Just a thought about sizes

[NRG Woman]

I didn't want to hijack a previous thread, but I wanted to give my 0.02.

On another thread a poster had touched on how different clothes are cut and how they fit differently. I just wanted to touch on that a bit more.

I sew much of my own clothes so I look at ready to wear a little differently. I know all of the alterations that are needed from a base pattern to make it fit an individual since everyone is shaped differently. Something that most people don't know about is called "design ease". Basically design ease is how much extra fabric a designer adds or takes away to make the garment fit/hang how they want. Ultimately what that means is that the number on the tag is meaningless. A few weeks ago I went on a shopping spree and the number on the clothes varied by 5 sizes for me to have the fit that I was comfortable with (that was all in one store). It reinforced to me that it is more about how the clothes fit than what the number is.

So what I wanted to say is that when we go shopping we often base the success of the shopping trip by the number on the clothes we bring home. If the number on the tag is not what we want it to be we often spend a huge amount of energy beating ourselves up about not being what we want (or society wants). The problem is that size is a moving target depending on what is currently in style and may not be the best measure of success. And certainly does not measure your worth as a person.

Just my 2 cents.

Shayne

[PhyllisG]

Shayne Thank you very much. My DIL owns a boutique and has definitely helped me get over the "number". I have found that depending on style, manufacturer, cut etc. the numbers will vary. Right now I am in the process of returning 2 things to a store for an exchange. One I am bringing back the small for a medium and the other I am bringing back the medium for a small. Go figure.

[jdimascio]

I don't think about the number anymore, especially since I find that the clothing you find in some retail stores run big. I think they are catering to America and our increasing waist lines. I get annoyed by this. I know a lot of tiny individuals who can no longer shop at adult clothing stores.

[Fit_mommy]

I find that the clothing you find in some retail stores run big. I think they are catering to America and our increasing waist lines. I get annoyed by this.

ITA! They are making things worse, not better, by doing this. Covering up the ever growing weight problem in our country with bogus clothing sizing is not going to solve anything...unless they are trying to ENCOURAGE heart disease, obesity and the like!
I wear a size 5 in most JUNIORS clothes. I am not over weight but I am sorry, I am NOT seriously a jr's size 5!

[mj476]

I wear anything between a size 0 and a size 6 and they can all fit me quite nicely. Yes, I do look at the small sizes when I go into a store but I don't get upset if I can't fit into the size 0 or size 2.

Marcy

[Peaceful Rainbow]

I have a long had a hard time finding clothes that fit and it's only gotten worse in the last few years. I'm 4'9" and usually end up in the girls department where I try on a dozen pairs of pants to find one that is small enough for my waist and big enough for my hips. Jrs. pants are all way too long and petite clothes tend to be pricey.

The latest problem is with the fact that so many clothes are made for very tall, very thin women. Tops that are form fitting are now too tiny and I am not big on top. I've had to jump up from extra small to mediums for some styles. All the most gorgeous dresses would drag on the floor and while I can buy girls shirts, shorts, pants, girls dresses just don't cut it when you are this close to 50!

I'd be happy to ignore the number if I could just find things that fit! Vent over....

[JeanneMarie]

Originally Posted by Peaceful Rainbow

The latest problem is with the fact that so many clothes are made for very tall, very thin women. Tops that are form fitting are now too tiny and I am not big on top. I've had to jump up from extra small to mediums for some styles. All the most gorgeous dresses would drag on the floor and while I can buy girls shirts, shorts, pants, girls dresses just don't cut it when you are this close to 50!

I'd be happy to ignore the number if I could just find things that fit! Vent over....

I want to know where you're finding this clothing for tall, thin women because I sure can't find it. I can't even shop in most department stores women's departments because the clothing is too big. Heaven forbid if I have to find a formal dress. They are all way too big!

I do have good success at White House Black Market, but I wear their size 00. That's crazy! Why don't they make clothing for women on the small end of the spectrum as well as for women on the larger end of the spectrum?

I wouldn't care if the size label in my clothing said "size 120" if it fit me. It really is frustrating to be my age (54) and a small size. I could wear the junior clothing, but most of it is not a style I want to wear, and not only that, most of it is cheaply made.

[lisa_la_machina]

I agree with those who have said clothing just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. I wish that there was more uniformity in the sizing. I really appreciate the brands that size their pants by your waist size in inches, but this is so rare in women's clothing. I usually just get frustrated and give up when I'm shopping because it takes so long to find clothing that fits! As it is I have only ONE pair of jeans I can wear without needing a belt.

I also generally don't care about the size so long as the clothing fits, but I do have a philosophical problem with clothing size 0. If I wear a size 0, does this mean that I do not take up 3 dimensional space??!! The size 00 mentioned by JeanneMarie is a new one to me! As waistlines continue to increase, will negative sizes be next?

[ellesan]

Shayne, great thoughtful post, thank you!

[ebonynicole]

Thanks Shayne, I'm a plus size woman but I notice too that it doesn't matter about the number more so about the fit. I would get so discouraged if I had to go up in size until I realized that a size 16 in one brand doesn't fit the same as a size 16 in another brand.

I look at some of these clothes and the sizes thinking to myself 'a real size 22 is not going to fit in that top or pants'.

So I shop for what fits me and this past weekend I did pretty good with getting 4 pairs of pants (varying sizes) and a few tops. Not bad