Entertaining Elephants sizing question *UPDATE ON SIZING*

[kboyle]

i posted this in another EE thread, but no one commented, and i just wanted all the EE buyers to know how my experience went:

the sizing is a bit wonky on the new fall wide legged pants. i also ordered a pair from last year and there is a BIG difference. the waist seems to be bigger than last years style, all over it seems to be a much looser pant. AND, i ordered a babies lg & accidentally got a sz 2 and there is about a 3" difference in length, where there is only a 1/2-1" difference between 2 & 4. hope that helps. :)

julie from jaminga has great cs, and if you call about any sizing questions she can help you out.

hth!
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kcandz or jacksmommy, hopefully one of you see this!!!

how does their sizing run? charlie is in a 3T in about everything now and they only do 2 or 4, how do their waistbands run, are they looser, or more tight fitting? i don't really care about length right now since i'm planning on ordering a few pairs of the crop knit pants and if they are long, no big deal...i just need to make sure the waist fits.

i don't see a sizing chart on their site, and since i'm in ohio i have a few hours before the west coast "wakes up" :) to make a call.


TIA!!! hopefully you see this!!

[neeter]

hi -- i just placed an order through EE and recently received it (they are having a summer sale now). i would say that the tops are true to size, and the pants are on the smaller size. i didn't find the waists to be too tight, in my opinion. i ordered ahead for next summer.

i just placed another order for fall stuff through www.jaminga.com (prices seem better and the fall stuff is up). for my son, who is currently wearing 2T, i ordered 2T tops and 4T pants. i think the pants will be a little long for him now, but i can just roll up the waistband.

i would recommend jaminga.com. the owner, julie, is really helpful and kind. she helped with sizing on my order, and you can also ask for her advice.

good luck!

[JacksMommy]

I concur that the tops run true to size and that the pants are slightly narrow. I'd say go for 4s for your DS, 2 will definitely be too small. I like Julie from Jaminga as well, she is more web savvy than the EE store - they are basically a retail operation with a website. Still, gotta love their stuff!

Laurel
Mama to Jack 6/02 and Maddy 12/04

Babywearing education in Napa, CA

[wendyp]

I agree with PPs. Go with the 4. The elastic waists are pretty stretchy. My DD is almost 17 months, average weight, but tall and the 2's fit her fine in the waist.

Although, I have heard that the baseball Ts run big. You might want to ask about those if interested.

[kboyle]

thanks mamas, ok, so definately 4s for charlie, but what about max. should i go ahead and order the babies lg (12-24) or should i go with sz 2s? he's wearing 12-18mo clothes fine right now. again, i don't care if they are long, just want the waist to fit.

i'm thinking of ordering some 6s for next year too!

[JacksMommy]

Well I don't have much experience with the 2s but I'd say that if you're ordering for next summer, definitely go with 2s for Max.

Laurel
Mama to Jack 6/02 and Maddy 12/04

Babywearing education in Napa, CA

[wendyp]

I don't know if this helps, but my 17 month old has the cropped pants in 2s. They fit great as regular pants right now. So maybe that's an option to get more use out of the pants?

[mamaecb]

I love the EE stuff, but have not been impressed with their customer service when I've called with sizing questions. They really need a size chart to be seling online, IMO. I did learn from speaking with them that they are tweaking the design of the boys' cropped pants (and maybe all pants?) for next year. I ordered some in babies' large and some in boys' 2 - thinking that DS could wear the larges this summer and the 2s as full-length pants this fall and maybe as cropped by spring/summer. WELL ... it turned out that the waist was actually much smaller on the 2s than the babies'!! Weird. My 14-month-old seems a little constricted by the little 2 waistband, even now! The babies' larges seem pretty comfy in the cropped pants -- but the wide-leg jeans have a tiny waist. I think the shirts seem true-to-size or slightly small -- except the baseball tees, which are HUGE. All in all, pretty confusing. They're lucky the stuff is so darn cute ...

