Clothing sizes

fteale

I am not sure what category this should be under really, and it's a problem, but one I know would get most people's back's up. Not one to broach with RL friends as it sounds like bragging, which it isn't at all.

So, now that I am at a healthy weight, I am finding it impossible to buy clothes that fit. I have a very small frame, so although I am not super skinny, I have very narrow hips and back. I live just outside a smallish city, and I can't find any clothes that fit me. Even online, here in the UK adult clothes in the brands I like all seem to start at a UK 10, which has got a lot bigger since I was last this weight, and a size 10 is like a sack on me. I like nice clothes, and I want to wear things to show off my new figure, not dress like a bag lady. I am specifically looking for dresses. I have found jeans that fit me, but I am struggling with tops and dresses that aren't baggy.

Where can I get well made, fitted dresses for a curvy UK 6-8?

grrrlface

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

fteale

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

I think both Next and Topshop are a bit young in style for me. Also, I find Next sizing huge. I was a 10 in Next when I was overweight!

Lroppolo

If you are having trouble with the fit and you know someone who sews, you can always buy them a little baggy and have someone tailor them down for you. I have problems shopping because not only am I short, but my waist is 10 inches smaller than my hips. I end up getting pants that are way too big in the waist and snug in the hips. It sucks. lol

BumbyDog

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

I think both Next and Topshop are a bit young in style for me. Also, I find Next sizing huge. I was a 10 in Next when I was overweight!

Seriously? You think a size 10 in Next would fit an overweight person?? I would actually be worried about your state of mind in that case. Unless your 4foot nothing, a UK size 4/6 is absolutely tiny. Get real.

asyouseefit

Have you tried Asos?

fteale

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

I think both Next and Topshop are a bit young in style for me. Also, I find Next sizing huge. I was a 10 in Next when I was overweight!

Seriously? You think a size 10 in Next would fit an overweight person?? I would actually be worried about your state of mind in that case. Unless your 4foot nothing, a UK size 4/6 is absolutely tiny. Get real.

I assure you, my Next size 10 jeans were baggy on me when I weighed 155 lbs, which is overweight for me at 5'5". It is nothing to do with state of mind, it's a simple numerical fact.

I didn't say I was a UK4/6. a UK 4 barely exists and I don't know many shops that sell 6s. I am not at all thin, which is why I am amazed that everything seems to be too big now. I weigh a stone more than I did at 22, and I was a size 10 then. Vanity sizing seems to have gone crazy in the last 12 years. In measurements I should be a 10, but 10s everywhere are too big, and I can't find 8s in the styles I like.

At 125 lbs and 5'5" no one sane would think I was underweight, so why can't I find any clothes to fit?! My hips are only 34 inches, which is part of the problem.

asyouseefit

I'm 128 lbs and 5"5 (with 36" hips) and most clothes I own say UK size 12 on the label (H&M, Zara, Mexx...). I doubt a size 10 would fit an overweight person!

dianeellen2

Try Primark - most of their clothes are very small and they go down to 6 and 8 UK

fteale

I'm 128 lbs and 5"5 (with 36" hips) and most clothes I own say UK size 12 on the label (H&M, Zara, Mexx...). I doubt a size 10 would fit an overweight person!

I'm only saying how it is. Those jeans are a 10, and they fitted me when I was 155lbs. I am now 125 ish and am a size 8 everywhere. Most of the clothes I own are a 12, as that was what I was before, and they all look like sacks on me.

BumbyDog

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

I think both Next and Topshop are a bit young in style for me. Also, I find Next sizing huge. I was a 10 in Next when I was overweight!

Seriously? You think a size 10 in Next would fit an overweight person?? I would actually be worried about your state of mind in that case. Unless your 4foot nothing, a UK size 4/6 is absolutely tiny. Get real.

I assure you, my Next size 10 jeans were baggy on me when I weighed 155 lbs, which is overweight for me at 5'5". It is nothing to do with state of mind, it's a simple numerical fact.

