only had navy blue in "my" size so I bought those and ordered a grey and a chocolate pair from the internet. Exact same jeans, same size on the label, everything.

Well, the grey ones didn't have a snowball's chance of doing up, let alone fitting, and the chocolate ones wouldn't even stay up convincingly with the aid of a belt! (They both got sent back).

I don't get it. Is modern quality control that awful?

Nah, that's just M&S. M&S has a particular problem with size fluctuation within the same design. They're notorious for it.

According to someone else, it's because sometimes different colourways of their clothes end up being produced in different factories, and so pattern variation develops. They also have mix-ups and send clothes made overseas (e.g. developing countries) for the average shape of customers at their overseas stores in other countries (e.g. Turkey) back to the UK.

gradchica27

The struggle is real. I'm 5'4", 125, and wear a 2 in Ann Taylor Loft jeans...and they're getting big. I have a 0 in the stretchier dark wash. What?? It's worse at the regular Ann Taylor--IF any dress fits, it's a 0. Some are too big.

Are you kidding? I'm not a 0. Im definitely not under a 0. Where do petite ladies shop? I still have inches to lose, so not sure where I'll shop then. No 00 at AT (there is at Loft, ::whew::). I'm not juniors shaped and I'm a 35 yo mom of 4--not going to wear clothes made for a teenager.

brookielaw

Yes, Old Navy is particularly bad about vanity sizing...but toss a girl a bone here! I was at the deepest end of the plus sized stores. I feel like I rock those (vanity) size 12 jeans.

cat_lady77

Old Navy's sizes are BS - always have been. I am tall, weigh about 200 lbs & I have size 12-14 pants from them. I hate them anyway, because they stretch out SO much while you wear them, by the end of the day I need a belt. I like their tops because they have tall sizes & I can wear med/large. The men's tall sizes run small though. Makes no sense! I wish every brand would just use actual measurements for sizes.

soechsner09

Apparently I'm having the opposite issue ... I went pants shopping the other day and had a horrible time. I shop at Maurices usually for my work pants, and I'm in between their sizes. The 15/16 is too big, but the 13/14 is way to small. So I decide to go home and dig around to see what I have for pants. Well, I found a brand new pair of their pants (same style I tried on in store) in 13/14 that I bought 2+ years ago. Never worn or washed. Fit perfect. So, why can that pair form a couple years ago fit perfectly, but the same size in the store now I can't even button?

HardcoreP0rk

Even italian brands are vanity sizing now. It's INSANE. I have size 38 clothing that is made in Italy (Pinko, Moschino) and there's just no way it's legit. I wear 0s in almost everything. When I was at my thinnest, I struggled to find clothes that fit at all.

kenyonhaff

Yeah just a good reason not to allow the label on my pants determine my self-worth...

rosiecotton24

This is why I tell my husband to NOT buy me clothes! He doesn't understand why he can't just buy me a certain size in anything and have it fit. I tell him I HAVE to try everything on!!

Cat3141

I agree it is annoying to not know what size to grab (but looking at the clothing helps), but the problem, if there is one, is that women's clothing sizes are completely arbitrary. You can't say sizes are "wrong" because there is no real definition of what a size should be. If women's clothing were sized like most men's clothing (i.e. in standardized measurements such as inches or centimeters) this wouldn't be a problem.

kenyonhaff

I'd argue a woman typically has more "geometry" than a man. On men, hip size is generally not a consideration the way it can be for women.

flaminica

gradchica27 wrote: »

Where do petite ladies shop? I still have inches to lose, so not sure where I'll shop then. No 00 at AT (there is at Loft, ::whew::). I'm not juniors shaped and I'm a 35 yo mom of 4--not going to wear clothes made for a teenager.

H&M Kids, the Juniors rack at Winners, Forever 21, Hot Topic. Yes, I'm in my mid-50s and shop at Hot Topic. They're not technically clothes made for a teenager if they're off the 'tween's rack.

Go to Chinatown. Chinese garments (i.e. garments made in China by Chinese domestic labels for Chinese women versus garments for export) are much smaller overall.

jennybearlv

HeliumIsNoble wrote: »

flaminica wrote: »

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

This. So much this.

