Female sizes and clothing: I feel stupid

[Mike 03]

I injected myself into a conversation about changes that a retail store was making with respect to the size of clothing it offers to women.

I'm very intersted in this because I'm fascinated by all aspects of our economy and how it is influencing retail strategizing, but the fact is: I am completely ignorant when it comes to female sizes and clothing.

Could someone give me a primer?

What do the sizes range from?

What is a very thin size? (Helen Hunt, Angelina Jolie, Winonay Ryder?)

what is a larger size? (Oprah, Kirsty Alley?)

My point in that other thread was that since Americans seem to be getting larger, it would make more sense to me, as the designer of clothing, to stop producing the smallest size and keep producing larger sizes.

But as someone who myself has has a nightmare finding jeans that fit my size, because it is a bit on the small size, I also empathize with people who have trouble finding clothes that fit, so it's not like I'm not sensitive to this issue.

[bicentennial_baby]

1. There's no standardization in sizing

A size 4 in one brand could be an 8 in another. It really sucks.

[Shell Beau]

5. Exactly. Sizes vary so much.

A 5 one place can be a 10 another. Very screwy. That is the main reason I do not shop online. Shirts are one thing, but pants can really be funky.

[Captain Hilts]

11. I go to the Joseph Banks sales and they use a crazy system that uses inches!

And the pants are made to be tailored to fit any shape. And they do it right in the store!!!

Men have it so easy.

[femmocrat]

2. I didn't see your other thread, but it does not make sense to women!

Plenty of women want to think they fit into a smaller size than they really wear!

Sizes run from a "0" (extra-extra small) to about a 3-X (hard to find).

Eva Longorio (sp?) wears a "0" I heard. Oprah is probably about a size 16? Not sure as she really looks good in everything she wears. She probably has her clothing tailored to fit.

My husband can never find jeans to fit him either! He is very slim (a runner) and the men's dept. usually starts with a 28 or 30/30, which is too big.

[Captain Hilts]

12. The average woman's waist size is 34", yet in some catalogues, 31" is 'extra large'. nt

[Skittles]

3. all I know is they are certainly downsizing

I wear a size 2/4 jeans now and weigh the same as I did thirty years ago when I wore a size 6. Yet I wear a size 10 bathing suit and size 7/8 undies. Yup it certainly is confusing!

[Inchworm]

4. The distance between the crotch and top of butt on pants

Is much shorter than it used to be.

just sayin..

:P

[Captain Hilts]

10. Women's pants used to be cut too high, now they're too low. nt

[Blue Diadem]

6. sizes run different at different retailers.

The particular store that is cutting size 16, carries a size as small as 00 and a 0 and ranges up to an 18 according to their website. Other stores carry various sizes depending. For most they go up to size 16 or 18. Then it goes into the women's sizes and plus sizes and as far as I know they go up to somewhere around a size 30/32 which is a 58" bust.

There are Jr. sizes, Misses sizes, petites, talls and women's and plus.

I remember a time when the smallest size you'd find on a rack was a 4. A 6-8-10 was considered thin and a 12 was average. Of course, the sizing changed as the years have gone by, I assume to make women feel like they are wearing a smaller size.


edited to add: Don't feel stupid. It's confusing. It's one of the reason I absolutely hate shopping.

[caty]

7. Years ago

we were told that "size 10 is where the fun is". Now, we are not considered to be thin unless we wear a size 6 or lower. The average size that women in our country wear is a size 14 and it is considered to be a plus size. Marilyn Monroe wore sizes from 12 to 16. She would be considered to be overweight by today's fashion standards. Yet, she was one of our most famous sex symbols. Go figure.

[triguy46]

8. It's ok, just tell the clerk your "girlfriend" is your size...

They frequently have to help men with such sizing questions and they'll help you with that cute frock:woohoo:

[Captain Hilts]

9. The numbers don't mean anything, hence, why it makes no sense. A plot to make shopping take longer.