I didn't say I was a UK4/6. a UK 4 barely exists and I don't know many shops that sell 6s. I am not at all thin, which is why I am amazed that everything seems to be too big now. I weigh a stone more than I did at 22, and I was a size 10 then. Vanity sizing seems to have gone crazy in the last 12 years. In measurements I should be a 10, but 10s everywhere are too big, and I can't find 8s in the styles I like.

At 125 lbs and 5'5" no one sane would think I was underweight, so why can't I find any clothes to fit?! My hips are only 34 inches, which is part of the problem.

At 132lbs and 5' 2" I am currently wearing size 10 next jeans! And I'm not 'fat' either, just would prefer to lose 10lbs. Under 9 stone at your height is thin imo. But "can't find 8s in the styles I like" is a different problem. I see size 8's all over the place.

shasim

Wallis "Petite" range and also M&S do size 8's

fteale

Have you tried shopping online at New Look and Topshop? I know they do they do UK8 and Topshop go down to UK4 so they may have something that may fit.
boohoo.com, do loads of dresses and stuff and go down to a size 8 as do Next. (Next is my favourite for well fitting clothes!)

I think both Next and Topshop are a bit young in style for me. Also, I find Next sizing huge. I was a 10 in Next when I was overweight!

Seriously? You think a size 10 in Next would fit an overweight person?? I would actually be worried about your state of mind in that case. Unless your 4foot nothing, a UK size 4/6 is absolutely tiny. Get real.

I assure you, my Next size 10 jeans were baggy on me when I weighed 155 lbs, which is overweight for me at 5'5". It is nothing to do with state of mind, it's a simple numerical fact.

I didn't say I was a UK4/6. a UK 4 barely exists and I don't know many shops that sell 6s. I am not at all thin, which is why I am amazed that everything seems to be too big now. I weigh a stone more than I did at 22, and I was a size 10 then. Vanity sizing seems to have gone crazy in the last 12 years. In measurements I should be a 10, but 10s everywhere are too big, and I can't find 8s in the styles I like.

At 125 lbs and 5'5" no one sane would think I was underweight, so why can't I find any clothes to fit?! My hips are only 34 inches, which is part of the problem.

At 132lbs and 5' 2" I am currently wearing size 10 next jeans! And I'm not 'fat' either, just would prefer to lose 10lbs. Under 9 stone at your height is thin imo. But "can't find 8s in the styles I like" is a different problem. I see size 8's all over the place.

I don't have a problem buying jeans. It's dresses I never see in smaller sizes. It seems to be party dresses or nothing.

SkyPixie

Have you tried Mango or Zara online?
Zara goes down to a size 6 and I think Mango goes as far as a 4 !

UK sizing is mad ..
I have a different issue in that I have an 11/12 inch difference between my hips and waist so nothing seems to fit right :sad:

I was told by the woman in the fitting rooms at Marks and Spencer that I just wasn't a fashionable shape any more :noway:

fteale

Have you tried Mango or Zara online?
Zara goes down to a size 6 and I think Mango goes as far as a 4 !

UK sizing is mad ..
I have a different issue in that I have an 11/12 inch difference between my hips and waist so nothing seems to fit right :sad:

I was told by the woman in the fitting rooms at Marks and Spencer that I just wasn't a fashionable shape any more :noway:

Zara clothes come up really small. I will try them.
It's not that I need a small size, really. By my measurements I should be a UK 10. It's just that nowhere seems to stock clothes that are true to size. I used to be a 10 in Jigsaw when I weighed 8 stone. Now I am an 8 or XS in there at 9 stone and they never have any in stock. Probably because everyone else is having the same problem as me! It's not me, it's the sizing!

ackeebee

try asos.com for nice dresses/tops. for jeans i would recommend tk maxx.

