grrr...at clothes sizes!!

penny_bryn

Not sure where to post this, hope it's ok here! Just ordered a pair of jeans from Next. I ordered a size 18 as I know I've put on a little weight, have always been a size 16 (I'm 5 foot 10)! However, I measured them up again my old jeans, same style etc and the 18's are actually SMALLER than the 16's!!!!:eek: I've had a suspicion for ages that sizes have gone mad! Its no wonder people are depressed about weight,size etc and young girls are getting eating disorders if they think they've gone up a few sizes when in fact they haven't! Anyone else noticed this??? xx

The_One_Who

Size depends on a lot of factors, including the shop itself, the material and the cut. That's why you take a few sizes and try them on instore. Personally I've found Next to always be very generous in their sizing.

mrcow

Next sizes are normally quite big. Are you sure they've sent an 18?

bargainbetty

I'd recommend Dorothy Perkins for the jeans - several different cuts, but all properly sized. I picked up six pairs of trousers in M&S a few weeks ago, all size 16. Two were way too large, two were seriously too small, one fit perfectly and the others fit on the waist and hips but the thighs were too snug!

You're not wrong - it is getting worse, and it does drive me nuts to think of the effect it can have on someone who is already a bit fragile about their appearance.

mad_dr

It's frustrating, isn't it?

I find it really annoying that I have several pairs of jeans all made in the same factory by the same company and some of them I need a 32" waist with a belt just to hold them up and other pairs I need a 34" waist just to fit into them!

It makes it almost impossible to buy them online (where they're much cheaper when you buy them from Italy or Canada) because you have no idea if they'll fit...

The bizzare thing about this is that the last time I checked, an inch was an inch, so how they manage to get it wrong, I'll never know...

trinity_enigma

I'm with you- it annoys me the difference there can be between different shops, but there's even a difference when you buy them from the same shop!

About a year ago I bought some Dorothy Perkins boot leg jeans and they fit perfectly (especially as I'm pretty short and their short length didn't trail on the floor or anything). As they were so perfect I decided to go and get some more and they were 2 for £20 or something. Didn't try them on as they fit perfectly before. Got one pair of boot leg and one pair of skinny- boot leg were perfect, but skinny I (embarassingly) couldn't even get past my knees!

And don't even get me started on differing bra sizes!!!!

MrsManda

trinity_enigma wrote: »

About a year ago I bought some Dorothy Perkins boot leg jeans and they fit perfectly (especially as I'm pretty short and their short length didn't trail on the floor or anything). As they were so perfect I decided to go and get some more and they were 2 for £20 or something. Didn't try them on as they fit perfectly before. Got one pair of boot leg and one pair of skinny- boot leg were perfect, but skinny I (embarassingly) couldn't even get past my knees!

I get this problem but it's not really a sizing fault. Jeans are sized by waist size and length, not by the width of the trouser legs which is why there are different styles.

Mupette

being a bit cheeky here.

do you think that the size 16's has been stretched a bit, as you have said you've put on a little bit of weight, and (feel awkard saying)
that thats the reason the 18's look smaller?

charlie792

I have the same problem, tops/dresses Im fine with - pretty standard size 12 wherever, its trousers and shoes I have problems with...

I always used to buy 32" waist jeans or size 12 - which actually doesn't work because a 32" is *meant* to be size 14-16 apparently. But Ive got some pairs of size 12's I can't even get past my thighs, others which fit me fine, but then some shops like Topshop, even if I attempt a size 14 they just won't go on at all - and yet Ive then got a pair of size 14 jeans from New Look which I can only keep up with a very tight belt....

Oh and something else that annoys me is that some shops only seem to stock 'regular' length trousers/jeans - now Im not exactly short, Im 5ft 6 and yet 'regular' length trousers are about 3 inches too long!

I can't be bothered with all the faffing around of trying on clothes so now a days I just buy a pair of size 12 leggings because they all seem to fit me fine...

Shoes I have a really annoyance with too - I have one foot slightly large than the other (about half a size!) due to a rather seriously swollen ankle when I was younger, as a result that foot is now bigger which makes shoe shopping a challenge in itself. On top of this I have wide feet - I swear I never buy the same size shoes no matter where I go....
I have one pair of heels that I got in size 6 - because my smaller foot kept falling out of the size 7's ,
I have some shoes and boots which are size 7's - some comfortably, others are too tight, then Ive got others in size 8, again some which fit comfortably and others which are again too tight - but of course most places won't do size 9's - but essentially I can wear shoes anywhere from a 6 to a 9 which seems absolutly mad....
Drives my poor OH mad when we go shopping.

Oh and on a slightly different note I wouldnt be suprised if some places put the wrong labels on - once in Peacocks I came across a dress which was lovely - It said 12 on the hanger, and picked it up, it was so big, I checked the labels and the tags, all of which said 12, but seriously it was about double of the size 16's!

greektony

Are you sure you just havent stretched your old ones?

Frogletina

I've kept a fitted skirt (in a no stretch material) which belonged to my Mother just to show people how sizings have changed. It is a size 14 and has a waist of 26". At 16 I was a size 12 which was then a 24" waist and she used to tell me she used to be a size 10 (22" waist)

It is no point me telling teenagers now that I used to be a size 12, as they have no idea that waist sizes have increased by several inches over the years. I have a recent size 14 which is a 32" inch waist, an incredible 6 inches bigger.