Women's Clothing Size

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  • FitSuga
    FitSuga Posts: 262 Member
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    I won't ever go by clothing size because they differ so much. I can fit anywhere from a 4-8 which is a pretty big range to me. On top of that, we are all built so differently and some of our bodies change greatly after having children as well. Also keep in mind, you can compare two women of the same weight, height, and similar build but completely different sizes based on their muscle mass/Bodyfat %.
  • JskC1893
    JskC1893 Posts: 156 Member
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    Check out this website.

    It really gives a great sense of what each body size actually looks like at varying weights, clothing sizes, etc. It can really be a self esteem booster.

    Its callled

    Mybodygallery.com

    Check it out!!
  • LivDixon
    LivDixon Posts: 22 Member
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    My sizes are pretty consistent according to where I shop. I'm 155 and wear a 3/4. At just 6 pounds heavier, I was in a 5/6, but I AM only 5'2. I'm technically overweight by bmi standards, but I'm leaning out. It's tough for me because I can't find anyone with a body composition like mine! Everyone's like, "A size 4 at your weight? Impossible!"
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
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    www.mybodygallery.com

    As well as differences in manufacturer's sizes, there is a huge difference between what body type fits in to one size. I'm 5'5", 150 and I wear a size 6 or 8 in almost everything. But someone else the same height and weight but with a different fat to muscle ratio might wear a 14, or someone else might be a 4.
  • MIM49
    MIM49 Posts: 255 Member
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    I'm curious to see how much clothing size fluctuates among women. I read posts on here where people talk about how much weight they have lost and what dress size they are now in, and the numbers just don't relate at all to my own experience. I know sizes can differ based on manufacturer, but I thought it would be interesting to collect some information here. If anything it may serve to illustrate why clothing size is not a good indicator of being overweight (I personally do not focus on what actual size I am, but I have been in stores where a size 12 is considered pretty big and in some stores size 14 is a plus size, whereas I'm always quite happy in a 12 and 10 is the lowest I could reasonably expect).

    I'm 5'6" and currently weigh 150 lbs. I can fit into my size 12 pants but they are just a tiny bit more snug than I would like.

    I started out at 155 lbs and this put me in a size 14, a bit loose but 12 was uncomfortably tight.

    I've gotten as low as 138 in the last few years, and 12 was roomy, 10 a wee bit too tight.

    I think measurement--waist, hips, chest/bust are needed,too. A tall woman can weigh 150 and wear a size 10 (just an example) while a short woman weighing 150 might wear a 16.
  • lady6starlight
    lady6starlight Posts: 127 Member
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    It varies so much between brands. A Forever 21+ size 14 was falling down while I was running for the bus, but yet an Angel's jeans size 15 can barely get over my toosh.

    Why can't women just use their actual measurements by inch like men do?
  • DrPepper000
    DrPepper000 Posts: 48 Member
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    We have the same problem in the UK. I have size 14 to 22 (UK sizes) in my wardrobe and all of them fit me, though the jacket that is a 22 is a bit looser now.

    I'm a long term M&S shopper and know for a fact that a few years ago they downsized their range so a 14 today used to be a 16. They said that it was to make us 'feel' better about ourselves. Size 16 is the UK's average size. The 14s I have now are the old size 16s. How do I know? Because I have some 'old' size 14s I just can't get into.............yet!

    We're all different sizes whether it's in clothes or on the scales. I'll never be less than 11.5 stone/161lbs (5'10", age 54) as I have a large frame and below that weight all my ribs and hip bones stick out. Another lady the same height would probably look great at a lower or higher weight than that. Just don't get hung up on what other people do. We are all different and we should celebrate that :-)

    Hate that sizing stuff, they call it vanity sizing. I believe Old Navy here is a pretty big culprit of that!! (I could be wrong, but I think that is the company I read a lot about with vanity sizing )

    I rode the crest of the vanity sizing. In 1968, I was 5' 7 " and weighed 118. I wore a size 12, couldn't squeeze into a 10. They didn't sell anything below an 11/12 except in specialty stores. I remember when they opened a store called 5,7,9. For the really tiny people. I wore a size 12 until I hit 170 pounds in the 1990's. I kept getting bigger and so did the size 12's. Now I am 188 and wear a 14 in pants. It amuses me to see my teens shop for 0 and 00 jeans. What is next? Minus sizes?
  • PunkinSpice79
    PunkinSpice79 Posts: 309 Member
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    5'5" and 125 pounds. Wear size 6. Can also comfortably wear 8s. I fit into 4's, but too snug. When I drop another 10, I'll get back into my 4's. I carry my weight in my tummy. :(
  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
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    I'm in the UK. I'm 5ft 6in, weigh 8stone 7lb (But I'm working on it!)

    In my wardrobe I have clothes which are size 10, 8, 6 and (my favourite) GAP size 0 jeans.

    Explain that?????
  • syk731
    syk731 Posts: 34 Member
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    I'm 5'5. At my highest weight, I was almost 170 lbs and was wearing a size 10 pants in most brands. They were snug on me, but not too tight.

    I'm currently 135 and wear a size 2 or 4, depending on the brand and the style.

