Clothes must be made bigger now?

LuciaLongIsland

:laugh: I lke the way you write ' when she was alive she was a 16...lol Id hate to know what size she is now ...sorry bad taste:noway:

huh:frown:

LuciaLongIsland

So, I figure the only reasonable explanation is that clothes must be made bigger than they were 10 years ago. I really don't buy clothes that often, because it is usually torture. Please help me out. Anyone that has bought clothes in the last couple of years, are they bigger now? Or am I losing my mind. Is it possible that I might enjoy buying clothes now?

I am 5' 5 1/2" tall and weigh today 138 pounds. I went through the same mind game as you! Overjoyed and disbelieving! Isn't it great? = D Okay, granted, there MIGHT be some vanity sizing from 30 or more years ago and certainly from the 50's and 60's. But lets ask the question the REAL way? How many of you have actually saved your clothes from decades ago only to fit back into them? Anyone? That's the only way to really tell. Okay, I did. I actually SAVED some old clothes from 15 years ago and I have my very first pair of Levi's 501 button fly cutoffs that I wore in 8th grade and 9th grade and I am 54 now. Those actually hang on me compared to me squeezing into them back then. I'd say when I was 13 and 14 I had a much more athletic body just because of regular PE at school and riding my bike or walking a either half a mile or a mile to school every day each way not to mention riding my bike to my friends houses or to go to the store or do anything. I weigh less now, but lets face it age and gravity after weight gain and loss are not my friends. But the cutoffs swim on me.

I saved a pair of size 12 Wranglers (not stretchy) when I briefly weighed 135 (not exercising) from 15 years ago. Wranglers were always the smallest jeans for me. That and Levi's that I could never wear as an adult. Judging on how they fit my right this minute, I'd say the Wranglers were 2 sizes too big as I wore them skin tight back then. I also have a pair of size 12 baggy Lee high waisted shorts from 20 years ago that have at least 2 inches in the waist. I saved a Jessica McClintock evening dress which is form fitting around the hips size 10 from 15 years ago and it is big on me now.

I also wear a size 4 in slacks, a size 6 in Levi's 512 (I think that is the number), and just bought 3 cocktail dresses just before Christmas all on the same day in sizes 4, 6, & 8 , but I think I typically wear a 6 after all the try ons. I got a size xs in a Michael Kors bomber type jacket that has lots of tummy and boob room but the sleeves are a little short when I stretch out my arms in front of me. I have heavy legs but lost the "pear" and hips so still wearing medium stretch pants, but tops are small or medium (broad shoulders), and I'd wear a small belt. Also lost half a shoe size back to my normal 8 to 8 1/2 depending on how wide they are for my wide feet.

Whatever the answer is NOBODY can take away from you how fantastic you look, what a marvelous job you have done losing 100 pounds! I am teetering at 70 pounds lost. Just sorry I had to gain it in the first place when being accountable for food now and doing moderate exercise is NOT that much to ask.

So who cares what the numbers are, enjoy your pretty new clothes everyone! It is okay if we are secretly impressed with ourselves! = D Take us off the statistics about Americans being whatever percent obese because we are now "normal"!

Good work!

Susan, we are the same height and hopefully I will weigh 135 in some time. I only have a pair of cutoffs from 1968, I doubt they will ever fit!! I have short shorts from 16 years ago. We shall see. I have a ways to go.

Babrao

Congrats on all your hard work and your weight loss!!!! To answer your question, yes, I am wearing a size 16 jeans now in any store I go into, but all of my old jeans from around 2005-2006 I can only wear the 18s, the 16s are not close to fitting at all yet. Something is definitely different, lol.

Horskrzy

Just went through this yesterday!

I've lost 34 of my 57 pound goal and have dropped from atight 38 waist pants to a comfortable 34 and yet, my waist size went from 40 to 37. If these morons would just follow a standard then I could safely order pants with a specific waist size and length and call it good. Stores carry up to 34W X 34L and then the Tall Man section carries 36W X 36L thus leaving me in the "deadzone" with the 34 X 36. Went to the Mall Saturday and the only thing I found was the deadzone.:explode:

I'm now forced to order the pants on-line and once received try them on and if not a good fit, return. What a pain!

DQMD

Vanity Sizing is crazy...

I just wear the size that fits me the best and Eff the number. I have clothes in my closet ranging from a 4 to a 10.

The true test for me is when I buy my horse riding clothes. Those cuts have not changed especially when I buy things from Europe.

I am in mostly 8's right now..but my goal size is to wear the majority of 2/4. I will also have to buy my stuff online..the local stores carry a lot of 6's but under that I am up the creek.

LorinaLynn

Congrats on your hard work! You look amazing!

Sizing is screwy. Sometimes I think that sizes have changed drastically... I typically nowadays wear a size 2 or 4 in jeans, and a 5 or 7 in juniors jeans. I have size 5 and 7 from high school in the 80s that fit. And a pair of size 7 bell bottoms from the 70s (they weren't mine) that fit. A size 10 swimsuit from the 50s fits, but it's very stretchy and fit when I weighed 15 pounds more or less than I do now. So maybe they haven't changed that much.

