Clothes sizes around the world

Reading posts on here and the occasional blog has got me wondering what the differences are in clothes sizes around the world. I read recently about a 225lb lady who was wearing size 14 clothes. I'm not sure where in the world she was from but here in the UK at that weight you would have to wear a size 20ish. So far I've lost 22lb and am just starting to fit into some of my size 16 clothes (CW 199.5), my heaviest weight was 217 and I was wearing size 18's and some 20's. I would have to lose the same again and more to get into a size 14.

Are there huge differences in clothing sizes around the world?

Replies

JulsDiane

I think it also depends on how you carry your weight; at 208 I am still stuck in between an 18 and 16; 16 are still a bit snug, but my 18M are just right where 18W are too big. But at 231 I was comfortable in an 18W. Plus every designer/manufacturer is different, there seems to be no consistency in the industry at all.

Lyadeia

I think there are huge differences among the clothing manufacturers in the same countries, so I would imagine they are different for different countries as well.

For me personally, I was wearing size 14 clothes when I was around 150 pounds or so. But, I have also worn size 10 clothes at that weight (cause that's what I was Christmas last year) so either this situation is strictly clothing manufacturer's differences or possibly a different body comp. since I have more muscle than I had at first.

I am currently wearing mostly size 8, some size 6, and I weigh 139.

That's in the US, btw.

louiseei

American sizes are 2 different to UK, that's why they have this thing about a size zero over there (that would be a UK 4) so a UK 18 would be a US 14 I think.

booboomagoo

I grew up in Canada, and currently live in London. In general, UK sizes are 4 bigger than US/Canada. Ie: In Canada, I'm a size 12-14, in the UK, I'm a 16-18. And yeah, there are HUGE differences between the designers.

Thomasm198

Just throwing in my 2 cents. Not alone do sizes vary around the world but sizes vary even from the same manufacturer. My newer jacket in work (which is way too big for me now) is labelled as an XL. My older jacket (from the same manufacturer and which is a better fit) is labelled as XXXL. :huh:

zeeeb

I find that cheapo clothes are generally smaller. Alot of the really ultra cheap shops, i couldn't fit into an XL, wouldn't get it over my boobs, when i could fit into a 12 in some of the more expensive shops, but generally i would have considered myself a 14.

It's annoying.

loupammac

http://www.onlineconversion.com/clothing_womens.htm

I found this website helpful. According to it my Australian size 10 is a US 6 and a UK 8. Why they can't just make it all the same, I'll have no idea.

wolfchild59

I think it also depends on how you carry your weight; at 208 I am still stuck in between an 18 and 16; 16 are still a bit snug, but my 18M are just right where 18W are too big. But at 231 I was comfortable in an 18W. Plus every designer/manufacturer is different, there seems to be no consistency in the industry at all.

This is a perfect example of what you're saying. When I started MFP I was at 185 I was a 16. My heaviest was around 195ish and I know that I had a couple of pairs of 18s in dress pants in my closet when I cleaned it out last year. So despite our variances in weight, we were wearing the same size, so size definitely varies from person to person.

And someone else mentioned being 138 and wearing an 8, sometimes 6. I'm currently 136 and wear a solid 8. All size 6s I tried are too small and all 10s have been too big. I do have a bit of loose skin around my middle (I'd been overweight since puberty, so the skin had been stretched for almost 19 years when I finally lost the weight and it's just not tightening up at all, so it's possible that that's keeping me out of smaller sizes, but I dunno)

All my sizes mentioned are US sizes.

Mairgheal

I'm a metric girl myself (from NL originally), and I'm always struggling with the stones and pounds when talking about weight.
When someone tells me they're 125 lbs, I honestly would not have a notion what that could be, until I get my calculator out!

I'm 69 kilos, 1.68cm and a size 42 (but very close to a 40 wahaaay) - so in your language I'm 151.8 lbs, at 5.5" and a UK size 14 (nearly 12).

Yeah, definitely prefer metric, 69 sounds SO much better than 151.8!!

snockers3112

I think it also depends on how you carry your weight; at 208 I am still stuck in between an 18 and 16; 16 are still a bit snug, but my 18M are just right where 18W are too big. But at 231 I was comfortable in an 18W. Plus every designer/manufacturer is different, there seems to be no consistency in the industry at all.

I agree with your comment about it depending on how you carry your weight....friends are always amazed I weigh as much as I do (when I tell them) - I must hide it well? and it's been that way all my life. In my teens I weighed around 140lbs and it suited me, I looked good - one time the women at work were discussing weight and I told them I was around 10 stone (140lbs) and they frog marched me to the nearest weighing scales as they didn't believe me...lol

snockers3112

http://www.onlineconversion.com/clothing_womens.htm

I found this website helpful. According to it my Australian size 10 is a US 6 and a UK 8. Why they can't just make it all the same, I'll have no idea.

I didn't realise there were such huge differences in clothing sizes. I wonder if it is the same for shoe sizes? lol I agree with you ... why can't they just make it all the same! :-)

snockers3112

Mairgheal - My brain is filled with stones and pounds. I too have to get my calculator out :-) I want to be 10 stone 4lbs....and I'm not doing the maths to work that one out..lol