???The Great Jean Size Debate???

I'm always questioning my TRUE size when it comes to wearing jeans? I'm 5'4" / 157lbs and currently wear a Lucky Brand size 8 Class Rider jean. My jeans say size 8. However, I feel like a size 10!

I did discover the "Denim Debutante" Website that has information with a list of companies that make jeans and their sizing.
http://www.denimdebutante.com/how-do-jeans-fit

What are your thoughts/opinions?

Replies

  • nokanjaijo
    nokanjaijo Posts: 466 Member
    I will bookmark that. My pant sizes are all over the place so I just don't know what sizes mean. I am a 6 most often, then again most of my jeans are Gap.
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
    I stopped caring about jean sizes in different brands a long time ago. What size I wear depends on the cut. I've always had larger thighs no matter what size I am and different brands have different thigh to waist ratios. However, I do agree with that site. Some brands run small and some run larger.

    Here's a short blog about true size, hope it helps. http://sewingbysusan.blogspot.com/2011/04/true-to-size-and-what-does-it-mean.html
  • Amy62575
    Amy62575 Posts: 422 Member
    I stopped caring about jean sizes in different brands a long time ago. What size I wear depends on the cut.

    ^^This.
  • samattie
    samattie Posts: 3
    Are GAP jeans the same as Old Navy jeans? I know they're the same company, but I don't know if they are sized the same. All of my jeans are Old Navy, but only GAP appears on the list. Thoughts?
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    Sadly since sizes are no longer standardized, there is no "true size" in any thing for women. I went into one store and came out with a bunch of different shirts of the same store brand that all fit me great, but some were sized as small, some medium and some large.
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
    Are GAP jeans the same as Old Navy jeans? I know they're the same company, but I don't know if they are sized the same. All of my jeans are Old Navy, but only GAP appears on the list. Thoughts?

    Gap/Old Navy/ Banana Republic are part of the same corporation. They are not sized the same in my opinion. Read the blog on the link I posted above.
  • agoofynut
    agoofynut Posts: 101 Member
    The only thing I've found to be true is that the more expensive the jeans, the smaller the size I can wear. I figure that's how they convince you to spend more money.
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
    I decided to post the actual article from the first link I posted. Its from here http://sewingbysusan.blogspot.com/2011/04/true-to-size-and-what-does-it-mean.html

    "So if any of you have ever shopped for clothing-you know first hand that sizes range greatly between brands/stores. This can be a frustrating experience for you and can often make you wonder-why? To say that you are typically a size x but then when you shop find you are higher in size or lower in size can be a not fun experience in the dressing room!

    Some of you because of this have found stores that have the "best fit" for you and this is the reason why you return over and over and over again.

    Let's take two popular choices in clothing-Ann Taylor and Banana Republic.

    There is not a lot of difference in their size-but there is some. For example dresses between the two have the exact same bust measurement-but the waist measurement is different. Ann Taylor adds a 1/2 inch for its sizes in the waist. So if you are a size 8 and you try on a Banana Republic dress and it fits you perfectly in the bust and waist and then you try on a Ann Taylor dress and you realize that the waist seems a little big-well now you know why!

    When designers make their clothing a sizing chart is one of the first things that need to be created. There is no standard for this measurement which is why if you buy a size 14 from Lane Bryant the waist is 1.5 inches bigger than a size 14 Ann Taylor and 2 inches bigger than a size 14 at Banana Republic. Depending on the clothing that you are making and the market that you are going for a size chart is just as important as your design.

    So what does it mean when someone says that a garment is true to size when there is no standard on sizing? It isn't like every size 10 is the same size 10! While at a clothing party that I was invited too-this was one of the selling points. The common question in the room was-is anything true to size???

    The answer is yes. However it may not be what you are thinking. It doesn't mean that if you typically wear a size 12 that this particular clothing will fit you in a size 12. What it does mean is that if that brands sizing chart says that for a size 4 dress that the bust is going to be 34 inches and the waist is going to be 26 1/2 then it will be EXACTLY that size. So when asking if something is true to size-you are asking about their measurement chart-and not what size you typically wear."
  • Chrisgrz
    Chrisgrz Posts: 18 Member
    Purely a guy's point of view, but I've found this to be the same problem for men's jeans and slacks. The other day I had to try on some pants for work, I picked two pants of the same brand, same waist size but different lengths. One was ridiculously tight on me while the other one was loser, despite being the same waist size and same brand =\.

    So like all things, use it as a guideline and try things on to see how they fit first.
  • WilmaDennis91
    WilmaDennis91 Posts: 433 Member
    It always depends on the cut and brand. Also on your body shape.
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    Two words: Vanity Sizing.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    Well, in most brands I try I'm a 10, but I just bought 8s so they would still be tight. I find the tighter my jeans fit, the more incentive I have to keep going down! (Those are some old 14s in the pic, the largest size I ever bought...)

    There is a lot of vanity sizing. As a kid in the 70s I always wore an 11 or 13, but I was a lot smaller then! But these big hips have always been big hips, and always will be. That part is BONE.

    My funniest jeans story is when I was pregnant and accidentally put on hubby's jeans -- and they fit... that was embarrassing.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Sometimes it's hard for your brain to catch up with your size. I'm a 4 now which is hard for be to believe because I've always been an 8/10. I'll still pick up the 8s in the store thinking that they're going to fit.

    But at the end of the day does the size really matter? If the pants look great on you then it shouldn't matter if they're 2s or 20s.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    Here's an idea. Shop like a guy. Try 'em on and if you like the way they fit, buy 'em. If not, don't. Just saying . . .
  • tracivee
    tracivee Posts: 56 Member
    I'm always questioning my TRUE size when it comes to wearing jeans? I'm 5'4" / 157lbs and currently wear a Lucky Brand size 8 Class Rider jean. My jeans say size 8. However, I feel like a size 10!

    I did discover the "Denim Debutante" Website that has information with a list of companies that make jeans and their sizing.
    http://www.denimdebutante.com/how-do-jeans-fit

    What are your thoughts/opinions?

    I'm 5'5". At 150lbs, I was a size 10. I've never bought Lucky jeans for myself (WAY out of my budget), so that size 10 is from Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
    reason # 456 that I hate shopping.
  • Here's an idea. Shop like a guy. Try 'em on and if you like the way they fit, buy 'em. If not, don't. Just saying . . .
  • Chrisgrz
    Chrisgrz Posts: 18 Member
    Here's an idea. Shop like a guy. Try 'em on and if you like the way they fit, buy 'em. If not, don't. Just saying . . .
    @Tucker - You my friend have doomed us all... We're never going to get out of ross now...