Rants about pants
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mtaratoot
Posts: 13,247 Member
I don't get it.
I take measurements very infrequently as I am not changing size much anymore. Yay! But I did today; it's been a few months. Mostly good news; no surprises. One thing that makes me shake my head EVERY TIME is my waist measurement. Not that I dislike the number, but that it doesn't match the number that SHOULD be on the pants I buy.
I dropped a couple pant sizes over the last 18 months or so, and that's great. I even bought new pants. My work bought me some uniform pieces, and I started with ONE pair of pants to make sure the size was right. Because it's NOT what the label says. My waist is about 1.5 inches bigger than indicated on my pants. Wha? Yeah.
Another example: Before I was on my weight loss journey, I ordered a pair of shorts online that were close-out. I knew what size I was, and I ordered them. The size is WAIST SIZE. Well, they were huge and wouldn't stay up. Kind of useless. A belt helps, but they are huge - a full two inches bigger than they say. So I chalk that up to them being defects, and they had the wrong label sewn in. I know this happens. I bought a rash guard for a Grand Canyon trip years ago, and the label clearly says it is a long sleeve (what I ordered), but anyone can tell it's only long sleeve if your arms end halfway between your shoulder and elbow. I seem to be digressing. As usual....
The size uniform pants I got are 1.5 inches smaller than the measuring tape tells me. They fit pretty much perfect, so I ordered a few more pair. If they shrink -- well, then they'd be too small, but they have already done that. I have the same issue with pants I buy in the store. The size that fits is one or two inches smaller than my actual size.
It's even worse than that. I measure my waist where my pants sit which is just at the top of my hips. Everything I read says to measure a little above that. Add a couple inches for that measurement.
How can this be?
Thank your for offering me the place to make this silly rant.
I take measurements very infrequently as I am not changing size much anymore. Yay! But I did today; it's been a few months. Mostly good news; no surprises. One thing that makes me shake my head EVERY TIME is my waist measurement. Not that I dislike the number, but that it doesn't match the number that SHOULD be on the pants I buy.
I dropped a couple pant sizes over the last 18 months or so, and that's great. I even bought new pants. My work bought me some uniform pieces, and I started with ONE pair of pants to make sure the size was right. Because it's NOT what the label says. My waist is about 1.5 inches bigger than indicated on my pants. Wha? Yeah.
Another example: Before I was on my weight loss journey, I ordered a pair of shorts online that were close-out. I knew what size I was, and I ordered them. The size is WAIST SIZE. Well, they were huge and wouldn't stay up. Kind of useless. A belt helps, but they are huge - a full two inches bigger than they say. So I chalk that up to them being defects, and they had the wrong label sewn in. I know this happens. I bought a rash guard for a Grand Canyon trip years ago, and the label clearly says it is a long sleeve (what I ordered), but anyone can tell it's only long sleeve if your arms end halfway between your shoulder and elbow. I seem to be digressing. As usual....
The size uniform pants I got are 1.5 inches smaller than the measuring tape tells me. They fit pretty much perfect, so I ordered a few more pair. If they shrink -- well, then they'd be too small, but they have already done that. I have the same issue with pants I buy in the store. The size that fits is one or two inches smaller than my actual size.
It's even worse than that. I measure my waist where my pants sit which is just at the top of my hips. Everything I read says to measure a little above that. Add a couple inches for that measurement.
How can this be?
Thank your for offering me the place to make this silly rant.
1
Replies
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Once bought 2 pairs of pants. Same brand, same model, same size on the label. Two totally different fits. They were different colors but that was the only difference. They can't even maintain size standards in one company, let alone across the industry. Bras are even worse.3
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@nikkib0103 - I have heard of this happening. I can ~totally~ see it being true for sizes like "medium" or "small." I can also see it for women's sizes where the number doesn't equate to an actual measurement, although maybe at some point it did. BUT -- when the size of men's pants are allegedly the actual size, in inches, how can there be so much variability? It's very odd.
I sure hope the other two uniform pieces I get fit. They are the "same size," but as you say... one never knows. The number of the size in inches is CLEARLY smaller than I should be able to fit in.
Maddening? Oh yeah.1 -
With vanity sizing, the inseam size on pants are fairly accurate, but when it comes to the waist, all bets are off. Designers skillfully size their pants to boost your ego, causing a rise in your attitude toward their brand and enticing you to buy more. This ends up leaving a skewed perception about not only the size of your pants but also your body0