LoViNlIFe0225

I've see it so many ways! I'm a size 6 in stores like American Eagle and Old Navy, but a size 11 in Lee Branch Jeans. There appears to be no rhym or reason. I'm 5'3" and approximately 143 lbs...I would think I would be bigger than a size six...but definitley smaller than a size 11. Congrats on your accomplishment! I would just enjoy the size 2!!!!

cruisintolose

I think it really depends on the store. The higher end brands seem to do the vanity sizing more so than say target or the cheaper clothes. Although I will say Old Navy seems to not even keep a consistency within the same size. It depends on the color there! LOL

Lynnmi07

I don't understand this vanity sizing... You still look the same whether the jeans you put on say size 16 or size 10. I say the size should reflect the true size. If I put on a pair of jeans and my thighs and butt look big it doesn't matter what size the jeans say they are. I'm pretty sure we can all look in the mirror and tell if we need to lose some weight. So I don't understand why people are happy they can fit in a size 10 (or whatever their magic number is) when it's truly a size 16. Plus, it actually makes it a pain to go shopping when you have to try on 4 different sizes because you don't know how the pants sizes are going to run.

However, I have noticed that higher end stores seem to run smaller (maybe more true to size) and the cheaper stores (such as kohls) run bigger.

jillica

TOTALLY AGREE! It varies from brand to brand and store to store, but in general I believe this to be true.

TourThePast

So, I figure the only reasonable explanation is that clothes must be made bigger than they were 10 years ago.

You are right, it's called vanity sizing.

Apparently clothing manufacturers have found that there are more fat people who are willing to buy their brand if it means they can still wear a size X than there are people who actually want accurate and helpful labelling.

Personally, if I ran the world, I'd make it illegal to sell clothing that was incorrectly labelled, as clearly it is not fit for purpose.

If I buy a UK size 12 (which is currently about a size US 6 or even 4!!!) garment, I expect it to fit my UK size 12 body!!! Is that REALLY too much to ask??? :explode:

(sorry about the rant but it really REALLY annoys me that I can no longer rely on sizing)

PinkEarthMama

It doesn't matter if the clothes are bigger. YOU are smaller, and you rock.

ginnylee74

Vanity sizing. Depending on the brand, they may be a labeled a few sizes smaller than other brands, or a whole lot. And as companies try to out compete each other for customers, they vanity size more and more, so yes, its a fair bet that clothes are made bigger than 10 years ago. How much smaller, I can't really tell you, I don't think there's a schedule for that....

Fun fact, when she was alive, Marilyn Monroe was a size 16, in the 90's, her measurements would have equaled a 12, and now, depending on the brand, someone with her measurements would fit between a 6 and a 10.

Yep, noticed that years ago. Sure makes you feel nice though.:laugh:

TourThePast

Yep, noticed that years ago. Sure makes you feel nice though.:laugh:

Which is precisely the mentality which has led to manufacturers lying on their labels.

Me, I'd much rather face the truth about my size, than hide behind clothes manufacturers' marketing bullshyt.

smbyrd13

In my closet, I have pants that are 4s,6s,8, and 10s....all fit me well! Just depends on the brand/cut of pant, drives me crazy!

looking4lisa

I don't think they're bigger...I think they're smaller!! I took my 5'4 109 lb daughter to Aeropostale last weekend and she had to buy a LG sweatshirt....my jaw dropped!!! And she's not an adolescent or oddly shaped...she's 23 and what I would consider a very small build.. Then we went to Penny's and she had to get a med Nike sweatshirt. Let me also mention, she'a a 32AA.

Carolyn_79

Congrats on your loss! You're just smaller so get use to it

basschick

Yes. In high school in the late 80s, I wore a size 10. Now, at the same weight and almost the same measurements, I wear a 4. :huh:

sweet110

I agree with the vanity sizing. And that yes, some things do seem to be made bigger.

BUT I had a friend make this observation to me: Fifteen years ago, you were shopping in the junior's section, right? And yes. Those clothes *are* cut smaller. Now that I'm not shopping in the teeny bopper section, the cuts are more forgiving. But they were probably always that way.

I think all of the above are true!

kekl

Congrats on your weight loss!

Sizing is wacky... yet another reason not to get hung up on those numbers.

bethdris

Well being I have NEVER been a single digit size until now, Im taking my 6 and 8's and running with it!! Im 5'9 150ish pounds...down from 246 in march of last year...maintaing since the end of aug 2011

You've lost an amzaing amt of weight too...just enjoy it!

dmpizza

Vanity sizing is out of control.
Only some manufacturers are picking up the low end so my wife(and I presume many women) are having trouble finding clothes small enough.

Spamee

I came across a Pencil Skirt I wore in 1982 (im not sure why I had it- it was with a few of my Moms things) Anyway, I weighed 105# when I wore that skirt (5' 3") The waist band measured 24"!

guess what size it was....Id say in todays sizes it would be a 0 or maybe a 2.

it was a size 8!