Ridiculous clothing sizing in shops.

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Replies

  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
    ETA: I'm thinking about learning how to sew so that I can just make my own damn clothes - sizing be damned.

    I've got 3 pair of pants and a couple of suits made by a tailor- no size labels at all! Not recommended till you get to your target weight, though.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    The variation is frustrating. Yesterday I picked up 2 pairs of trousers in a sale, 1 pair a size I'm now squeezing into, the other pair the next size down (they were a more summery material). As they were very cheap I didn't bother trying them on until I got home. I got home and found the supposedly bigger size are the same if not slightly smaller than the next size down. Not a big deal as it means I now have 2 pairs of 'next size down' but irritating.
  • catfive1
    catfive1 Posts: 529 Member
    I tend to only shop in a couple of different stores. I know their sizing.
  • FXOjafar
    FXOjafar Posts: 173 Member
    It's absolutely RIDICULOUS. It's never this hard for men - my husband wears a size 32 in pants, period, no matter who makes them or what they are. Is it some kind of conspiracy in the fashion world to make women feel like utter poo about themselves? Ugh.

    There is no conspiracy. I'm a large T-Shirt at K-Mart, but I'm an XL button up shirt in the same store! (K-Mart and Target for interim and goal clothes ftw lol).

    I have some more expensive shirts from a hemp fashion place and the large is just right on some shirts but a bit big on a different shirt from the same shop.

    I guess S, L, XL sizing is in the eyes of the beholder. There doesn't seem to be a set measurement.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    There are certain pieces of clothing I never ever buy on line with pants & bras leading the list.
    Ditto for bathing suits,talk about crazy sizing:grumble:

    No size involved,but I love purses,know just what I want. That means ...go shopping.:cry:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    There are certain pieces of clothing I never ever buy on line with pants & bras leading the list.
    Ditto for bathing suits,talk about crazy sizing:grumble:

    With bras and bathing suits I often have no choice, but to purchase online since it's a challenge to find my size in stores.

    I'm on the other end of the spectrum and find most clothing runs larger or they just don't carry the less common smaller sizes.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I just hate that there is no way to know your size, not that I care what size it's called.

    I even ordered a pair of skinny jeans online in 2 different colors, using the given size chart. One pair fit and the other was at least a size smaller, just for being a different color! It's like they don't even have to care about quality control in sizing and that it's a given we have to try every single item on first. So frustrating!
  • kazxoxx
    kazxoxx Posts: 15 Member
    Its the same here in the UK.
    In 1 shop I am 14, in another a 16 and in another an 18.
    Its stupid

    Haha - go to M&S, youll be a 10 or a 12 there (there's not much I like but it's great buying a 10). I stear clear of new look and la senza - they would have me buying 18s, the b@stards.
    you actually made me LOL! And so true !
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    It's a conspiracy - all clothing designers had a meeting a decided that if they all sized things differently it would drive women insane - like we needed just one more thing to drive us nuts :grumble:
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    I wear anything from a size 10 to a size 16 in pants and a size medium to a size extra large in tops depending on the brand, cut, and style I buy. Don't worry about the tag size. No one sees it but you. Just buy what fits.
  • thegingerpirate
    thegingerpirate Posts: 33 Member
    Thank you for this. Now I don't feel so absolutely crazy for not knowing what size I am. I went into a store wearing a pair of their "Haley" jeans in a 9/10 from the year before, hoping to replace them with a newer pair of the same jeans, tried on a pair of the same "haley" jeans in a 9/10 and they wouldn't even fit over my thighs! I would understand, "hey the jeans stretched out since I bought them," but the new jeans were SO much smaller! I haven't shopped there since.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    These are all true.
    And as far as plus sizes go, I swear there is a point where they just start making things longer.
  • AngelAura777
    AngelAura777 Posts: 225 Member
    The only time it really sucks is when they have none of the large sizes left and the only things on the rack would fit a kid!! Thats when I get discouraged when I cant get an item that I really like! but I dont care what number I am and I have a lot more muscle than fat now so I know I have been making progress I just hate it when they only stock heaps of small sizes or everyone beats me to buying the larger ones haha!
  • LB30
    LB30 Posts: 109 Member
    My biggest pet peeve is "ladies cut" which I now know is code for THESE ARE CHILDRENS' SIZES. When I buy t-shirts or knit tops in department stores, I usually wear a medium. One year, we ordered logo shirts at work. In the 'ladies cut", I learned that if I wanted to wear the shirt while simultaneously breathing air, I needed a 2XL. I made the same mistake ordering a t-shirt on-line. Again "ladies cut'. I ordered the XL (largest they made) thinking I'd be okay. Had to give it to my 11 yr old daughter who is all of 4'10, 73 lbs. Fits her fine, like a youth XL. Good thing I've indoctrinated her into liking MY favorite sports teams!! :huh:
  • claudie08
    claudie08 Posts: 154 Member
    I'm a large sized woman and the size of clothing for me, especially pants, can vary depending on the designer. It doesn't matter what size or shape you are, it happens to us all. Truly frustrating!
  • charlicee
    charlicee Posts: 53
    WW2 standardized clothing for men and women, but in the last 20+ years companies began to deviate, increasing the sizes of their clothing so customers could feel better in an illusional sense. Today's size 8 was a size 10-12 in yesteryear. Cheaper clothing is actually worse than more expensive clothing. My Levi's 36 pants (men size) are very loose on me, whereas my Aero and Hollister jeans of the same size can now just reach up to my natural waste. With my shoes, some are a mens 7D, but have gone up as much as an 8.5D. With the way I am losing weight, I think I may lose a show size again, it happened to me with my life pre-pregnancy!!!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    The only time it really sucks is when they have none of the large sizes left and the only things on the rack would fit a kid!! Thats when I get discouraged when I cant get an item that I really like! but I dont care what number I am and I have a lot more muscle than fat now so I know I have been making progress I just hate it when they only stock heaps of small sizes or everyone beats me to buying the larger ones haha!

