Women: don't define yourself by a number, buy men's clothes!

[NicoleM]

I don't understand why women's clothes comes in sizes that are almost like grades, but the labels on men's clothes usually just tell you the measurements of the clothes. It's a heck of a lot easier to buy men's jeans, since they recognize that a man's height is not connected to his waist size. For some reason, the people who make women's clothes don't seem to get that. I'm short, so it's a lot easier to buy men's pants--I just look for the ones that have a 30' inseam.

Also, I'm not shaped like the women's clothing industry thinks I should be--I don't have an "hourglass" shape. Makes it hard to find jeans that fit my ass and my waist, since I guess my waist-to-hip ratio is supposed to be something other than what it is. And then there's the matter of shirts--I'm a plus-size above the waist, so it's just about impossible to find women's shirts and women's pants in the same store that fit me.

I haven't been trained since birth to think a certain size of men's clothing is "too big," so all the size of my clothes means to me is that they fit, not that there is something wrong with me. I don't feel any pressure to try to fit into a smaller size pants, and I only buy clothes that fit rather than the smallest size I can squeeze into. I highly recommend buying men's clothes.

It's probably hard to find men's dresses, though. :)

[redqueen]

1. Great advice! And another benefit - they're cheaper!

:)

[Karenina]

26. And if they have to be dry-cleaned

It costs CONSIDERABLY LESS!!!

[nannygoat]

2. Plus, have you noticed how women's sizes have changed over the years?

My niece who wears a size 3 can barely fit into a dress my mom wore 50 years ago as a perfect size 12. What's up with that?

[stanwyck]

20. My daughter can wear vintage, but

that's because she's a size 2. I've gone with her to the vintage stores before...those clothes are tiny!

[VelmaD]

3. Sorry, but no sale

You try finding men's clothes that fit a 36DD chest. And men's pants have no ass, unlike me. :-)

[NicoleM]

4. Well,

I wear a 36DDD and I have no trouble finding men's shirts that fit. And I have plenty of ass, it just fits better in men's jeans for some reason.

[VelmaD]

9. I just can't get in them...

I have that hourglass shape and the waist-to-hip ratio in men's pants just doesn't even come close to working on me.

I think that's why the shirts don't fit as well. Men's shirts aren't cut to fit the hourglass shape. And frankly neither are a lot of women's shirts. My problem is that I'm a size 16 or 18 in my boobs and a size 10 in my waist. If it fits my chest I swim in the rest of it and if it fits in the waist my tits come out on top. x(

[EV1Ltimm]

8. My wife is a 42DDD

and she wears my shirts all the time...

i don't know what the necessarily says about my chest size... :)

- timm

[elfwitch]

15. try Levi's 560s

They are roomy in the ass and thighs.
I buy them all the time.

[Nikia]

5. I suppose if I got used to the sizes

My mother-in-law bought me a pair of men's Levi's that were suppose to be equivalent to my size but they literally fell off of me. I know what you mean about the hip to waist ratio thing. Now that I am a little heavier than I was in high school, I am closer to hour glass but I think that my butt is still about a size smaller than my waist. There is usually extra room in that area. Junior's jeans seem to fit me better. I suppose I should go try on some men's jeans. If I can find the right size, they might fit well too.

[aquart]

6. The buttons are on the wrong side.

Which really makes the jackets annoying. Pants, however, I prefer in men's because they're long enough.

[camero]

7. No, you'll make it worse

Do you want everyone to see what your waist measurements really are? Cause on men's clothes, they are printed on the outside. Keep em guessing. :)

[Logansquare]

10. I buy mens' pants

They are much better constructed than womens' slacks, and usually less expensive. The proportions aren't perfect, but womens stuff is even worse. According to the cut of womens pants, someone with my hip size should also be about four months pregnant.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. I have a bunch of men's T-shirts...

Because the women's shirts are so screwed up. I buy jeans at Lane Bryant, because they fit me well...
Duckie

[skippysmom]

12. good advice!

My mom, who has no hips or butt, has been buying men's jeans for years. Sadly, I can't do the same because I do have that hourglass figure and if I buy pants that fit my butt and hips, the waist is way too big.

