Vanity sizing and clothing fit.

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Replies

  • wendyheath32
    wendyheath32 Posts: 74 Member
    I range fr9m a UK size 10 to size 16 at times. Even though my measurements are a UK size 12. I tend to shop for fit rather then number on the label as I find it doesn't matter much. Find clothes you like and like how they fit regardless of dress size.
  • koalathebear
    koalathebear Posts: 236 Member
    I check my measurements against the size guides as the sizes vary. For instance, I seem to be a 10 in Cue clothing but an 8 for brands like Veronika Maine. Then there's also reconciling US sizing with AU/UK sizing. It's all very challenging - but thankfully measurements make life easier.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    When shopping in a store I take 2 sizes to try on. Sometimes the vanity sizing is ridiculous!

    It doesn't help that I still have clothing dysmorphia at times. That's when I pick up an item and hold it, it looks too small, but it is not.

    I'm tall, but on the smaller side so sometimes clothes are too short in length or in the arms (I shop in the juniors).

    Plus I have a larger hip to waist ratio so that can be challenging as well, but thankfully I have found ways around both. For example, I get non-stretchy clothes tailored to fit my figure so I normally go up a size.

    Shopping online can also be challenging. But I love the variety and options so I take my chances and I use their measurement guides. I tend to look at the return/exchange policy even before I look at the clothes.
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    youcantflexcardio wrote: »
    For men it's also the skinny craze that drives me nuts finding stuff. I have a friend who's mid thigh measures the same as my upper arm, we are pretty close to the same height too. Everything seems made for either overweight people or super skinny people, there's not much middle ground for even slightly athletic men in clothing where the shoulders chest are bigger than the waist when it comes to tops or squatter/cycling thighs with bottoms.

    I was so thankful when Levi's came out with the athletic fit jeans a few years back. I reccomend them to anyone who lifts, you get low rise jeans with a taper that actually fit the thighs and the waist off the rack.

    Try looking for "athletic cut" jackets and pants. They're roomier in the thigh, chest, and shoulders. It's the only cut that fits my son without being too baggy like a relaxed cut.
  • rdthoms
    rdthoms Posts: 61 Member
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    sljohnson1207 wrote: »
    @rdthoms Something is wrong with that software. It takes your gender, height and weight, chest and waist measurements only? Then guesses the rest of your measurements. It's incredibly off for me in almost every measurement it guesses like neck, hips, thigh, calf, forearm, and bicep. Seems like a wonderful idea if you could input all of your current measurements.

    It would be awesome to have shoulder and bicep measurements for sure! Those are always my sticking points. I wear a whole size down in dresses without sleeves vs. with, lol.

    @sljohnson1207 & @RelCanonical: Thanks for the feedback. There are development plans to allow specification of additional measurements. It is a trade-off between ease-of-use and customization. For fitness, using the basic measurements should give reasonable results and the key is to watch the trends over time. Obviously for clothes sizing all measurements need to be taken into account. Besides the measurements did the avatar look reasonable?
  • umbramirror
    umbramirror Posts: 256 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Yeah, I wonder about this, too. When I was in college (over 20 years ago), I weighed less than I do now, and was a solid size 6 in almost every brand. Now, about 10 pounds heavier than that...I'm wearing a size 2 in a lot of brands. I see plenty of women who are slimmer than me and wonder how they buy clothes that fit. I could stand to lose a few more pounds, but honestly, part of why I don't is worrying about finding clothes. I need professional clothes for work, so shopping in the children's section would not be an option.

    I wonder the same thing as well. I don't understand how I am a 0 or even sometimes 00 in pants/jeans and an XS in tops, when at this size I was probably a 2-4 in high school, still wearing an XS top. I can barely find clothing that fits me now, with everything being too large. I'm lucky to find tops that fit me that I'm not swimming in. I also see other women that are smaller than me and honestly wonder where they buy their clothing. Junior sections, perhaps? I would love some input about this so maybe I can find new stores to shop for clothes...
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    youngmomtaz wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Yes it drives me crazy especially because I like buying things online. I don't have much time to "go shopping" in real life. But how do I know what size to order? I just recently sized up one on a 3 pack of shirts and they are still skin tight. I don't understand. Since when does a size 8ish woman need to order an XL or XXL in shirts?

    And on the flip side I am a pretty solid size 12(I was size 12 20years ago too in high school but for some reason mom of the stuff I have in a box fits right now, vanity sizing sucks!). But as a size 12, sometimes 10, I often buy small shirts. Usually in the cheaper brands that size xs, s, m, l, xl. But it just makes me wonder what the truly smaller sized people are supposed to wear when I am buying up all the smalls and and an xs will fit someone who is a size 6-8??

    Yeah, I wonder about this, too. When I was in college (over 20 years ago), I weighed less than I do now, and was a solid size 6 in almost every brand. Now, about 10 pounds heavier than that...I'm wearing a size 2 in a lot of brands. I see plenty of women who are slimmer than me and wonder how they buy clothes that fit. I could stand to lose a few more pounds, but honestly, part of why I don't is worrying about finding clothes. I need professional clothes for work, so shopping in the children's section would not be an option.

