Interesting piece about vanity sizing

ace175
ace175 Posts: 518 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Just read this... pretty interesting about different designers sizes... Like this part: "Take a woman with a 27-inch waist. In Marc Jacobs’s high-end line, she is between an 8 and a 10. At Chico’s, she is a triple 0. And that does not consider whether the garment fits in the hips and bust."

Check it out if you want to read more!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/business/25sizing.html?_r=2&hp

Replies

  • monkeybuttsmommy
    monkeybuttsmommy Posts: 343 Member
    Lane bryan sizes thier clothes in smaller numbers so you will think your fitting in a smaller size. I worked for them, and when I asked about it they told me to leave it alone. Then I heard the Godfather Theme playing on the sound system.
  • bellinachuchina
    bellinachuchina Posts: 498 Member
    My waist is 27.5in. & I am 8-10 in most stores! It's so interesting how the actual number can dictate someone's mood or feeling about their body image. Good article :)
  • gingerfoxxx
    gingerfoxxx Posts: 267 Member
    I read this earlier today, and was somewhat horrified! its funny though, bc i am a fan of vintage clothing, and found it weird that i am much much larger sizes in vintage clothing. Its almost like saying, its ok to gain weight, we will adjust to you....


    And LOL @ monkeybuttsmom conspiracy perhaps? :D
  • bexfield
    bexfield Posts: 21
    This reminds me of a few years back when I worked at the Gap and they had something like skinny fit jeans or something, don't remember what they were called but it was still in the time of flare, but it was for people with narrow hips and let me tell you those were the best jeans I've ever worn. I'm sure it's difficult to match all the various shapes and sizes of women, but it seems more companies would want to try to generalize at least three body types for pants.

    Great article!
  • ambercole
    ambercole Posts: 426
    I dont know why womens clothing are not measured in inches like mens are. Its so easy for my husband to buy pants. he doesnt even try them on and they fit pretty much everytime.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    they talk about this alot on what not to wear with stacy and Clinton. I've learned this a long time ago. Its the reason why so many women are allowing us to see their muffin tops,but cracks, thongs, excess boobage, etc. They refuse to go up a size and wear clothing that fits their body regardless of the number on the size. Stacey and Clinton pounds it into their customers about how much better they look when clothing fits correctly ......I have to say, I agree completely. Plus, I would never want to be uncomfortable in a smaller size clothing just becuase of the number.
  • Nemlein
    Nemlein Posts: 168 Member
    Interesting article, thanks for posting it! It's depressing to think that in the 30's a 32 in bust equated to a size 14!! What in the hell was a size 6, I wonder!
  • ahadj
    ahadj Posts: 257 Member
    Great article, thanks!
  • a_stronger_steph
    a_stronger_steph Posts: 434 Member
    I dont know why womens clothing are not measured in inches like mens are. Its so easy for my husband to buy pants. he doesnt even try them on and they fit pretty much everytime.

    ^^^ THIS! I also wish we had a range of inseam lengths like men do. At 5'4" I'm pretty much exactly the borderline between the "petite" and "normal" pant lengths. The petite tends to run a bit short and the normal tends to run long... thus I need to tailor almost every pair of pants I purchase! :(
  • jesseBYAH
    jesseBYAH Posts: 446 Member
    Crazy stuff....
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    I would be in favor of the 3 standardized shapes for womens pants. As a pear shape I have to buy pants to fit the hips and have the waist taken in for the pants to remotely fit, a belt just doesn't cut it. Even the guys have different 'cuts' for jeans (regular, athletic and relaxed) and shirts (fitted and non).
  • CrimsonWife
    CrimsonWife Posts: 56
    I sew and the pattern sizes were standardized back several decades ago. It's rather depressing to see that double-digit number but at least it's consistent.
  • she_elf
    she_elf Posts: 108
    I dont know why womens clothing are not measured in inches like mens are. Its so easy for my husband to buy pants. he doesnt even try them on and they fit pretty much everytime.

    ^^^ THIS! I also wish we had a range of inseam lengths like men do. At 5'4" I'm pretty much exactly the borderline between the "petite" and "normal" pant lengths. The petite tends to run a bit short and the normal tends to run long... thus I need to tailor almost every pair of pants I purchase! :(

    If you can find a Vanity store near you, they sell their jeans by waist and inseam. I don't think they're nationwide yet, but they might be--it's worth checking in to. They have tons of varieties of styles and sizes. They pretty much saved my life back in high school. I seriously cried every time I had to go find jeans because of the sizes. At Vanity, I never have to worry, and I never have to think about whether I'm a size this or that. It's wonderfully freeing.

    Even if you don't have a Vanity around you, it's worth looking at a variety of stores to see if any of them carry jeans sold by waist/inseam measurements.
  • suzooz
    suzooz Posts: 720 Member
    I thought the body scans were interesting. Anyone try this yet? Do they work?
  • chris0912
    chris0912 Posts: 242 Member
    I was a retail mgmt *kitten* for many, many years (The Gap, Contempo Casuals... now Wet Seal, Levi's, Old Navy) and this was something that I brought up to upper management time and time again. The other issue that I always had a problem with was that almost all womens' clothing manufacturers look at size as an age thing. God forbid you are heavy and young. The difference between misses and juniors sizing is based on measurements. Juniors sizing (odd numbers) means a more boyish figure, while misses sizing (even numbers) means a curvy figure. What happens if you have a curvy figure? You're stuck with polyester elastic-waist pants and polyester blousy tops! I brought this up at every single regional meeting I went to at Levi's to no avail. Sounds like they've finally started to change things on their end, but when will the rest catch up? Thank God for stores like Torrid that realize that size is a body type, not an attitude.
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