Personally, I'm a fan of clothes that come in small, medium and large. They tend to be much more forgiving.

[elfwitch]

16. BUY Levi's 560's

I have a 10 inch difference between my waist and my hips. The 560s fit every time if I buy them to fit my waist.

[Interrobang]

13. Ah, another veteran "cross-shopper"!

Most of my clothes come from the "men's" department. I can be pretty sure, if I go into a store and pick up a 34w 32l pant, that it's going to fit me and look ok. (I am 5'5" tall and have a 40' outseam, and NO waist indention because my torso's so short!) Shirts, same deal -- I just have to look for a 13 1/2 neck and a 40/41 chest. (I wear a 38D bra!)

My measurements are a little off-normal, too, at Bust: 40, Waist: 31, Hip: 41, Inseam: 32, Outseam: 40, and 4 inches longer in the back rise than in the front, which is two more than women's pants are cut for! (I rode horses for 20 years!) I don't care who knows it, because I can look pretty darned good if I can actually get things that really fit.

When I was dating a guy who makes all his own clothes, I had myself a custom tailor, and that really rocked for doing alterations on the few pieces of "women's" clothes I did have to buy!

Another side bonus to buying men's clothes is that you won't get shafted at the dry cleaner's if you use that...

[scarlet_owl]

14. I already do.

I have very long legs and it's easier for me to find men's pants that fit. I'm also a t-shirt kind of gal. I only buy "women's" clothing when I need dressy stuff, which is extremely rare.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

17. Ahhh!

I'd look pretty atrocious in men's clothing, they've got no shape to them.

[Melsky]

18. I do both

I buy all my clothes at thrift stores, in the mens and/or women's sections.

[stanwyck]

19. The secret's out!

I have an hour-glass shape, but I prefer men's jeans. That way I can select the waist and the length for my long legs. I find the women's jeans that are cut long enough are too roomy. Or the waist will fit but the crotch rides too high. The butt fits but the thigh area is too loose. Men's jeans fit perfectly. Give them a try. I've converted lots of women. Go to Target. It's painless. No one has to know. They think you're buying them for your husband, son, or boyfriend.

[buddhamama]

21. i frequently buy

pants made for men/boys, boy's shirts too.

[stanwyck]

22. Little boy T-shirts are great

check out the boys section. Really. You'll get a nice, tight, sexy fit across your Janet-Jackson section.

[buddhamama]

24. i wear them all the time

and love them!i finally had to go buy my own cause my eight yr old didn't want to share clothes with his Mommy. :-)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

29. That's where I shop!

I hit the Target's boys and mens areas -- the boys tees are PERFECT for me, though I do get a lot of strange looks holding up the shirts to see if they'll fit across my bust. :) I especially like buying the really weird stuff, like Pokemon or Buzz Lightyear.

And mens/boys clothes are just soooo much cheaper.

[jmowreader]

23. Posteriorly-endowed women: go to a Big & Tall Shop

or a truck stop, and buy Long Haul Jeans. The preferred jean of large-ass truckers everywhere. These are jeans with stretch fabric, elastic waistbands, extra reinforcement in the crotch. Just the thing for a guy whose job primarily involves sitting.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. But large-ass truckers

are usually large-belly truckers as well.

Back in the days when jeans became the American uniform (late 1960s), there really were only men's sizes, and I simply could not wear jeans at all. If the waist fit, the hips were too small, and if the hips fit, the waist was too big.

I was very grateful for the development of lines of jeans for women, and my inability to fit into men's jeans would be even worse today than when I was a skinny little college student.

[notadmblnd]

27. I buy mens jeans...

they're more comfortable and cheaper.

[SoCalDem]

28. There used to be a company in Texas that did make slacks

for women that were sized like men's..

It was called FemForm, and they came in waist sizes and lengths.. They were actually very cool pants.. They had just a touch of stretch to them, and they kept their crease.. I had them in just about every color.. My aunt had a boutique and she was the only one in town that carried them.. They were pricey, but well worth it.. I think they were 21.95 back then ..we're talking 1965-68...when you could buy 501's for $4.50..