Women's clothes sizes

Gloomendoom

harrys_nan wrote: »

Gloomendoom
That quote you posted doesn't make a lot of sense, If I measure 34 around my rib cage under my boobs, why would I want a 38 bra?
f you go and buy trousers and measure a 34 waist would you buy a 38 waist?
Bras are like any other item of clothing, the size is dependant on the style, the manufacturer and where it was made.
It is about time that there was a standard size, ie a size 12 is a size 12 no matter which shop you buy it from

Now I am confused. Correct me if I am wrong but the traditional +4 way of determining the band size of a bra was to measure around your rib cage and add four inches... or five if it was an odd number.

My wife's older bras bear this out. 32 on the label, but they actually measure 28 from hook to eye on the band. Of course, this could just be a coincidence and a peculiarity of those brands.

Her bras from Bravissimo have 28 on th elabel and they measure 28 from hook to eye on the band.

You are correct, it doesn't make sense... which is why the new "improved" method as used by Bravissimo and others uses the actual around the rib measurement as the band size.

I don't claim to be an expert on this and I'm basing what I say from my limited experience of buying the things and measuring the contents of my wife's underwear drawer. I'm not intending to expand the scope of my research any further than that.

fairy_lights

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Try this for size (sorry)

I see what you're saying but I don't think the quoted interpretation of bra sizing is very accurate.
Shops like Bravissimo and their suppliers don't make their bras using a different sizing model, they just measure using a different model.
Bravissimo measure me as a 30DD, and that's the size of M&S bra I fit in to as well (Or at least, I would, but they don't stock much in that size)
But if I got measured in M&S, because they're using the old +4 method, my size would probably be 34b. (Which wouldn't be very supportive but they would have a lot of bras in my size I could buy).

Gloomendoom

fairy_lights wrote: »

I see what you're saying but I don't think the quoted interpretation of bra sizing is very accurate.
Shops like Bravissimo and their suppliers don't make their bras using a different sizing model, they just measure using a different model.
Bravissimo measure me as a 30DD, and that's the size of M&S bra I fit in to as well (Or at least, I would, but they don't stock much in that size)
But if I got measured in M&S, because they're using the old +4 method, my size would probably be 34b. (Which wouldn't be very supportive but they would have a lot of bras in my size I could buy).

I think we have come round in a circle on this and, as several people have said, the variations appear to have more to do with the style of the bra and whims of the different brands, rather than differing measuring and/or labelling systems.

missprice

Oh dear I tried the booborbust site and I ain't no 36 gg
Nope no siree I am a 38g.
Damn, a hundred quid on bras just down the swannee.

On a related matter, when I took the multiple bras into the changing room, some were sports bras, not one even reached around me, yet they were officially the same size as all the others.
Any idea why.

heartbreak_star

missprice wrote: »

Oh dear I tried the booborbust site and I ain't no 36 gg
Nope no siree I am a 38g.
Damn, a hundred quid on bras just down the swannee.

On a related matter, when I took the multiple bras into the changing room, some were sports bras, not one even reached around me, yet they were officially the same size as all the others.
Any idea why.

Because sports bras are supposed to be tight to stop the boingage!

HBS x

missprice

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Because sports bras are supposed to be tight to stop the boingage!

HBS x

I would truly love to stop the boingage
Which is why I tried sports bras, however I would have given myself a hernia getting a supposed 36dd closed. I guess I can ask OH to help but then I would never get dressed

KittenChops

LavenderBee wrote: »

So in summary:

They ("the powers that be of fashion"/wizards/whatever) have changed what measurements constitute what clothing size so that a tiny fraction of the female population are now a size 4 or 6 (American size 0 or 2 I believe). The tiny fraction are happy. However as a consequence of this anyone an 8 or above sees their clothing size go further up the chart, we reach further back on the "smallest to largest size" ordered rail. This makes us feel bad about ourselves, we are sad and our self esteem drops. "Nevermind" say the powers that be, "we'll rack you all up 5 cup sizes, that'll boost your collective ego".

Oh good, glad that's cleared up. I may be an amateur sportswoman with a low body fat and now wearing a T-shirt designated "medium" by some brands; but at least the label on the inside of my underwear tells me I'm a rival to Katie bleedin' Price.

(my bolding above)

I’m not happy… My weight / body shape hasn't really changed in the last decade or two. I used to buy mostly size 8 clothes and had no problems finding and buying them.