HTH,
Emilie, mama to Henry

[kcandz]

In reference to the soft pull-on pants, of which I seem to have in every color for - DC is on the skinny side, and wore large until about 26 months. So I think you are fine with large if your younger DS is wearing them now. As PP have said true-to-size. The pants are so floppy, it actually can be aggravating to have them a bit long. I never cared before for lots of other pants, but these dragged in a way that seemed bothersome. I did have DC in cropped 2s at 18 months or so though - the elastic waist seems not too big, KWIM?

For the regular tees, I had one that was marked size 2 but very small, I think it was mismarked. Otherwise no problems. Again, DC has worn 24 months for a month or two longer so I may not be the best judge. I only get their tees and the pull-on pants, so I can't speak to their other designs' fit. Very interesting to hear they are doing some redesigning.

I agree with PP that said EE is a small retail shop with a website, and not a B&M/web retailer. I have ordered from the web and been to the store - they are certainly a small independent business. I find that appealing but it can be frustrating sometimes too.

HTH

[kboyle]

emilie,

i'm looking to get max a pair of cropped & a pair of the knit wide legged too. did you order a few of each pants that you KNOW that the waistband on the 2s are consistently smaller than the babies large? or do you think it was a sizing fluke with just the pants that you ordered? if the waistband on the 2s is in fact smaller i think i'm going to order a sz 2 cropped and a babies lg wide legged.

what do you think? hopefully you see this soon so i can order tonight :)

[mspersnickity]

Ooh, I've been wondering if that would work, especially with the sale on crops -- off to see what they have left! ; )

[kboyle]

ok, so i put in 2 orders, 1 from EE for a pair of crop pants for both boys, sz2 for max and 4 for charlie.

then i did another order for 2 pairs of wide legs for charlie and 1 for max in a babies lg.

i got kicked in the a$$ with shipping, $8 from ee & $9 from jaminga, but jaminga didn't have any boys cropped pants and i wanted a pair for each ds.

cross your fingers that all the sizes work out and i don't need to spend more $$ on exchanging or returning!

[mamaecb]

Kristine,
Sorry I just saw this now ... after you've placed your orders, of course! I have not seen the new fall full-length wide legs yet, so I can't speak to those. What I did order was several pairs of crops in both babies' large and boys' 2 ... and the 2s were consistently smaller in the waist than the babies'. When I inquired about this on the phone with EE they said that the small waists on the boys' pants were a problem that they were going to be correcting for next year. So definitely not just a fluke. She actually suggested NOT to order ahead for next year (I was trying to decide between a 2 and 4 in crops for next summer) and just to wait until the redesigned stuff comes out next year (and pay full price, of course ... ugh). I plan to use cropped 2s that I do have as long pants this fall ... and hope that Henry doesn't get his circulation cut off by the tiny waist! FWIW, he is around 25 lbs./31" and wears 18-24 month in most other brands. If he gets any chunkier through the middle, he won't be wearing these 2s for long ... if he slims down, maybe they can work as crops next summer ... we shall see. I hope you're happy with the goods when you receive them. They are really so soft and cute!

Emilie, mama to Henry

p.s. on a related note, I recently picked up a few pairs of American Apparel Karate pants, which I think are pretty similar to EE ... less rich colors, less soft ... but cute wide legs still. Henry fits perfectly into their 18-24 month size ... they fit right at ankle-length ... not cropped, but not quite LONG either ... and a MUCH looser waist than EE ...

[kboyle]

ok, that's exactly what i wanted to hear!! i ordered the 2s in the cropped and they should fit perfectly as long pants for a while :) and i'm assuming that the babies lg will fit true to size, since it's their new fall stuff...those pants are on backorder right now anyway.

i got 2 aa karate pants in 12-18 that are still HUGE in the waist on max, so if the sz 2cropped are a bit tight on henry right now, they should be perfect or a bit big on max :) i did find that the aa pants have a much looser waist than other brands of the same size because max can usually fit in most 12-18mo waists and these are just SOOO loose on him!

emile, thanks for getting back to me, that totally helped!