    Are you shopping in the junior's department? Or the juniors stores that are intended for teenagers? It sounds like that may be your issue, if there is clothing that is child sized. Some stores are made for teenagers.

    Go to the stores that carry your size and don't go to the stores that don't.
  • jamiebxo
    jamiebxo Posts: 116
    I was discussing this with a Facebook friend the other day. She's tiny and is usually a UK size 10 but had to get a UK size 16 pair of jeans in H&M?!

    I'm a UK size 10 generally myself and I can fit into UK size 8 skirts and shorts and tops in the likes of Primark but when it comes to Primark dresses I struggle to zip up a UK size 12 - you'd think I had a "triangle" sort of body shape, broader top and smaller hips but that's not the case as I'm fairly even up top and bottom. And then in Miss Selfridge I struggle to zip up UK size 10 shorts and just about got the size 12's on, but then size 12's in Topshop and New Look are way too big and the 10's are even a little roomy. It destroys my confidence when I'm fitting in 8's and 10's in one shop just to find myself having to literally squeeze into a size 12 in the next. And it makes online clothes shopping a nightmare.

    Shops really need to come together and standardise their sizes, it's ridiculous.
  • lambchoplewis1
    lambchoplewis1 Posts: 156 Member
    I think the more expensive the clothes, the smaller size you will fit into!! Fitting a smaller size number makes you wNt to buy and spend the extra $$$$.
  • tlp8rb
    tlp8rb Posts: 556 Member
    I think the more expensive the clothes, the smaller size you will fit into!! Fitting a smaller size number makes you wNt to buy and spend the extra $$$$.

    Absolutely!! The higher the price, the more generous the garment is cut.d

    What I really hate is seeing women on these weight loss shows (US TV) who start out at 250 pounds, drop down to 180, and are then presented as wearing a size 6 or 8. No way woman who weighs 180 pounds, regardless of how tall she is, is getting into a size 6 or 8 outfit. When I was that weight, I wore a 14 if I didn't mind being a little uncomfortable, and a 16 if I wanted to breathe.
  • EngineerPrincess
    EngineerPrincess Posts: 306 Member
    I currently fit into both a 1 and a 9 from different shops, they fit about the same. That's how horrific our clothing sizing is in the US. It's sad, and makes shopping take more time.
  • f1redshoes
    f1redshoes Posts: 79
    I always think of it the way Victoria Wood put it in one of her shows:

    "In BHS I'm a size 16, in C&A I'm a size 18. In Marks & Spencer I'm a 3 because they didn't want to upset anyone..."

    I think of the size as a rough guide but keep in mind that it's probably just a "vanity" number. I mean I tried on a dress the other day that claimed to be a UK size 6. According to the inner label, it was actually a UK 4 (US 0). It was bigger than the size 8 dress I'd just tried on!

