anyone feel like sizes have drastically changed?

[HIU8]

I'm been in a clothing slump for some time now. I work PT from home, so I have no work warddrobe anymore (and if I kept anything it no longer fits anyway). Here is the issue. I have bought piecemeal for myself for the past 7 years. I just literally emptied my closet of things I no longer wear (it was MOST of my closet). My clothes are to small. Why the heck are they to small.....I admit I am about 10 lbs heavier than I was pre DS, and I have sized up on many items. However, (and this is directed towards macy's in particular), I DO NOT WEAR A SIZE 14. I JUST DON'T. The last time I wore a size 14 I was 20 lbs heavier than I am now (I admit this was in high school). Did something happen in the clothing industry and sizes got smaller?

I just went and bought 4 pr pants at JCPenny (for some reason they fit better than most). I still have to have the waist/tush area worked on (my waist is significantly smaller than my hips and all the pants have these huge waists, so I get everything taken in). At least these were a size 12 and not a 14. Of course, I now want to work hard to loose the 10 lbs and get back to a size 10 (I will most likely never see a size 8 again).

Also, I just no longer like the way shirts fit on me. Everything is made huge. In petite things are now made wider. I miss petite sophisticate (where I got the majority of my clothes b/c they fit me so well). Please, someone tell me where to shop for decent things that fit without looking like they are to small or to big (FWIW, I waiver between a small and a medium in tops depending on the cut).

I'm just so frustrated and my wardrobe shows it. I just want to look normal again.

[lizzywednesday]

I've got a similar struggle with pants and have boycotted dress slacks for quite some time now because nothing fits my thighs! (I also hear you 100% loud & clear on the waist/hips thing - if I buy trousers that fit my waist, they don't go over my hips, etc.)

And, yes, sizes have totally changed. I can't comment on petite/petite sophisticate (as I am anything but petite myself) but I've noticed sizing not only varies from brand to brand but also from season to season!

80 lbs ago (dear Lord, did I just say that? Oh carp.) I could wear a size 6 or 8 sheath suit from Jones New York. Now, looking at that suit, I want to cry.

FWIW, I'm guessing between the "streamlined" cuts of things and changes in fit models, we're going to see quite a bit of this for a few seasons. I hope it swings back into clothing I can really wear, though!

[ged]

I hear ya! I am also wearing size 12s now and they are tight (just had another baby 5 months ago). I also refuse to go up to a 14...but maybe I will have no choice. I used to think size 10 was big. Not anymore!

We are possibly moving to Germany in 2.5 months and I basically need a whole new wardrobe, but I so do not want to buy larger sizes than necessary. I am still hoping my tummy area will shrink soon :)

[wellyes]

This is why I'm so intensely jealous of men's cloth shopping. Waist measurement, inseam, neck measurement. Simple.

One good rule of thumb I've learned... the cheaper the store or brand, the more generous the cut. A boutique store, you'll need to get a bigger size. Target, Kohls, suddenly you're thinner.

We are possibly moving to Germany in 2.5 months and I basically need a whole new wardrobe, but I so do not want to buy larger sizes than necessary. I am still hoping my tummy area will shrink soon

Oh, man. Larger size clothes are difficult to find in Europe. That is good incentive to get / stay in shape!

[KrisM]

I am wearing size 12 jeans from Gap that are a couple years old now. I no longer can wear size 12 pants at Gap. I tried some on in an 18 and they were still too tight in the thigh. Big in the hips and waist, but tight in the leg. Huh.

[cono0507]

It is so frustrating and I wonder why we just can't have sizing that makes sense like mens' sizing (32 inch waist? ok, size 32!)
Currently I'm wearing everything from size 8 eddie bauer jeans to size 14 north face hiking pants and they all fit. I can no longer buy any pants online, because i never know what size to buy anymore.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

This is why I'm so intensely jealous of men's cloth shopping. Waist measurement, inseam, neck measurement. Simple.

One good rule of thumb I've learned... the cheaper the store or brand, the more generous the cut. A boutique store, you'll need to get a bigger size. Target, Kohls, suddenly you're thinner.


Oh, man. Larger size clothes are difficult to find in Europe. That is good incentive to get / stay in shape!

:yeahthat: i agree with everything. am so jealous of DH when he goes pants shopping bc u can't go wrong with waist measurement & inseam..so simple, so logical, no room for variation. with women's sizes, it's totally hit or miss. a size 4 in one brand could be bigger than size 8 in another. it's maddening. and plus with all the vanity sizing that goes on, sizes vary in time as well...a size 6 today is like a size 10 twenty years ago. so basically, there is no consistency whatsoever!

i agree, larger size clothes are difficult to find anywhere outside us. and if you think think they are hard to find in Europe, try Japan! when i lived there i wore a size 4/6, was 5'6" and had to buy tops in either L or XL. my cleanroom uniform at work was size 2XL (no joke!). i felt like such a giant there.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I feel like giving up on this some days. I have noticed how much shirt sizes have changed though. I feel confident that I should be a medium but I have to buy smalls now. The AT sales' associate confirmed the sizing change. I want to know what size truly small or extra small women wear if I am a small when I should be a medium. Oh, and chest is a C and the smalls pull across the chest sometimes but if I size up they look sloppy and oversized everywhere else.

I was sad the day I looked at fancy jeans' size charts because they were 1-2 sizes than I am used to buying. Plus, my legs are skinny but not my waist so I am really screwed. If I buy for my waist then they look bad everywhere else. Key- trim waist. Till then, I just don't know.

Beth

Beth

[HIU8]

Glad to know I'm not alone in this. My issue is that I just don't like the way I currently look in clothes. I used to wear everything tucked in (skinny skinny waist). Now, forget it. My waist is still skinny but still. Then I don't like where the shirts hit me (either to short or to long). I feel like I need to have the shirts shortened a little to sit properly on me.

I have found jeans that fit at walmart. their shirts never fit though. Target I have never found anything that fits me (as for cheaper stores).

[fivi2]

Yep - sizes are crazy, especially between brands. But it seems like pants have gotten smaller while shirts have gotten bigger. Like pp, I have size 8 gap pants I can wear from before, but now I am more like a 12. But with shirts, because of my bust, I have always been a L or XL. But lately I have been buying mediums! Strange.