[smilla653]

Hey Emilie!

I have a sizing question for Karl (now 15mo). He's a bit smaller than Henry (just 30/80 cm inches long, maybe only 22 pounds). I keep going back and forth over what sizes to get. Narrow waist isn't a problem. We just stopped at AA to try on the Karate pants, and they were way too huge in the waist in both 12-18 and 18-24 month sizes. In terms of length, the 12-18 month were slightly cropped, the 18-24 were a tad long, but not terribly so. In general, Karl just barely still fits into 12-18 month sized pants (from Gap, for example) Miniboden 12-18 month are a great length for him for fall (just a tad long, so we cuff them). His size 70 wigglepants from HA are now uncuffed, but the waist is too big so we're not buying any more of those in 80s which would probably fit OK cuffed. His 12-18 month Zutano pants are getting a tad short. We haven't bought any in the next size up because I was thinking maybe EE for fall. LOTs of 18-24 month pants I bought ahead for this fall are still way too long. In general, I'm confused and frustrated about what to buy him for fall. He seems to have a very long torso and short legs. Sorry to vent!

Any idea which size jeans would work for him, length-wise? How about cropped-pants-as-long-pants for fall (18-24 mo or 2s?) Any chance you could post the measurements online? I think 2s would be perfect for Karl for next summer.

And you said the baseball shirts ran huge? How huge?

TIA!

[mamaecb]

Hi Hilde,
I hope I can help with the EE sizing dilemma. Karl sounds like he's tricky to fit right now. We're having a similar/opposite problem. Henry is chunkier through the middle and wears bulky cloth diapers -- to get pants to fit over all that puts us in sizes that are too long for him. Sigh. Anyway ... I took some measurements ... all unstretched elastic on the waists ...

EE CROPS - BABIES' LARGE: waist=15.5"; inseam=7.5"; outseam=13.5"
EE CROPS - BOYS' 2: waist=14.5"; inseam=10"; outseam=16"
EE WIDE-LEG DENIM - BABIES' LARGE: waist=14.5"; inseam=11"; outseam=19"
EE LS LAP TEE - BABIES' LARGE: length=12.5"; width=8.5"; sleeves=9.5"
EE BASEBALL TEE - BOYS' 2: length=16.5"; width=11.5" sleeves=? (raglan 3/4 style)

So ... the jeans are kind of strange because they have this tiny waist, but they are really long (and very wide so they don't stay cuffed) ... Henry, trying to learn to walk, might be a tripping disaster in these. Karl too? But they're very cute. And the baseball tees are ENORMOUS. They look like at least a 3 or 4 to me. I haven't ordered any othe of their shirts in size 2 to compare them, but when I called EE, they mentioned that the baseball tees run large. I ordered a couple anyway, but it will be awhile before Henry can wear them. The babies' lap tees, however, seem to run a little small. The sleeves are a tad short on Henry -- and it's a slim fit. But I stocked up on the sale -- should be good for layering. FYI ... the sleeves and hem are serged rather than hemmed ... I couldn't tell that from their website pictures.

You might be lucky and be able to use the crops in 2s as long pants this fall and cropped pants next spring. It doesn't sound like the little waist would be an issue ... but they may be a bit long on him right now. I believe they're longer than the AA karate pants in 18-24 (which were a little long on Karl, right?). BTW, the AA pants do have large waists. Chunky Henry even has plenty of room!

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any other measurements, etc. I went a little nuts on their sale, so I have a pretty good, er, "inventory" to examine ... :)

Emilie, mama to Henry

[kboyle]

hilde-

i think i'd go with the cropped 2s in terms of trying to make them long pants since the waist is smaller than the babies lg waist. and stick with the babies large wide legged pants if you are looking into getting some long pants too. that's my plan of action right now. i just got my shipping email conf from EE today and my cropped pants should arrive on the 11th, i ordered long pants from jaminga, but max's size was back ordered, so i shouldn't receive them for a while. once i receive max's pants i'll give you an update on how the cropped 2s fit. max also didn't fit waist-wise into the AA 12-18 pants, WAY too big!

if you order cropped pants for next summer, i wouldn't order 2s, i think they will be WAY too small in the waist.