Retailers aim to sell clothes to fit their customers, how big or small the population is. Taking Old Navy for a minute, don't think of their size numbering system as meaning something objective. Those numbers aren't particular sizes, and they should be read as "Much Smaller than Current Average Old Navy Customer", "Smaller than Average Old Navy Customer", "Current Average Old Navy Customer", "Larger than Average Old Navy Customer", "Much Larger than Average Old Navy Customer", and so on. It is simply convention that most stores have always numbered their best-selling sizes, instead of labelling them XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL.

LOL, this worries me. When I was last at my happy size in my mid twenties I could only shop in the juniors, girls, or petite sections. A misses small was huge on me. I don't think they had XS back then. I had a hard enough time finding professional looking clothes for my first grown-up job at 25. I can't even imagine shopping for tiny clothes in my late thirties. Dressing like a tween will just not be cute and if things haven't changed I'm still about 30 years too young for the petites.

I know ON has petites aimed at younger women, but my size 20 backside fits great into their XLP running tights, so I don't think that will help me in the long run.

IremiaRe

LOL - vanity sizing.. *sighs* Shopping takes SOOO much longer, now. I used to just roll through the fat ladies store and grab the biggest size and HOPE it would fit around me... for years 4x was my go-to size...

I am 5' 4" and currently at 207 lbs.

Today, I am wearing a size 22 pant and a size 28 sweater (which is admittedly not tight) from 18 years ago.

Yesterday, I wore a size 16 pant (White Stag) and a size XL shirt that I recently purchased at Walmart.

I am most consistently fitting into 16/18 and XL or XXL stuff - but my old clothes tell me that the sizing has definitely changed over the last 18 years.

deputy_randolph

I have a bigger issue with tops. I find vanity sizing to be an issue and ALL brands of tops to be cut to like maternity tops. I'm small on top, but xs fits like a poncho. I would need like xxxs.

I bought a cute Pickachu shirt for my 8 year old son (boys' medium). It fits me perfectly; we've been arguing about who gets to wear the shirt.

maybe1pe

deputy_randolph wrote: »

I have a bigger issue with tops. I find vanity sizing to be an issue and ALL brands of tops to be cut to like maternity tops. I'm small on top, but xs fits like a poncho. I would need like xxxs.

I bought a cute Pickachu shirt for my 8 year old son (boys' medium). It fits me perfectly; we've been arguing about who gets to wear the shirt.

I just have to say that I would 100% want to wear that shirt also... Actually, I'm a little jealous

dramaqueen45

Definitely real- I wish women's clothes were like men's- just an actual measurement of waist and inseam. In high school I was 115 pounds and I wore a size 7. During my weight loss journey I was buying at thrift stores to save money and even after I reached my goal of 125 I just bought from a thrift store and I am a size 6 or 8 depending, but a thrift store has older clothes. I don't know what I would wear these days new. I will say I'm a pear shape so any extra weight has always been carried in the hips and thighs, so someone who weighs the same as me could wear a smaller size, but I always just roll my eyes when I see a weight loss story or article that says "I now weigh 160 and I'm a size 4!" Ummm.... no you're really not. True sizes are found if you sew your own clothes. I work at a high school and the girls get quite upset when they have to buy the fabric for the measurements and sizes they wear because it puts them at a much bigger size - pattern sizes have not changed at all. So the sewing teacher gets out what looks to be a very tiny skirt- looks like size 3 or 5 (one she wore in high school) and asks them to guess the size. She shows them the tag then and it's a size 9. One thing though- if you shop in the juniors section it seems to be the opposite. A size XL in juniors is like a small in misses clothes. Go figure, because I can't.

jennybearlv

deputy_randolph wrote: »

I have a bigger issue with tops. I find vanity sizing to be an issue and ALL brands of tops to be cut to like maternity tops. I'm small on top, but xs fits like a poncho. I would need like xxxs.

I bought a cute Pickachu shirt for my 8 year old son (boys' medium). It fits me perfectly; we've been arguing about who gets to wear the shirt.

That style is driving me crazy. I finally have a waist and everything is that swing or boyfriend cut. There's nothing like an ill fitting shirt to make me look like I've found all the weight I've lost. I think I need to start shopping thrift stores for all the discarded 90's baby tees.

MelonColleyMom

I have a pair of size 24 jeans from a few years ago that barely button, and I'm currently wearing size 18 jeans bought new from the same store (Torrid). It's crazy!