Is it just me, or are clothing sizes getting bigger and bigger?

[juniorgrrl]

My pea coat is from A&F. It's a medium and its a little big on me. I got it in 2000. I went in there last Friday night and there was no way I could have fit in most of the stuff there.

I've heard that 8 and 10 are used for plus size models because they're chubby enough to give the look of "plus size" without actually being plus sized.

[Shelacious]

I've heard the term "vanity sizing" used when manufacturers go up a size (or more) in clothing. For example, I have to go down a size at J.Crew, DKNY, Gap, Old Navy and Ann Taylor. However, at Georgiou, I have to get tops in a medium, sometimes a large. Junior sized pants tend to be too small in the thigh, while misses pants can be too "hippy." The list goes on and on. It makes shopping for clothing via the Internet a real nightmare.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
My pea coat is from A&F. It's a medium and its a little big on me. I got it in 2000. I went in there last Friday night and there was no way I could have fit in most of the stuff there.

I've heard that 8 and 10 are used for plus size models because they're chubby enough to give the look of "plus size" without actually being plus sized.

Very true - I've met a Gamma Phi from another chapter who was a "plus size" model - the girl could NOT have been larger than an 8, and was absolutely gorgeous, but in the fashion world, she was somehow plus size.

[AXJules]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Very true - I've met a Gamma Phi from another chapter who was a "plus size" model - the girl could NOT have been larger than an 8, and was absolutely gorgeous, but in the fashion world, she was somehow plus size.

That is absolutely heinous.

[Rudey]

I think some of you are probably just stretching the clothing out so it's not like the manufacturer really makes it that big.

-Rudey

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by Taualumna
I find that most brands are standard in their sizing, but some brands, especially those from abroad, tend to be smaller, even after converting to sizing systems of various countries. I think they convert it to an older sizing system.

You are right. Standards for clothing sizes abroad are very different, more like sizes here used to be. I have some clothes my mom gave me from the late 70s, and they're all size 10...and I usually wear around a 4 in today's sizes.

However, you'd be really surprised at how lax the sizing standards are in the US. The ASTM publishes a manual (which was kinda like our Bible ) that details sizing requirements...however, there is an allowance of as much as 1/4" for some measurements. That can alter fit a lot. So a size 4 in one brand might differ by that much in another brand and still be labeled a size 4...and this can even happen in clothes that are the same brand. That's why I always try stuff on before I buy...even if you think you wear a certain size, you never know how an individual garment will fit.

[AGDee]

Styles a few years ago were baggy and long. Shirts now are tight and short. That could be some of the difference in the shirts.

Sizes did change a few years back.

When I was at my ideal weight (back in 1981), I wore a size 11, just because I was curvy. It all depends on your body type. Now that I've had two kids, even if I weighed 115, I'd have big hips and would have to buy a size to fit my hips, even though my waist was smaller. I loved the baggies of the 80's for that reason! Nice cinched waists with plenty of hip room.. lol.

Dee

[Sister Havana]

WORD on Abercrombie and Fitch. Way back in the early-mid 90s, I bought lots of things there. They were great for big comfy sweaters and big flannel shirts. I don't think I could fit into any of their shirts now.

And I have the opposite problem with Old Navy jeans that many people here do. I have to go UP a size in their jeans.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
My pea coat is from A&F. It's a medium and its a little big on me. I got it in 2000. I went in there last Friday night and there was no way I could have fit in most of the stuff there.

I've heard that 8 and 10 are used for plus size models because they're chubby enough to give the look of "plus size" without actually being plus sized.

And in the fashion world, a "petite model" is 5'6.

[KerriMarie]

I don't know if they're getting smaller, but they are definitely all over the map. I have pants ranging in sizes from 2 to 7, and they all fit me the same. What? How am I supposed to know what size to try on? It's all terribly confusing.

And shirts. Some places I'm an XS, some places I'm a M. I'm baffled by this phenomenon.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by KerriMarie
I don't know if they're getting smaller, but they are definitely all over the map. I have pants ranging in sizes from 2 to 7, and they all fit me the same. What? How am I supposed to know what size to try on? It's all terribly confusing.

And shirts. Some places I'm an XS, some places I'm a M. I'm baffled by this phenomenon.

KerriMarie, are you buying your "M's" from European based stores? Clothes in Europe are usually smaller than American ones.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by Taualumna
I find that most brands are standard in their sizing, but some brands, especially those from abroad, tend to be smaller, even after converting to sizing systems of various countries. I think they convert it to an older sizing system.

Yeah but I'm not talking about Brand standardization. I'm talking about size standardization.
A 14 from the Limited in the U.S should be the same as a 14 in Jacob in Canada.
At least do this for North American sizes. a 14 is a 14 and a 2 is a 2. I don't understand how in one place a 14 can be so huge that you need to drop down 5 sizes and you go into another store and the 14 is too small.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
Yeah but I'm not talking about Brand standardization. I'm talking about size standardization.
A 14 from the Limited in the U.S should be the same as a 14 in Jacob in Canada.
At least do this for North American sizes. a 14 is a 14 and a 2 is a 2. I don't understand how in one place a 14 can be so huge that you need to drop down 5 sizes and you go into another store and the 14 is too small.

But there is no 14 at a Limited in the US anymore.

That's all I can say on that, there's probably someone from corporate trolling the boards.

Another interesting anecdote - I was cleaning my closet the other night and found a size 12 skirt and a size 8 skirt from American Eagle. The size 12 was about 2" smaller in the waist. I held both of those up to a size 14 pair of shorts - the 14 was smaller than that 12, which was smaller than the 8. WTF to them.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
But there is no 14 at a Limited in the US anymore.

Well that sucks. But you know what I mean. A 2 is a 2 and a 4 is a 4 and so on and so on.

Having a size 14 that is smaller than a size 8 is just wack!

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
Yeah but I'm not talking about Brand standardization. I'm talking about size standardization.
A 14 from the Limited in the U.S should be the same as a 14 in Jacob in Canada.
At least do this for North American sizes. a 14 is a 14 and a 2 is a 2. I don't understand how in one place a 14 can be so huge that you need to drop down 5 sizes and you go into another store and the 14 is too small.

Actually, Canadian sizes are different from US sizes. Notice that after Ralph Lauren bought Club Monaco, that the clothes became bigger? That's because they converted to US sizes. A size 6 from a US brand is a size 8 Canadian. Size 0 at Jacob is like a 00 in most US lines.