However, due to vanity sizing, over the last few years I’ve found that most of the shops here (large town in the south east) either don’t stock sizes lower than a size 8, or if they do, they’re loads bigger than they used to be.

Shops on my local high street:

M&S - nothing smaller than a size 8, which is huge on me

H&M - one of the few shops I can actually buy clothes in (hurrah!) although I agree with earlier comments about their sizing; I take a size 8 in their (wonderwebbed) trousers but their XS tops are either a good fit or flapping in the wind, nothing in-between…

Top Shop / Miss Selfridge - they go down to a size 4 now I think, and their sizes come up small compared to other shops, but I’m now too old to shop in there!!

Oasis - only stock size 8 and above - sizes come up big

Next - this is a confusing one for me… I’ve tried on a pair of their jeans in a size 6 which I could only just get over my hips, and then I tried on a pair of size 6 leggings which were more like jogging bottoms… I also tried on a size 4 winter coat last year, whilst wearing a jumper and it was huge…

TK Maxx - my local one has a size 6 and / or XS section(s) on most of their rails, but they’ve got the same 5 or 6 items in each that have been there for months! So they either don’t get small sizes in anymore, or they’re snapped up quickly.

Dorothy Perkins - I think they go down to a size 6, but I used to buy most of my work wardrobe here several years back, now their clothes are just too big.

Most shops which stock a petite range only ever have about half a dozen items on offer at a time, and several only have the petite range in their larger stores…

I’ve always hated buying clothes without being able to try them on first because, being 5’’2’, I find that most tops are too long, most necklines are too low, the crotch in most pairs of trousers seems to be closer to my knees than where it should be and I should have shares in wonderweb as every single pair of trousers I own has had to be taken up, even if I want to wear them with heels. So I’ve given up buying online as I’ve pretty much had to return everything.


So to go back to the original post…

Fireflyaway wrote: »

Maybe I'm being trivial but I went shopping at the weekend and really struggled to find nice clothes. I'm a size 16-18 so yes I'm chubby but that's not uncommon these days.
I was really disappointed. What was meant to be a happy trip to get new things for my new job left me feeling even fatter and like some unwanted minority.
I don't remember Such tiny sizes growing up either. Maybe my memory is letting me down but i though size 10 used to be the smallest now I'm seeing 8 and even 6 as standard. Should I just accept I need to hit the gym?!

You may not believe it, but I totally understand how you feel… I’ve all but given up on clothes shopping (which used to be one of my favourite things to do on a Saturday) unless I actually *need* something. When I do venture into one of the shops mentioned above, in the vain hope that something will fit me, I usually leave empty handed…

When will clothes designers and shops learn that we are not all the same shape?

(Slightly off topic but… I remember being told some time ago that some aviation company spent loads to money developing a seat for their pilots that would fit the ‘average person’ to ensure that everyone would be comfortable sitting in it. The result? Uncomfortable for everyone.)

harrys_nan

LavenderBees
I have sent you a pm

LavenderBee

KittenChops wrote: »

(my bolding above)

I’m not happy… My weight / body shape hasn't really changed in the last decade or two. I used to buy mostly size 8 clothes and had no problems finding and buying them. However, due to vanity sizing, over the last few years I’ve found that most of the shops here (large town in the south east) either don’t stock sizes lower than a size 8, or if they do, they’re loads bigger than they used to be.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Oh bless you, KittenChops. I do understand how you feel, as I say I used to be a size 6 and I'm your height too. I was also once a size 14 so I've had a wide range of shopping experiences in my adult life!

I used to find that Primarni were a good bet for a 6 (and now see they do 4s and 6s) - however everything was long. I am handy with a needle and thread so I used to alter the length on things where possible. Like you I find necklines are really low and tops end up sitting on my mid-thigh, I guess my shortness is on my top half! I know you said you're too old for Topshop, is that because the styles don't appeal to you, or you don't like fighting through swarms of A level students in there? I used to find their petite range good (and I absolutely do not have a revealing taste in clothing!) and they did a wider range of smaller sizes in shorter lengths - which makes sense to me. As I say it was a while ago but they did do some shorter length basic things like plain tops, tunics and jeans.

I sometimes feel like clothing manufacturers think we're all 5'10". Ask a 5'10" friend the same question and they complain that clothes all seem to be built for those of us that are 5'2"!

Oh and the anecdote about the seat, I believe that's the American Air Force that did that - I think that was on QI a while ago

Sorry Harrysnan, I've not got your PM

harrys_nan

sent it again:D