Do "designer" jeans run super SMALL??

graysmom2005
graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have three pairs of snazzy jeans. LOL! And this last pair I got (Joe's Jeans) were at a second hand store for 45 bucks! Here is the thing. In order to get a pair even buttoned, I had to get a 31! I think that's the equivalent of a 12? I'm usually a 4 or 6 in regular jeans. My Hudson's are a 30 and my True Religions are a 29? A 6 is a 28 and I couldn't even get them buttoned! Is this a conspiracy? Do they just want bean poles wearing their pricey jeans?? It's nuts!

Replies

  • tigertchr23
    tigertchr23 Posts: 418 Member
    YES! It is so frustrating! They just like you to have to keep guessing so you have to keep shopping around or something. JERKS! :laugh:
  • surfrgrl1
    surfrgrl1 Posts: 1,464 Member
    it is a conspiracy! :smokin:
  • Saksgirl1
    Saksgirl1 Posts: 248
    I'm no where close to skinny and I love my designer jeans! But I think it has to do more with the fit than with the brand! Last year I bought some sevens in a 30 - they fit perfectly! I later found another pair on sale in a 30 which barely went above my hips! I had the same issue with citizens! Joe's I find run weird though. Every pair I've tried (and bought) have been tight in the store but then within 1-2 wears they are falling off.... not a big fan of Joes.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    I think it all depends on the type of cut, like boot cut, skinny, or loose fit. I bought a pair this weekend and my legs are pretty big so I went with the loose fit and they fit perfectly and the waste is a smaller size than I wore in High School. I have noticed though on my Kenneth Cole dress pants they run a little smaller and so do some of my Calvin Klein shirts.
  • jheath123
    jheath123 Posts: 101
    Sometimes jeans at a 2nd hand store...Goodwill or Salvation army could have been tailored to fit someone, who may have liked extra baggy jeans. This has happened to me twice I bought a pair of 34/32s and the waist had to only be 31 and you could see the button was moved, luckily I have a skinny friend to give them to and he even said they were tight waisted.
  • susanofscottsdale
    susanofscottsdale Posts: 114
    It drives me nuts too. The differences are so great from one brand/cut to the next that I find that I reach for the same pairs repeatedly. Maybe it is a way of building brand loyalty.......but sure does not help winover new customers.
  • risefromruin
    risefromruin Posts: 483 Member
    They really are all different, haha. In Sevens I can wear a 27-28 but in Citizens I'd wear a bit bigger probably! If you think about it though, it's the same with any other jeans whether it be Levi's or Target brand...it always differs among brands!
  • Paige1108
    Paige1108 Posts: 432 Member
    Another thing to watch for with second hand, which most of my clothes are, is that the person before you may not have followed the care instructions. And you can really shrink a pair of cotton jeans with a hot water wash and a hot dryer.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Clothing retailers size according to their customers. That's why the clothes at Walmart are huge and designer clothes run small.
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
    I'm usually a 4 or 6 in regular jeans.

    What kind are your 'regular jeans?' You say you have 29s and 28s, so you sound like a 10 to me. My Nordstrom stops at 31 in the TBD department, where I get my spendy jeans, and their other clothes all stop at size 12, so I correlate 31 to a 12. There are also "juniors sizes" that Brass Plum, Forever 21 and American Eagle, etc use. Want to feel bad? Go over to Point of View, or Chico's or something and try on the 'women's' sized/cut jeans. SO not flattering, IMHO!

    I really don't get it myself, but I do know that all sizing is different. Also, there can even be huge variation within a brand! For example, I heard that the more layers of denim cut at once, the more variation from the top pair than the bottom. (If there are 20 layers of fabric being pressed, the fabric on the bottom will be larger since the blade isn't directly meeting it. Grrr, that explanation is confusing but I can't do better right now, sorry.)

    Personally, I use my jean fit for my progress indicator. The scale was always fluctuating so I threw it away. I don't think I've lost weight, but I went from 30s and 31s to 28s! I got a pair of Sevens at Goodwill that are too tight. They're my goal. I think they're a 26.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I am an 8 in all "regular" brand pants, e.g. the Gap, most brands you can buy at department stores like Macy's, etc. In mid-priced jeans like Lucky, I am still an 8 or 28. My maintenance goal reward was premium denim. I haven't bought anything yet, but I went to Nordstrom and tried on Joe's, Citizens, and Hudson and ALL of them I was in a 30+. I tried on everything but skinnies and flare (straight, bootcut, etc.) so I am not sure how the sizing works. Obviously, it DOESN'T work!
  • em1976
    em1976 Posts: 119 Member
    Im not entirely sure if its an Aussie brand but "Just Jeans' recently brought out a new range of jeans for woman of average size.Cant recall the exact name,like Levi Curve ID or Demi Curve.They are fantastic and my little sister brought a pair and they literally removed the saddlebags/muffin tops issue she has.Actual sizing too which helps immensely.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
    Designer jeans do run smaller - an explanation of this is here:

    http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the_myth_of_vanity_sizing/
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Designer jeans do run smaller - an explanation of this is here:

    http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the_myth_of_vanity_sizing/

    Wow, that was a very interesting read. Thanks for the link.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
    Clothing retailers size according to their customers. That's why the clothes at Walmart are huge and designer clothes run small.

    This is a rediculous statement. The manufactures place a size on the clothing that is vanity based and not reality based. It is a ridculous conspiracy and I wish some enforcement of standards would be instituted. My waist size is actually 34 but I have jeans that are size 31 and fit loose. Makes it so you can't buy anything on the net!!! ARGH

    Rant over.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I agree it is crazy... but I think the type of jean it is matters.

    When I wear "skinny" or "straight-legged" jeans, I need to up to an 8 or even a 10.. but the waist is super huge, while they fit every where else, which means i need to get the waist taken in.

    If I buy a curvy fit jean, I can fit into a 4 or a 6. So go figure.

    All I know is last time I weighed around 150(which was about 3 yrs ago) I was wearing a 10 to 12 in all pants... now I'm that same weight and can wear between a 4-8... with 8's being huge most of the time, and 10's falling off... so again I repeat, go figure.
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
    Depends on the designer and cut of the jeans... I found when I'm a 4 at say the Gap I'm a 28 in most designer jeans which is supposedly a 6 not a 4. Also - some 4's are bigger than others so it all depends on what you are comparing... At one point I had a pair of Calvin Klein 2's - I didn't kid myself, I knew that particular jean ran huge!
  • CLA2801
    CLA2801 Posts: 50 Member
    No they are just not ridiculously vanity-sized like many other cheaper brands.
  • nickthegenius
    nickthegenius Posts: 2
    From what I have read elsewhere and experienced, designer clothing is closer to euro sizing. Most of my motorcycling gear is European and everything from the jackets to pants to boots run small compared to the US-based companies items of the same size.

    Personally, I feel European companies and designer clothing are more true to size especially when it comes to items like jeans that are measured in cm or inches. They tend to measure out correctly, unlike some of the department store jeans of various brands I had prior to losing weight that are marked 36/30 and measure out to more like a 40/30. At that point I could barely get a pair of 36" Express jeans on let alone button them and my parents bought me a pair of kevlar-lined riding jeans that were 36" and I had to really work to get them on and was about 3" from being able to button them.

    Could it be companies have "adjusted/fudged" sizes to keep up with the average size of Americans?

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