Clothing sizes

M

Maximus

Cathlete
I wanted to start a new thread on this b/c I think it's a topic on its own.

OK, I'm 5'3" & weigh about 110. Decent weight, right? So I order a pair of trousers from the Gap in a size 2. Well, I get them yesterday & they're HUGE! I mean, seriously huge! I literally have an extra 4-5 inches on the waist. I've also had the same problem w/JCrew. Clearly both clothiers, and others that I won't even bother listing, run larger than others.

When I was in high school & weighed about 90 lbs, I wore a size 2-4. I KNOW that at 110 lbs I shouldn't be a size zero (besides, there are psychological implications to being a zero that I won't even go into here LOL). I think 8s are now 6s, 6s are now 4s, 4s are now 2s, etc. Someone mentioned in another thread that it's marketing. I can see this to a point. But if you need a pair of black slacks & go out to buy them, are you more likely to buy them if they're a 4 or a 6? Doesn't seem right.

So now I'm really annoyed b/c I have to take the time to go to the mall & exchange them, IF they even have them in the store, b/c I'm sure not paying more shipping charges.

Thoughts on this?
 
This subject has come many times before, and I feel your pain. I never order any clothing online; I always try it on first. I'm your height, Maxi, 5'3", and weigh in at about 108; I'm swimming in many SIZE ZEROES that are on sale at the only store in my area - Petite Sophisticates - that consistently carries a size zero.

Note that I'm exactly the same physical size that I was back in 1988, and I still have a skirt that I bought in summer '88 that fits me perfectly - tagged as a size 4.

It is indeed Vanity Sizing. It's a helluva lot easier to sell a skirt to a female when it's tagged as a size 8 than when it's tagged as a size 14, which is roughly what vanity sizing has changed the numbers down to (and Vanity Sizing hasn't stopped morphing, as far as I can see). That means obviously that women who are more petite have to go down, down and down, and even the size zeroes ain't what they used to be. I think it helps a lot of clothing buyers who are in denial about how they have expanded physically over the years.

A-Jock
 
I know, I find sizing so aggravating. I wear 2,4 or 6...sometimes petite, sometimes regular. I particularly find the new wider cut in the leg and rear-end pants to be impossible - I look like I'm wearing jodhpurs! One brand that I have found to fit well and is cut in a narrower way is Sigrid Olsen -(I'm a little heavier than you are (115)and usually wear a 4 petite in S.O. - but they do carry 0 and 2 petites that would probably fit you both very well.)
 
I have the same problem. Although I don't think I ever fit into 2's. I have to first look through the 4's and 6's and eyeball them to see if I think they'll fit me. I make several trips to the fitting room alternating through these two sizes before I can hone in on what's gonna fit me. 5's definitely don't work for me because my hips are too big for juniors and I'm not into the hip hugger thing.

I also have problems with the length on petite sizing. Sometimes (S) is too short and (R) is too long...especially in jeans.
 
Yes, I think mostly this resizing was done in order to manipulate women in the the 12-14-16 range into feeling good about themselves for now being 6-8-10. Those of us in the small sizes, since we are not that common anyway, are left to deal with the 2s and 0s. Is there a negative 2??

I am tall, so I wear 4s and 6s but I remember very well that at the same size or smaller in my teens and twenties (late 70s early 80s) I was a 10 or 12.

Stupid, but that's reality folks. My daughter, 5'8" and 125-130 lbs often wears 2s. There must be negative numbers somewhere, or different kinds of 0s. Seriously, what do the petite and slender women wear????
 
Oh I have the problem w/petites too. I've solved it by only wearing heels--mostly platform b/c they're more comfy--& buying regular lengths. Now I won't even buy a pair of flip flops unless they give me a little height.
 
Yes, let's not even get into the issues with leg length vs. butt size. I am not tall enough for the "tall size" pants, but definitely too tall for regular-girl pants. So, I mostly buy men's pants because they have that wonderful innovation, the INSEAM SIZE! What a brilliant idea? Why can't women have this? Are we too math-phobic? Two numbers will make our brains blow up or something?


Fortunately for me, I have not much waist, I'm pretty straight up and down (like a guy) so a 29 or 30 waist 32-33 inseam works for me in men's pants. Otherwise, I'd have to pay a lot of money for clothes, and that would make me even crankier than I already am.
 
