Vanity Sizing! WHY?

odddrums

So I've been steadily loosing weight and noticed that all of my old work clothes are majorly loose on me, which is great because I'm not only making progress, but I need new clothes anyway :P

What's annoying is I've noticed stuff I bought about 5 years ago that are like 34 and 36 waists are still a bit tight, while I'll go out and buy new clothes and have to look for 32 and 34s because everything else is loose! I remember hearing an NPR story about vanity sizing and I guess it is alive and well in the big brands. Even things like sweatpants at Old Navy I'm noticing the Larges are too big so now I have to go looking for Mediums?

My question is, are there any brands that are close to their size or somewhat standard, or do I just have to try everything on forever? Also, are there any brands or styles that fit certain body types better? I'm still losing and would love some advice, or any resources on the matter? I feel like there should be a website or database on this somewhere...

Ladies feel free to vent and post your favorite brands too! I know my ex had a rather substantial behind and wore strictly Lucky Brand jeans because they were the only ones that would properly "contain her thunder" as she put it :P

futurestarz

I honestly didn't know that this was problem for men too. My fiance buys Levis and they seem to fit pretty standard. He is very thin and wears a 36. I know Old Navy usually runs big in everything. I can always wear a size smaller there...

dixiewhiskey

Places like Walmart, Zellers (now going out of business) pretty much do. Whether you stick with the generic brand of their corporation or go with Levis, ****ies, etc,.

About Old Navy - I noticed their sizes are so large! I measure at 36" for hips and fit into a Small! :laugh: Great marketing (and self-esteem booster).

wolfchild59

Old Navy definitely runs a bit large. I'm typically a size (or two) smaller in their clothes than I am from any other clothing brand.

And unfortunately even within company brands sizing won't always be consistent. I find that it's always better to just try stuff on rather than trust the label.

Kelley528

I dont know if it is actually vanity sizing. I think the problem is all people are shaped different whether they are male or female. I think it is very hard to label pants a 32, 34, etc... and expect that size to fit every single person who has that waist measurement. It is impossible.

Since you are a dude I cant offer specific examples to you but as a chick I have a tiny waist but curvy hips and an *kitten*. It has been very difficult for me to find pants no matter what size I am because all women have different body shapes and no one fits into a cookie-cutter size. One size 4 is not going to fit another size 4.

Just find a brand that works for you and stick with it and dont worry about the size on the label. As long as you are losing weight the clothing label doesnt count.

celebrity328

I know old navy sizes always are bigger then most brands dont understand that at all! I just get pants from Walmart since I found a brand that fits me really well. I just buy 1-2 pairs of pants until they are to big and start to fall off then go back get a smaller size. I have to try on everything, if it says size 10 and I try it on in one store, a 8 will be to big in another store, its mind boggling! If I know I need something I go online and look at department stores and see what the sizing is before hand. I have try on womens size shirts in the past that were to small but then try on a Jr size and it fits?! Its highly confusing to me !

TigressPat

not true about any of the brands (walmart especially) having a standard size.
it all varies with cut.

relaxed, carpenter, skinny, etc. a 34 is not the same as another 34

what I'd suggest is find one or two stores you like the looks of, try on a bunch, find a cut/style you like, then stick to the same cut.
I.e. if you like walmart's house brand relaxed cut, stick to those, that way a 34 will always be a 34, and when you need a 32, it will be a full size smaller but cut the same way.

when I used to buy jeans for my ex, I always knew what would fit him in what brands, and what he'd like by sticking to what he already had.

Amberonamission

They do this so more people can shop on "normal sized" clothing racks in the front of stores. Americans have become so fat that the majority would shop in the "plus size" section hidden in the back making the retailer look less busy.

odddrums

not true about any of the brands (walmart especially) having a standard size.
it all varies with cut.

relaxed, carpenter, skinny, etc. a 34 is not the same as another 34

what I'd suggest is find one or two stores you like the looks of, try on a bunch, find a cut/style you like, then stick to the same cut.
I.e. if you like walmart's house brand relaxed cut, stick to those, that way a 34 will always be a 34, and when you need a 32, it will be a full size smaller but cut the same way.

when I used to buy jeans for my ex, I always knew what would fit him in what brands, and what he'd like by sticking to what he already had.

That's true, I've noticed my carpenter cut of levi's size 38 fit slightly better than the 36 relaxed cut, but both fit pretty poorly. I just really hope I don't end up buying a bunch of jeans only to have them be too big for me in 3-6 months :P

TigressPat

not true about any of the brands (walmart especially) having a standard size.
it all varies with cut.

relaxed, carpenter, skinny, etc. a 34 is not the same as another 34

what I'd suggest is find one or two stores you like the looks of, try on a bunch, find a cut/style you like, then stick to the same cut.
I.e. if you like walmart's house brand relaxed cut, stick to those, that way a 34 will always be a 34, and when you need a 32, it will be a full size smaller but cut the same way.

when I used to buy jeans for my ex, I always knew what would fit him in what brands, and what he'd like by sticking to what he already had.

That's true, I've noticed my carpenter cut of levi's size 38 fit slightly better than the 36 relaxed cut, but both fit pretty poorly. I just really hope I don't end up buying a bunch of jeans only to have them be too big for me in 3-6 months :P

buy only a couple. How many pairs do you really need anyway?
*lol*

chooselove

Every clothing manufacturer has a demographic and "fit models" they use for their clothes. Certain mainstream stores like Walmart or even Victoria's Secret use larger fit models. Upscale designers will always use smaller or more true to size fit models.

odddrums

not true about any of the brands (walmart especially) having a standard size.
it all varies with cut.

relaxed, carpenter, skinny, etc. a 34 is not the same as another 34

what I'd suggest is find one or two stores you like the looks of, try on a bunch, find a cut/style you like, then stick to the same cut.
I.e. if you like walmart's house brand relaxed cut, stick to those, that way a 34 will always be a 34, and when you need a 32, it will be a full size smaller but cut the same way.

when I used to buy jeans for my ex, I always knew what would fit him in what brands, and what he'd like by sticking to what he already had.

That's true, I've noticed my carpenter cut of levi's size 38 fit slightly better than the 36 relaxed cut, but both fit pretty poorly. I just really hope I don't end up buying a bunch of jeans only to have them be too big for me in 3-6 months :P

buy only a couple. How many pairs do you really need anyway?
*lol*

Yeah, I've stopped buying clothes, I'm just going to wait for my brithday in May when I hopefully level out.

dixiewhiskey

I dunno.. I'm from Canada and usually stores like Walmart and Zellers sell generic pants (may be a specific style e.g. skinny fit) that matches the size of another brand e.g. Ardene's.

Best to try things on or wait to buy clothes for when you are at your goal weight