[smilla653]

Thank you guys SO much for all your sizing help!

I finally sat down this morning and sussed it all out. By the the way.... the fall stuff is up at ee! I didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale, though. I'll just wait for the next growth spurt.

Here's what I ended up buying: (it is *the* most motley assortment of sizes!), based on Karl's 12-18 month Babystyle soft pants with 16-inch outseam fitting really well right now.

Cropped 2s in lentil and mango
Babies MEDIUM jean! (taking a gamble here that if the larges are 19 inches, the mediums will be something Karl can fit into, even with his big cloth dipe)
Baby's thermal in large in mango (for now)
Size 2 thermal in thunder (for later)

I decided I could live without the Baby Ts after hearing they were serged. The look can be cute, but I have some French stuff that is serged and the edges have gotten a bit frayed. I was wondering what was up with the sleeves in the pictures.

In non EE- news, when I went into AA to look at the Karate pants (which were too big in the waist) I *did* pick up some 18-24 month l/s lap tees. They are only about $12 and come in all the right colors (like olive, midblue, etc).

I'm about to order 2 pairs of babystyle pants in 12-18 mo, too. Karl has just completely trashed all his soft jersey from the spring!

I think we owe it to ourselves to post pics!

[mspersnickity]

I love that the EE colors are so gender neutral - I ordered cropped 2s in lentil and mango, as well (and a size 2 thermal in thunder!). Unfortunately, they called the day after I placed my order to let me know the lentil is sold out. That was 5 days ago, I don't know why they haven't fixed it yet. The gal on the phone was clearly making a lot of calls about it because when we finally connected she had already left 2 messages and was surprised that I already knew what was up. As of Friday, all of the other colors that are listed as available were available, just not the lentil.

I decided to spend the extra and get a babies large in the avocado (new for Fall). I actually like that color better, and they'll fit eventually if not now.

[smilla653]

Hmm. I guess I won't be getting the lentil crops, then! I may do something similar to what you did and order a pair of the new fall pants instead if/when they call.

[KrystalS]

It seems like at least once a month someone posts about a clothing brand that I hadn't heard of! The EE clothes are adorable. I'm definitely ordering some pants for DD!
My cc can't handle many more new clothing brands for dd! I've already ordered a ton from MB!

[mspersnickity]

Terrible, isn't it?? I'm trying to pretend I didn't hear about Wild Child. Though of course I googled them because I just had to see. Dangit! ;)

[pennstatecowgirl]

Anyone know how the skirts run? I want one of the twirly ones for my daughter. She's on the small side at 16 months (73 cm; 22 pounds).

[cheyennemom]

I am curious too. My dd is is 4'3" and is 4 years old. I would normally buy a 55 but EE only has 4 and 6.
I just LOVE those skirts!

[mspersnickity]

We got a pair of the cropped size 2 pants from the summer clearance and a pair of the new fall pants in a babies large. They are very similar in waistband and length and both are comparable to a Gymboree 12-18.

The elastic on the babies large fall pants is much stretchier, though, so they should fit longer (as crop pants next year :). They also have a gusset that makes the crotch much roomier - good for cloth diapers.

[kboyle]

it was the gusset that i really didn't like about the new style. the gusset works for babies & CDs, but really doesn't work for my 3 year old who doesn't wear dipes anymore, with the gusset it just has all this extra material that bunches up. i'm liking the old style MUCH better.

glad that you like them!!

[mamaecb]

I'm trying to visualize this gusset ... are they similar to HA wiggle pants? Or do they still have a seam up the center back? Maybe like Basic Brilliance bloomers (if you've seen them) -- I think they have a gusset too. For those of you that have gotten new fall stuff, what colors are your favorites? I think it's so hard to tell from their tiny swatches on the website!