My problem is, that all the pants are too short. I am 5'11, so I need waist 30 or 31 and 36" in length, just to be able to stick it in the dryer without having to worry, that after the first time washing they are too short.
So I have a very hard time to find pants.:(
 
Well, as an Olympic shopper I've got a few things to say:

First of all, I'm the one who mentioned the "size deflation" or "vanity sizing" as Ajock called it. But I didn't realize it had gone quite that far. A 14 is now an 8?? Too much! As I mentioned before, and Magambo also mentioned, what happens to the REALLY thin people? What are they supposed to wear?

Second, excuse me for being so opinionated, but a 5'3" person should not be wearing clothes from the Gap. As far as I know, Gap doesn't carry petite sizes, and you're definitely a petite. The petite sizes are a bit smaller. I don't think J. Crew does petite either. What you need is Banana Republic, Lands End, LL Bean or some other carrier of petite sizes. I read that about 50% of American women should be wearing petite sizes, but only a small fraction actually do.

Next, a well-known store like Gap and J. Crew should have size charts online. Just take your measurements and compare to the size charts. If the clothes still don't fit, insist that they pay for shipping. For that matter, if you order from Nordstrom (www.nordstrom.com) I believe they still pay for shipping, and they have lots of petite clothes. Their customer service is great.
 
I've experienced the same mis-sizing issues with the Gap and J. Crew. I'm 5'8'' and wear a size 6. Gap's size 6 pants and skirts are huge in the waist. However their t-shirts and tops run very small. I got so tired of having to do the return thing, that I stopped ordering from both companies. This year, Eddie Bauer changed their sizing, but their sizing went smaller. I used to wear a small in Eddie Bauer and now take a medium. Online ordering is supposed to be a convenience, but when it comes to clothes, it's a pain in the neck.
 
Yes I feel your pain. I am 5'7" and weigh 120lbs. I have been a size 8 for years. I used to go in stores,buy an 8 without even trying it on. Now an 8 seems to swallow me! And my weight has not changed since I last gave birth 7 yrs ago! That really stinks. I hate trying on clothes!!
 
And here I thought all my working out was finally paying off as I was able to buy smaller sizes. Now I find out that in reality, only the clothing tags are changing! LOL. Bummer.
 
Exactly...my beautiful niece is 5'8" & weighs about 125 & is a size 2. 2??? I couldn't believe it when she first informed me of that...to look at her, she is a size 6 or 8 in THE OLD DAYS.
How far can they take this crap? Women are being manipulated by everyone & everything into thinking they have to be small...smaller!...smaller!! No wonder we're losing so many of our children to food disorders. It's insane & it makes me sick.

Okay, I'll go quietly now.

Ruth:-(
 
I do think they're changing the sizes. About a year ago, I decided that I was going to "stop weighing myself"..I said to myself that I'll just go by how my clothing fits.

I have larger hips and I've almost always been a size 12 (my goal is a size 10)..but this year I've gone from the smaller size 12s to bigger size 12s without hardly even realizing it!! :( Same name brand, same style, but if I try to put on some of my older jeans, they simply don't fit...so I do think there is a bit of manipulation going on.

But, they're smart and I think they're actually on target..I know this is silly of me, but if I had to buy a 14, I simply wouldn't do it. There's something in my head that says "no way, I'll wear what I have until it's threadbare if I have to but I'm not buying a size larger than 12". I don't think that what they do is right, but I know that it works.
 
Just for kicks, I'll throw in my major problem...much larger bust size than waist/hips size. I am very slender on the bottom, disgusting on the top. Try to find a dress. Or a pair of pajamas. Or a simple button-up shirt for that matter. Lingerie? Nightmare. Bathing suit? HA! And I do not care for bikinis. Dressy clothes for important occasions? Take a look sometime. You will probably not see one pretty dress that isn't strapless or spaghetti straps. Can't do it! Can't wear half the clothes out there & assume I never will. I don't fit the "ideal proportions" made up by...who???
I will say that a few...very few...companies are starting to address this problem, & I'm thrilled, but there's still very little to choose from & of course it's more expensive! After all, you're not normal so you have to pay more for our innovative thinking! BAH!

Phew! Talk about cranky!x(
 
The Gap has petites (they call them "short length"). JCrew also sells petites--almost all their pants come in petites, but not many jeans. Banana Republic's OK, but personally I hate Lands End & LL Bean, too plain for me. Nordstrom's petite selection is extremely limited & kind of frumpy IMO.
 
Just my experience--I'm 5'3" and if I buy the short length GAP pants, after I wash them, they will be a bit too short. I have to buy the regular length and then have them hemmed. Look around for a good place that does alterations, it's usually pretty inexpensive.

On edit--actually I've noticed that as the sizes continue to change, so do the lengths..I recently bought some GAP jeans that were longer than they previously were. So be sure to try on both styles and compare.
 
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