    I've now been able to fit into many of my old clothes that I've kept. I have a skirt from Ann Taylor and I don't remember how old it is, but it's a size 10. At some point, it was too big on me, so I took it in at the seams. When I gained weight, I let the seams back out, but even then, I couldn't wear it for years. The skirt is only slightly loose on me now - but I wear a size 2 or 4 in current Ann Taylor pants, and the skirt is a size 10! So yes, there is definitely vanity sizing abound.
  • LeviLeDoux
    LeviLeDoux Posts: 151 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and at 120 lbs I wore a size 4. At 103 I'm wearing a 0/1 now.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
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    I seem to have a pair of "size 18" pants for all the sizes on my way down. I have 18s that are falling off, 18s that fit comfortably, 18s that I can just squeeze into, and 18s that I can't even pull up.

    For now, when I shop for new a pair I usually start by trying on the 14s and go from there. I'm 5'5½ " and 210 pounds.
  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
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    I'm about size 2 height is 5'4'' and my weight fluctuates from 117-121
  • invisible1030
    invisible1030 Posts: 8
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    Women's sizes are really weird. Most expensive brands run smaller than they should, and places like Walmart can be bigger. I'm 5'7", about 174lbs, and I fit anything from a 4 to an 8, and even a 10 at some places. I was trying in clothes the other day and fit into a small at Victoria's Secret, then at express I was fitting a six in some styles, an 8 in others, and a 10 in shorts. I usually don't worry too much about clothing sizes since they fluctuate so much, I just measure my body fat percentage estimate.
  • dreamingof_thin
    dreamingof_thin Posts: 40
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    I weigh 104lbs, and I recently found out that I fit in UK 6 trousers, so I wear UK 6/8 bottoms and UK 8/10 tops because I like my tops to be a little baggier
  • jr235
    jr235 Posts: 201 Member
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    I'm 5'9" and my last major shopping expedition I was about 145. I'm very bottom heavy, big butt and thighs, small boobs and waist and I wear a size 14 or 16 UK for pants, a S or M for shirts, and anywhere from a 6-10 for dresses.

    If only I could transfer some of the weight from my thighs to my boobs. Then I would be rockin it.
  • jadethief
    jadethief Posts: 266 Member
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    We have the same problem in the UK. I have size 14 to 22 (UK sizes) in my wardrobe and all of them fit me, though the jacket that is a 22 is a bit looser now.

    I'm a long term M&S shopper and know for a fact that a few years ago they downsized their range so a 14 today used to be a 16. They said that it was to make us 'feel' better about ourselves. Size 16 is the UK's average size. The 14s I have now are the old size 16s. How do I know? Because I have some 'old' size 14s I just can't get into.............yet!

    We're all different sizes whether it's in clothes or on the scales. I'll never be less than 11.5 stone/161lbs (5'10", age 54) as I have a large frame and below that weight all my ribs and hip bones stick out. Another lady the same height would probably look great at a lower or higher weight than that. Just don't get hung up on what other people do. We are all different and we should celebrate that :-)

    Hate that sizing stuff, they call it vanity sizing. I believe Old Navy here is a pretty big culprit of that!! (I could be wrong, but I think that is the company I read a lot about with vanity sizing )

    I rode the crest of the vanity sizing. In 1968, I was 5' 7 " and weighed 118. I wore a size 12, couldn't squeeze into a 10. They didn't sell anything below an 11/12 except in specialty stores. I remember when they opened a store called 5,7,9. For the really tiny people. I wore a size 12 until I hit 170 pounds in the 1990's. I kept getting bigger and so did the size 12's. Now I am 188 and wear a 14 in pants. It amuses me to see my teens shop for 0 and 00 jeans. What is next? Minus sizes?

    I weighed 100 lbs in 1979 and wore a size 7/8. The 5,7, 9 store was my favorite place to shop. I try not to think about what my size today would be in 1979 terms, lol
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I don't think the actual clothing size matters. It's only a measure based on how you see the changes. Your own clothing getting bigger and looser on you, needing to buy a smaller size, then needing to get it tailored, then tailored again, then needing to buy a smaller size. That was how it was for me. After having my babies I was wearing a size 4. Then the size 4's were falling off of me (literally). So, I bought size 2 and had the waist made smaller, then a little while later I needed to take it in and have them made smaller again. So, I went back to the same store and was now wearing a 00 in the same brand/style. I'm 5'2", I weigh 100 pounds, my waist is 23 inches and my hips/booty is 34 inches. Certainly sizing number could be influenced by vanity sizing. And I don't really care about that. I've never cared what the number was. Only cared to see the visible changes. I was eating at maintenance and lifting weights. I only lost 5-9 pounds at most.
  • plantgrrl
    plantgrrl Posts: 436 Member
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    Vanity sizing has really escalated in the past few years. I have one pair of jeans in my house from my freshman year in HS. They are Calvin Klein "size 10." These are 15 year old jeans. Last time I lost weigh, they finally fit again when I got to a GAP/Eddie Bauer size 6.

    Right now, I weigh 163 lbs, 5'3", bust 40, waist 34, hips 43. Jeans/dresses I am a 12. I can imagine that I will be a 2-4 when I get to goal--which seems crazy, because that was most definitely an 8 when I was middle school HS. They are "just numbers" but honestly, vanity size scaling is part of the weigh problem. If you're getting bigger--and not weighing yourself, and you go to the clothing store and find that the *same* numerical sizes are fitting you, you will be less willing to acknowledge there's a problem.

    I wish we could just buy things by measurement, like men's clothes.

    Ah well...

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