Oct 11, 2011
What sizes are you?
I have a fantasy. Maybe you have it, too.
In this fantasy, I know what size I wear. I can go into any store, or shop at any clothing website and buy clothes in that size. And they will always fit.
This is how you know it’s a fantasy.
The reality, of course, is that there’s no such thing as one size that always fits. Here’s why–and what you can do about it.
There are inconsistencies in sizing between brands and labels. As the New York Times famously reported earlier this year in “One Size Fits Nobody,” there are no consistent standards in sizing between various clothing manufacturers. One designer’s 6 is another’s 10.
There are inconsistencies in sizing within labels. Have you ever thought you you’d figured out what size you wore at, say, the Gap–only to order an item in that size and have it not fit? Me too.
Your body isn’t one size all over, anyway. Well, unless you’re very lucky and have a perfectly proportioned silhouette. In which case, we’re all jealous of you. :)
Most of the rest of us are some combination of sizes, whether larger on top and smaller on the bottom or vice versa.
(Like me. I’m usually an 8 on bottom, but I have skinny jeans from H&M that are a 10 and pants from LOFT that are a 6. Meanwhile, I’m very narrow on the top, as well as small busted, so I have tops as small as a 4. That’s 4 different sizes right there.)
And I’m not even going to discuss the fact that clothing sizes have changed over time. It’s complicated enough already, isn’t it?
Knowing all of this, I hope you’re convinced of the absolute unimportance of attaching an emotional value to your clothing size.
Maybe a little? It’s a start.
What’s a girl to do?
- Know your size(s). Be aware of the range of sizes you typically wear. Then pull those sizes when you go shopping. Clearly you’ll need to try everything on!
- Make it work. Find a good tailor. As I talked about in last week’s post about how to find an amazing blazer, the key to making any garment fit you like couture is to fit it to the largest or widest part of your body and get the rest altered to fit.
- Think fit, not number. Does it look fantastic on you? Did you have it tailored to fit you? Then the size number is irrelevant. (See above.)
Now does anybody out there have a brilliant idea for how to make the clothing industry use consistent sizing?
Your Turn
- What size(s) are you?
- If you don’t want to get that confessional–how many different sizes do you wear that all fit you?
- What are your techniques for finding clothes that fit?
[Photo credit: Flickr user Jamiesrabbits.]
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I tend to shop more from lines where sizing is somewhat consistent. But I’m all over the map, anywhere between 6 and 10 (usually petites, not always). I was shocked a few months ago to try on a size 4 jacket and it fit beautifully. Fortunately I got over size sticker shock a few years back. If I don’t know how something will fit, I take multiple sizes to the dressing room to try on, starting with the largest and working down.
I learned this lesson just last night. Old Navy has a new high-rise “super skinny” jean in trendy bright colors, so I went to try a pair on. I started with an 8, my typical size. Two trips back and forth to the dressing room later, I was trying on a 12. Ultimately the shape of the jeans didn’t work (their “high rise” was still too low for my taste) but if they had, I’d have wound up buying two sizes bigger than expected. So go figure.
How did you know that I needed this right now. I’ve been struggling lately with my clothes. I tried on three pairs of pants in my closet this morning that were too small. I went shopping at lunch yesterday…tried on three pairs of skirts in a 6…too small. I refused to go up to the 8…I was too upset.
I hear you. It’s one thing when you wear different sizes because the brand is inconsistent; it’s another thing entirely when a size that used to fit you doesn’t any more. There’s a concept we learn in yoga called “meeting yourself where you are.” You work with the body you have and what it wants today, not the one you wish you had or that you might have tomorrow. Think about this: If the size 8 skirt fits you and you look fantastic in it, it’s a treat for where you are right now. Cut the stupid tag out if you need to :)
Maybe that will create a space for you to look at other ways of treating your body, whether it’s eating right or exercising more or getting more sleep–the busy mom’s trifecta!
You are right….had I loved any of the skirts I tried on…I might have looked at a different size…funny thing was, I was looking to replace a skirt I had on which was too tight.
I am trying to supplement with exercise which is hard for a full time working mom of two little kids……my question is….do I buy new things to fit my now body when I’m really hoping in a few months I can loose the weight I want and fit into the old again?
Yes! Shop for where you are right now. The things hanging in your closet should make you happy, not make you feel guilty.
I’ll have to tell that to my husband! I can always get them tailored to fit once I’ve lost the 15 lbs right? ;)