    Mens sizing is far more consistent. I know what size to buy and I *WILL* be that size in any shop I go into. Can't we have that sort of consistency in womens clothing too?
  • MTLCurves
    MTLCurves Posts: 14 Member
    Vanity sizing is nothing new.If you measure jeans, all the same size (by the traditional 2, 4, 6 numbering) but from different stores, the inches in the waistbands will be different. Hitha shared three different jeans which were 25, 28 and 30 inches, but all labeled the same size 6.

    Hitha says there's really no "size 6"; it's whatever inches the store decides to make it. There are so many different cuts and versions of jeans out there, at all the different retailers, and Hitha says that that is why the jeans haven't been regulated. Companies are also catering to a "smaller body type." Hitha says this sizing applies to all clothing, except shoes.

    Why are women being defined by sizes? Shouldn't it be about body type? Ultimately, Hitha and Bethenny agree that you have to be number blind and take these steps to find clothes that fit you, not the retailers' numbers.

    5 Steps to Find Your Size, Every Time

    1. Reclaim your size and understand that the numbers in the clothing aren't always true. Know that vanity sizing exists and follow these steps to find the right fit for your size instead of what a retailer tells you is your size.

    2. Have a trusted brand. You have to know what brands work for you, especially if you shop online.

    3. Consider the cut that you're wearing. All the dresses shown were smalls, but all have a different cut.

    4. Beware of stores that have young branding — some of these size them very differently. They want to target a teen demographic and make others feel younger, skinnier and smaller.

    5. Know your measurements and shop with a tape measure!
  • bakerrxo
    bakerrxo Posts: 1
    Funny you should post about this, I was just on this website here : http://sizes.darkgreener.com/ after a Facebook discussion about sizes. You put your bust-waist-hip measurements in, and it shows you what sizes you are in certain stores, based on their individual sizing charts.
    As someone with quite odd proportions (in my mind, at least!) I wouldn't call it accurate in all ways, but still good to know and think about. Seeing the differences between stores is just ridiculous!
    Vanity sizing is so stupid. I'm pro cutting tags off clothes, but at the same time, it would be nice not to be too disturbed or bothered if you have to size up, or cut tags off if you're embarrassed by them, because that's not a particularly positive behavior. Cutting them off because they rub or get in the way is something is a completely different thing, of course.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    It is crazy how lady clothes are sized. Like my fiance got me a 2xl lady t shirt from a website....it was the same as his mens medium. Im fat damnit, a 2xl is not a medium. Just go w what fits you and ignore the sizes
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    I think the more expensive the clothes, the smaller size you will fit into!! Fitting a smaller size number makes you wNt to buy and spend the extra $$$$.

    Absolutely!! The higher the price, the more generous the garment is cut.d

    What I really hate is seeing women on these weight loss shows (US TV) who start out at 250 pounds, drop down to 180, and are then presented as wearing a size 6 or 8. No way woman who weighs 180 pounds, regardless of how tall she is, is getting into a size 6 or 8 outfit. When I was that weight, I wore a 14 if I didn't mind being a little uncomfortable, and a 16 if I wanted to breathe.
    That really depends on your body. Im a naturally muscular person,at 180 I wore size small ts and looked like I weighed much less.
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    yes definitely agree :)
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 Member
    I dont think it should matter since no one even sees the tag anyways! Wear what looks good and makes you feel good! I will add that I totally agree its crazy. My favorite is that I am 3 different sizes in the same store. At lululemon I am Size 12 in hoodies and jackets, a 10 in tanks and an 8 in pants!, what the heck! haha
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
    These are all true.
    And as far as plus sizes go, I swear there is a point where they just start making things longer.

    LMAO... I really used to think that the plus size clothing figured if you were wide then you had to be tall... I am a whopping 5'5" so that so didn't work for me, lots of dragging hems...
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
    I've tried to keep my jeans purchases to one store as I've gone down to minimize the variations and frustration. Old Navy is fairly lower priced and has a bunch of sales all of the time. Although they tend to run big as I am now currently fitting into their size 6's. (I am now about 170 and have a butt and thighs) but hey = who am I to argue :) I consider it a win as it is the first time that I have been in a single digit pants size since the 80's maybe... but I know if I go shopping elsewhere, I will not fit those sizes at all.

    Other than buying large tops, I would have no idea what actual size shirts I wear - but I happen to be pretty busty, so I am not counting on that changing. I was just happy when I could lose that X finally. And button up shirts are a risk on any size...

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