SkyPixie

The UK has gone mad with vanity sizing they are getting bigger and bigger and no two shops size the same...it makes shopping really frustrating.

I can go between an 8-12 depending on the shop but according to the sizing tables I need a different size for each bit of me !

I quite like the concept of Bravissimo clothing that they have the standard (ish) sizes but in different fittings depending on body shape.

I don't think shops are helping in the war on wobbly bits as its too easy now to kid yourself you are a couple of sizes smaller than you really are if you shop in certain places..

gemco

you might be 125lb my dear, but your body fat percentage is pretty low and you're very muscular so while someone else might be a 12 with your numbers it doesnt mean you have the same body shape.

i dont think comparing weight for weight now and 12 yrs ago is all that useful as weight is just one element. you might weight a stone more but that doesnt mean you're bigger than then and therefore sizes have grown. i do think clothes sizes have changed and got more generous in the last decade though, so a combination perhaps. you were still tiny when you were 'overweight' though. and you can talk to rl friends , it's not bragging, it's a genuine problem for everyone i think with UK sizing. it varies from shop to shop and the measuring charts seem meaningless. we can't just order something and know it will fit, you have to get to know what size you are in each specific shop. which is a PITA. and we could really do with inbetween sizes too, while i'm ranting

fteale

you might be 125lb my dear, but your body fat percentage is pretty low and you're very muscular so while someone else might be a 12 with your numbers it doesnt mean you have the same body shape.

i dont think comparing weight for weight now and 12 yrs ago is all that useful as weight is just one element. you might weight a stone more but that doesnt mean you're bigger than then and therefore sizes have grown. i do think clothes sizes have changed and got more generous in the last decade though, so a combination perhaps. you were still tiny when you were 'overweight' though. and you can talk to rl friends , it's not bragging, it's a genuine problem for everyone i think with UK sizing. it varies from shop to shop and the measuring charts seem meaningless. we can't just order something and know it will fit, you have to get to know what size you are in each specific shop. which is a PITA. and we could really do with inbetween sizes too, while i'm ranting

Thanks Gem! I am just having a real issue trying to buy winter clothes!

ackeebee

you might be 125lb my dear, but your body fat percentage is pretty low and you're very muscular so while someone else might be a 12 with your numbers it doesnt mean you have the same body shape.

i dont think comparing weight for weight now and 12 yrs ago is all that useful as weight is just one element. you might weight a stone more but that doesnt mean you're bigger than then and therefore sizes have grown. i do think clothes sizes have changed and got more generous in the last decade though, so a combination perhaps. you were still tiny when you were 'overweight' though. and you can talk to rl friends , it's not bragging, it's a genuine problem for everyone i think with UK sizing. it varies from shop to shop and the measuring charts seem meaningless. we can't just order something and know it will fit, you have to get to know what size you are in each specific shop. which is a PITA. and we could really do with inbetween sizes too, while i'm ranting

yes, i am in favour of inbetween sizes. for me 10 is often abit too small and 12 is way too big so i can never find anything that fits perfectly

suzycreamcheese

i dont think topshop or newlook would be too young for you necessarily. Not all of it anyway. You just need to pick and choose.

I think itd be worth going to a bigger town/city for a shopping spree, as i dont think an 8 is a hard size to buy for

and I agree about next sizes. Theyre massive

SandraLD

Ever watched the American show "What not to Wear?" They suggest making your tailor your best friend. Buy clothes you love and have them tailored to fit you exactly. We are never the same shape even if we are the same size. I remember when I lost weight a few years ago and was the same size 14 as my Mom. Her comment was "How can we be the same size?" She is 5'7 and I am 5'2 and not the same shape as her at all. However yes we were the same size.

Ok so having your clothes tailored costs a bit of money but it is worth it. I do it when necessary as I am so short everything is way to long on me. It mens though that I have a small wardrobe but one I love.

Good luck.

suzycreamcheese

i get a lot of stuff from H&M and im a curvy 8