    Some brands have size 00 and double zero, and I think some are going to come out with 000.

    The wikipedia article on vanity sizing is pretty neat when comparing sizes. Look at the "standard sizing measurements" section to see how much we've vanity sized. A standard size 8 in 1958 is the equivalent to a 00 today.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing
  • stephaniek511
    stephaniek511 Posts: 86 Member
    Vune wrote: »
    All I wanted was a plain, crew neck t-shirt. No weird cuts, no pockets, no embellishments. At 5'6", 135lbs, even the extra small of the only plain t-shirts at Kohls were too big. I am not extra extra small. I don't even bother with pants because they're never cut for my shape.

    I'm in the same boat - 5'6", 135...I have clothes from size 2 to 10 in my closet (all fit) - it's completely annoying. And everything has to be hemmed because I don't wear 6 inch heels.
  • Lobsterboxtops
    Lobsterboxtops Posts: 92 Member
    gcminton wrote: »

    I don't want to be excited about going down a size if I didn't actually GO DOWN A SIZE. :|

    Amen...I’m now well and truly screwed since I’v been losing. My pants are all big on me so I’ve had to start buying new ones, and it’s such a crap shoot. I was a tight 10, now I seem to be anywhere from a 6 to an 8...I have not lost 4 sizes worth of fat. Luckily I had some old clothes boxed up and I can more than comfortably wear a size 8 pair jeans with no stretch (100% denim). So at least I have some reference points to let me know how I’m doing...measurements won’t help since I don’t know what my measurements were at my smaller sizes.

  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    I recently bought some clothes. 3 pair of jeans, all different sizes from the SAME STORE. Then, I got two dresses in a large and they are oversized (not supposed to be but I like them better that way) but then I had to buy a button down for work and an XL fits perfect. It's really....reallly....reallly.....reaalllllyyyyy frustrating.
  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
    @rdthoms the avatar doesn't look like me, but is closer looking than the measurements it guessed. The avatar somehow knows I'm pear shaped. We come in so many different shapes. Four measurements won't give you an accurate picture. I don't know if the hip measurement is high hip or low hip (clothing charts usually use low hip - widest fullest part of rump), but it's way off. If you could put in all the measurements and it make an accurate avatar that would be awesome, especially if you could line them up next to each other and visually see the changes.

    I put in 67" tall female 145 lbs 34 bust 26 waist and it guesses the following:
    BMI 22.7
    BF% 27.8% (way off according to hydrostatic weighing and bioimpedence)
    34 5/8 hip (mine is 39" low hip)
    15 1/4 neck (mine is 12.75)
    40 1/2 shoulder (pretty accurate)
    12 1/8 biceps (10.5 one arm, 11 the other)
    11 3/8 forearm (9 both arms)
    25 5/8 thigh (22 one thigh 21.5 other thigh)
    15 1/4 calf (13 1/2 both calves)

  • RUNucbar
    RUNucbar Posts: 160 Member
    edited November 2019
    I am not even the same size SHOE in all shops. Are we vanity sizing feet now? I have some that are a 4, some are a 6. Clothing is anywhere from an age 13 years to a ladies size 16. I'm short, so the age 13 thing makes some sense but I can also be a ladies size 16? (UK sizes!) The 16 came from a shop known to size crazy but still, that is mental as I also fit into age 13 stuff.

    But I can also be a small or a medium if the shop has given up on numbers altogether. Some shops have numbers of some lines, and the S/M/L thing on other lines. I have to grab a size to try on and work my way up or down from there but I now have no idea where to start.
  • strongwouldbenice
    strongwouldbenice Posts: 153 Member
    I have a pair of jeans that fit me SO perfectly, snug and shapely and never budge while I'm wearing them. They have rips in the knees though, so I decided to buy another pair without the rips.
    Same store, same brand, same colour, same size, completely different fit. Could barely get them over my thighs, they sit all wrong, fall down. How???
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
    I kid you not, currently my upper body sizes range from XS to XL. I have L sized jackets that I can't button up, and an XS shirt that could take in two of me (and I checked with the store, it's not mislabeled). It used to drive me crazy, but now I just laugh at this. :D
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    edited November 2019
    Danp wrote: »
    I honestly don't know how you do it. It would drive me absolutely insane. I get shirty with arbitrary S, M, L, XL, etc sizing in men's clothing but at least our pants come in inch/cm waist measurements and our shirts come in inch/cm collar measurements (which is actually a pretty reliable indicator of fit).

    You all need to start a revolution. Flatly refuse to buy clothing that comes in dumb made up size numbers and only shop at stores that implement a standard universal system.

    My OH is able to walk into LL Bean and buy men's clothes that fit without trying them on.

    In 2012, I, on the other hand, saw a wide range of sizing amongst their jeans for women.

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