Pant sizes mean almost nothing!!

[Pazza 199]

Hello all!

This week I was lucky enough to go to a clothing exchange and get a bunch of new to me clothes.

Among other things, I picked up a bunch of pants and skirts that looked close enough to fit, brought them home and tried them on.

Goodness gracious! I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to the sizes when picking them and grabbed a wide variety of sizes. I fit well into sizes 6 to 12. Talk about confusion. Cut, style and brand make a huge difference.

The funny thing is this realization is a little liberating! So in case anyone else is struggling I wanted to share.

P.s. any advice on wearing white pants and skirts???

What do I pair with them?

How does one keep them clean??

All the best to everyone

[EmmyJ 184]

Women's sizing is a nightmare! It's totally arbitrary. Men's sizing can vary from brand to brand too, but at least sizes are based on actual body measurements. We just have random numbers that mean nothing!

[Berry78 4,261]

This is so true. I am at the beginning of my weight loss, and before surgery I always wore the same brand of pants. I figure I'll just continue either buying or at least trying on the same brand in order to track my "actual" size. I doubt my brand is any more accurate than any others, but at least I'm comparing apples to apples.

Once I'm in maintenance, I guess that is what dressing rooms are for!

Congrats on being size 6-12! Fabulous!

[Introversion 1,876]

As far as women's sizes are concerned, many clothing makers have resorted to 'vanity sizing' in recent years. The size 12 of the 1980s and 1990s is now the modern day size 8.

http://time.com/how-to-fix-vanity-sizing/

The reason for vanity sizing is mostly psychological. Designers know that women will be more excited about purchasing clothes that are labeled with a smaller size than the measurements would indicate. For many women out there, a size 10 on the tag is more invigorating than staring down at a size 14.

Quote

The rise of so-called vanity sizing has rendered most labels meaningless. As Americans have grown physically larger, brands have shifted their metrics to make shoppers feel skinnier—so much so that a women’s size 12 in 1958 is now a size 6. Those numbers are even more confusing given that a pair of size-6 jeans can vary in the waistband by as much as 6 in., according to one estimate. They’re also discriminatory: 67% of American women wear a size 14 or above, and most stores don’t carry those numbers, however arbitrary they may be.

[Clementine Sky 708]

I was so baffled by how I was fitting into clothes that were much smaller sizes than when I weighed the same amount in high school 10+ years ago that I did a search about it and found a Washington Post article with a chart showing what sizes were in the past and now. I agree with the OP that sizing is a bit arbitrary. I was helping my aunt move recently, and she had clothes in her closet dating back to the 80s. I've been wearing a size 2-4 in modern sizes, but a size 8 my aunt says is from about 1994 was snug.

[Berry78 4,261]

When I graduated from high school in 1996, I weighted 215lbs, and wore a snug size 18. Probably a 20 would have fit better.

Today I am 270lbs and am a snug 20. Craziness!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Some things are vanity sizing and some aren't. For example I had some jeans from college I was able to wear after losing weight even though at the time was 30 pounds heavier than when I was in college. Being morbidly obese changes your body (you have more muscle).

I honestly don't find a ton of variation in sizing. I stick to pretty much the same department stores and I shop by measurements when shopping online.

Also in saving money I buy a lot of clothes from Europe and Asia and the sizing is anything but generous. I find the sizes to be pretty standard.

The only thing I find really arbitrary right now is medium and large. Some stores a medium is a 6-8 and some please it is an 8-10. Larges are either 8-10 or 10-12. I can wear the 8/10 but not the others so I have to check the size chart.

And with designer clothes and higher end designer clothes, the sizing is pretty standard. It is well you get into that random mall stuff that it can mean anything.

[CocoNina 210]

Hello all!

P.s. any advice on wearing white pants and skirts???
What do I pair with them?
How does one keep them clean??
All the best to everyone

I totally agree with you about sizing. This has always been an issue for me before & after WLS. Before my surgery, in Torrid my pants size was 12, I go to Forever 21 plus & a I'm either a 12 or 14. In department stores like Macy's I was a size 20. I stick to "stretchy" flattering pants now since jeans & most pants in general are a nightmare.

White pants can go with any light color top like peach, nude, or even an off white. You can also be risky-trendy & wear red on top of white pants since it looks bold but classy. Skirts, same.

Bleach keeps them clean. When you're out and about always bring Tide To Go for stains.

All the best to you too.


Height: 5'0"
Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs.
Surgery date: 2/13/17
Goal: -71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs).
Current weight: 171 lbs
My profile picture is not me. It's my "FITspiration" body.