Thanks,
Emilie, mama to Henry

[mspersnickity]

Hmm, I don't have them handy right now, but you can see the gusset in this picture (when you know to look for it!).

http://www.securenetorder.com/mm5/graphics/00000004/PUMPKIN-WIDELEG%203.jpg

I think the front and back are the same, so there's a center seam, but they've inserted a diamond of fabric between the legs. I'm surprised they're doing that in the toddler sizes as well - I can see how the extra fabric would be too much without a diaper.

I wish they'd put actual color swatches up - I got the avocado with the hope that it would be very similar to the citron that I missed out on from last year. But I think it must be a little darker. Kind of in between the avocado and the olive "swatches" they show. Internet color codes just cannot really demonstrate true life fabric colors, they need close-up pictures!

[JacksMommy]

I completely agree about putting up pictures instead of internet color code swatches. What would be great is if they could put up even a picture of a stack of the pants (like basic brilliance does), then you could get a sense of the color IRL.

After having been disappointed a few times, I do call them to ask questions about the ones I like. In spite of my vow not to order any yet, I caved when a friend offered to split shipping and ordered ochre, eggplant, dark teal and blue stone. I'll post when I get them!

Laurel
Mama to Jack 6/02 and Maddy 12/04

Babywearing education in Napa, CA

[mspersnickity]

And that's another thing! Their shipping is crazy, we paid $9 shipping for 4 pieces of baby clothing in a manila bubble envelope. They're lucky their product is unique, or I wouldn't have ordered at all. I would definitely order more if the shipping were reasonable.

(Okay, that's all from me, sorry to monopolize the EE discussion ;))

[smilla653]

They *finally* phoned me about my order (5 days later) and the only sale items they still had avail. were the cropped mango pants and the jeans. The person who was one the phone was actually really nice and answered further questions about the sizes for me.

I kept the jeans, and changed my order to 2 pairs wide-legged pants (size baby large in avocado and pumpkin) a lap t (in baby large, pumpkin) and a thermal (in 2T, avocado). Not a lot of different colors, I know, but I already had some shirts in blues, browns, and olive. I was tempted to get something in the ochre, though.

I am actually really excited to hear about the gusset since we CD.

Sorry, ladies who are asking about how the skirts run. I don't have any experience in that dept.

[kboyle]

i agree about the colors online, you definately need to call if asking about certain colors...its so hard to gauge with the color chart they show.

yeah, the gusset in the babies large that i ordered for max was still a little wide and bulky, but we use sposies again, so i didn't need the xtra room, and the cropped 2s fit him like like a dream as long pants.

they have such great quality, and it is a shame to see the gusset in the toddler sizes, especially 4 & 6...i'm doubting someone who can fit in a sz 6 is still in dipes. with the 2 i understand, but i wish they'd offer "no-gusset" 4 & 6s.

[smilla653]

I just got my order *today*.

However, the stuff is really cute, and it looks like I got all the sizing right, thanks to you guys!

The 6-12 month jeans are the same length as the 18-24 month wide pants (both have an approx. 16 inch outseam).

The size 2 thermal is the same size as the 18-24 month l/s lap tee.

I really like the thermal, and am thinking about ordering more. They were out of all the sale stuff I wanted except the jeans when I ordered, so I've got stuff in pumpkin and avocado.

I'm going to wash everything and then hopefully post pics. I'd love to see pics of everybody's cuties in EE!

[kboyle]

glad you got your order! my first order took quite a while to ship, while the other was here within the week!

once you get your dc in the EE stuff, i'd love to see some pics, once charlie gets home i'll do a fashion show...if he lets me!

[mamaecb]

Good idea, Hilde ... I'd love to see pics of all the cuties in their EE. I'll try to take some of Henry today too ... he's still in his PJs now (*gasp*), but I think it might actually be warm enough today for crops! :)

Emilie, mama to Henry