Sizes of Clothes

Many fashion blogs that I read lament the fact that there is no standard among women's clothing sizes.  And I do agree, after having tried on many different women's clothes, from many different manufacturers, it is quite true that there is no industry standard for clothing sizes.  But what I take issue with, is women thinking that this is their burden alone to bear.  Ah not true ladies, not true.

A fascinating study was done and published on Esquire Magazine's site called: Are Your Pants Lying to You? An Investigation

If you look at the graphic on that site, it clearly shows that men have to deal with the same issues that women have to deal with.  No clothing manufacturer is actually being honest about what sizes of clothes they are actually selling.  And why would they be?  Because if they were, they probably would not be selling very many pieces of clothing.

For example, one of my newest favorite clothing stores is Loft. Part of the reason behind enjoying their clothes is that they are cute, but a big part of it is the sizing system they use there.  When I first shopped at this store I took a cute skirt to the dressing room and tried it on.  I want to say that the skirt was like a size 10 or 12.  Well, it did not fit, it was too big.  So I tried on the next smaller size, and it did not fit.  I repeated this process until I found one that fit, and it was a size 4.  Damn! Hot Damn! I was fitting into a size 4.  Do you think I bought that skirt! Oh hell yes!

What had happened?  Had I magically shrunk?  Nope, it is simply that Loft uses a different sizing standard than most other stores.  Look at the chart above.  If you have a 41 inch waist and shop at Old Navy, you may be under the impression and think you have a 36 inch waist.  If you suddenly start shopping somewhere that has their clothes honestly sized, you probably would not buy their clothes because they make you feel fat.

Well here is my advice boys and girls, don't buy clothes based on what the tag says the size is.  Buy them according to how they fit on you.  If they fit well and flatter your body, then buy it, regardless of what the tag says it is.