Women's clothes sizing...arghh!

s@sha

How can the 'same' size on the label be so different in different shops? This year, despite us having a very happy relationship in the past, M&S seems determined to convince me that I am a funny shape & should not be buying any of their jeans or trousers.

Couple of months ago I needed a new pair of black trousers quickly for a funeral. Tried on 3 pairs of petite 14's in M&S and was mortified to discover they were all far too tight...couldn't do them up, & one pair wouldn't even go on past my hips! Even the size 16's were a bit tight. Felt quite depressed as I thought I had suddenly ballooned up to an 18.  ???

Went into BHS & tried two pairs of similar trousers in a 14...fitted fine.

Yesterday, tried to find a new pair of jeans. Saw couple of nice styles in M&S, tried them on and...too tight again!
Went to Next...size 14 fine
Went to Dorothy P...size 14 fine.

What on earth is going on with M&S? Anyone else noticed this?

And while I'm on the subject, and this is ALL shops, not just M&S...since when did 'petite' or 'short' stop actually being just that?    >:(

I never used to have a problem & I have not shrunk in the last few years, yet all the jeans I have bought or tried on since then are too long in the leg. They're just about OK for wearing with heels, but some of us do actually have to walk places & would like to wear trainers or flat shoes with our jeans without them dragging on the floor & looking awful.

Petite is supposed to be for women 5'3" and UNDER. I'm 5'2", so not exactly the shortest person they're designed for...if you're 5' or less you'd be swamped by them.

juno

I find the opposite!

Next: size 16 wonderful
M&S: size 16 fine
Dorothy P: size 16 too tight, size 18 way too big

And everywhere else they're too tight too!

But I agree that they're too long. A few years ago, I used to be LONG, and now REGULAR are too long for me!

WHA

My wife has the same problem with M&S. For many years, a loyal customer, always same size for underwear, jeans, trousers etc. For the last few years, although she has not changed size or shape, she has to buy several different sizes of anything she wants and her wardrobe now contains anything from 10-16 in M&S clothes. When it first started happening, it was clear that the "made in UK" were fairly standard sizing, but the "Made in Morocco" were random - even jeans of the same size were clearly different when compared against eachother. Latest fiasco was buying a bra - again for years she has been the same size - she has been trying for a few weeks now to get one that anywhere near fits and has tried a wide range of sizes - still no luck yet. M&S will not survive unless it sorts itself out.

Savvy_Sue

I thought I'd heard that UK clothes retailers were adjusting their sizes to reflect our new shapes ... but I thought the effect that was supposed to have was that we'd all now get into a smaller size rather than a larger!

bridiej

I find the sizes different through all the different shops - and what doesnt help is that I seem to be a size 15 at the moment - 14 too tight, 16 falling off!!!

Hopefully my new healthy eating plan will help with that - want to get back to a size 12 again BUT then always find the sizes vary....

IT's CRAZY!

Yoga_Girl

Sometimes I've been trying clothes on and felt quite devastated because I thought I must have gained half a stone as I couldn't fit into my usual size, only to go into another shop and find my usual size a perfect fit. Don't these shops realise they are doing nothing to boost the self-esteem of women throughout the land? Clothes shopping is becoming an emotional mine-field!

Nickynoo1

I'm in the same boat as bridiej. I've lost a loadof weight by being busy at work and am in between sizes.

However I went into Next the other day and tried on a size 14 trouser. Too tight. Got the size 16, even tighter! And no it wasn't just the hanger that was wrong.

I pointed it out to the assistant to save the next person having trouble, she went to the till tapped something in and came back saying "well it's booked into the system as a 16, it's the only 16 left, so it is a 16". I held it up to the 14 and could quite clearly see it was smaller, but back on the 16 hanger it went only for the next customer to be deflated.

I tried 2 other trousers on one fitted good the other too tight round the waist. These were both 14.

This is why I dont do catalouges. Especially with next. £3.50 charge and it may or may not fit, not our fault but theirs. They should pay for not having clothing labelled at correct size.

Nickynoo

Alleycat

^^

Reported as spam.

Astaroth

Some stores have been well known for years for intentionally putting a larger size label on clothes than they truly. Basic psychology... woman is a size 16, tries on the 16 dress (which is actually an 18) and is too big so tries on the size 14 (really a 16) which fits perfectly. She gets a feel good for fitting into a smaller size and so is more likely to buy it.

Whilst this used to work well in the 80s (and possibly before but would be too young to remember) it has since fallen down as more and more stores get in on the idea.

Of cause the other problem is the fact that just because you may have a 28" waist doesnt mean that your hips, inside leg, bust etc are the identical size to every other person on the planet that has a 28" waist. People all are a unique shape and as we are told repeatedly in the press the "normal"/ average shape is changing. Short of getting every item of clothing made to measure the only way to do things is to use the size as a guide and try it on.

Never really understood why womens sizes are "16" etc where as mens sizes are inches (or cms as we become more metric)

earthmother

I'm about a 20 right now, having dropped 2 sizes recently, and am in the process of replacing all my 'out-shrunk' clothes (much better than outgrowing ).

Depending on where I shop, I'm anything from a 16 to a 26 and it is so annoying having to try on so many different sizes to get a good fit. I'd really hoped it would get easier the smaller I got.

Swan_2

sizing is mad, I've got clothes ranging between 10 & 18 in my wardrobe & they all fit
(I'm 5'6" & usually 12 bottom & 14 top)

now I never go in thinking 'I'm a size **' ... I start with a 14, see how that fits, then try on smaller or larger as required

weirdest one lately was buying myself a new bra
I'd been measured as a 36C in M&S & had been quite happily wearing that size for the past few years
went into La Senza to treat myself & came out with a 36, but I needed :eek: a DD cup!

I think they're using the reverse of M&S's clothes sizing psychology